Robin recently had a terrible experience with a broken Roomba and the unhelpful people at iRobot, so she was shocked and amazed by the helpful customer service of KitchenAid. From her email:

“Recently, while grinding meat, the KitchenAid Artisan stand mixer that my husband and I received as a wedding present in 2002 came to a screeching halt – complete with burning smell and ear-deafening noise. The mixer had the phone number listed it so I figured, what the hell. I called them, bracing myself for a repair estimate that would cost almost as much as a replacement mixer.”

KitchenAid offered to send her an estimate kit for $30, and she agreed.

“Thirty bucks seemed like a reasonable fee to pay to have someone tell me what was wrong with my dead mixer so I rattled off my credit card number and, being the skeptic I am, started pricing new mixers.

A few days later I received a box with detailed instructions for packing up my mixer, a pre-paid shipping decal and styrofoam molded perfectly to the shape of our mixer. Everything fit perfectly in the box—we sealed it up, sent it off and hoped for the best. So far so good—painless and easy.”

Today KitchenAid called with good news and bad news. The bad news was that her mixer was totally trashed and could not be repaired. The good news was, Robin was getting a replacement mixer free of charge.

“I was so excited I almost cried—so instead I did the next best thing: I emailed you guys so you could spread the news about my newfound appreciation and love for KitchenAid. From start to finish, my experience has been pleasurable—kind people, informative representative and a better-than expected outcome. I couldn’t ask for more. “

Good job, KitchenAid! We have nothing snarky to say. —MEGHANN MARCO

Read Robin’s email inside.

Coming off of a very, very bad experience with the iRobot people (in which they informed me that they do not perform repairs (at all) on Roombas that are out of the 1-year warranty but instead will sell you a refurbished Roomba (if you package up your old, broken Roomba and send it to them) for $5 less than you can purchase a new one.) I had a great experience with KitchenAid that I thought you should know about.

Recently, while grinding meat, the KitchenAid Artisan stand mixer that my husband and I received as a wedding present in 2002 came to a screeching halt – complete with burning smell and ear-deafening noise. The mixer had the phone number listed it so I figured, what the hell. I called them, bracing myself for a repair estimate that would cost almost as much as a replacement mixer.

After giving the rep my mixer serial and model numbers, she informed me that for $30 they’d send me a kit in which I could pack up my mixer and send it to them – once they received it, they would call me with an estimate. Thirty bucks seemed like a reasonable fee to pay to have someone tell me what was wrong with my dead mixer so I rattled off my credit card number and, being the skeptic I am, started pricing new mixers.

A few days later I received a box with detailed instructions for packing up my mixer, a pre-paid shipping decal and styrofoam molded perfectly to the shape of our mixer. Everything fit perfectly in the box – we sealed it up, sent it off and hoped for the best. So far so good – painless and easy.

Today (a few weeks later) I received a call from KitchenAid. “I’m calling about your mixer,” the rep began. “We have good news and bad news – I’m going to start with the bad. Your (hauck?) gear is frozen and your mixer cannot be repaired.”

My heart dropped and I envisioned another Roomba-type scenario in which they would inform me that they’d sell me a refurbished mixer at close to the retail price of a new one.

“The good news is that we’re replacing your mixer – free of charge.”

I was so excited I almost cried – so instead I did the next best thing: I emailed you guys so you could spread the news about my newfound appreciation and love for KitchenAid. From start to finish, my experience has been pleasurable – kind people, informative representative and a better-than expected outcome. I couldn’t ask for more.

Want my advice about how to spend that money you’ve got burning a hole in your pocket and need to buy Mom something for Christmas? Get a KitchenAid mixer and skip the Roomba.

-Robin

Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.