‘Speed Queen all the way’: Shopper buys $550 Samsung washing machine. It breaks down a year later
When it comes to smartphones, most people would likely pick Apple over Samsung any day. But what about when it comes to smart washing machines?
TikTok user Gia Pendergast (@giapendergast) learned the hard way that maybe Samsung “[needs] to just stick to TVs.”
On Sept. 12, Pendergast posted a viral video of herself speaking in her home, the sound of a broken washing machine clearly echoing in the background. As of publication, the video has 54,000 views.
“D’you hear that?” she asks. “That’s our Samsung washing machine that is a year and a half old.”
Pendergast says that she bought the new washing machine in May 2023, but she was even skeptical of buying it at the time. “Because I absolutely hate Samsung—however, it was cheap,” she explains. “And my thought process was ‘Get the machine for $550, because if something happens to it, you can just replace it.’”
What’s up with the new machine?
The video then cuts to her folding the shirt she just smelled as she expresses her frustration. “I wanna go back to the old fashioned machines, with the spin at the top—what was that called? The agitator?” she asks.
Now, a little over a year after she bought it, Pendergast believes that she will, in fact, have to replace her new washing machine.
“My clothes are not even smelling clean,” she says. She lifts a sweater to her nose and sniffs it for emphasis. “They smell okay, but they don’t smell clean.” She pauses and drops her head into her hands for a moment.
“You would put clothes in a machine, the agitator would kind of like, push them down,” Pendergast explains. “It would clean them. Now, I feel like, in these machines, you’re just spinning around dirty water.”
The problem with Samsung
This new washing machine is the latest in a long line of broken Samsung appliances in the Pendergast household. She states that when they had their kitchen done nine years ago, they got a full set of Samsung appliances put in. Over the years, Pendergast says she’s had to replace the dishwasher, microwave, stove, and refrigerator.
Despite her negative experiences with Samsung, when the time came to buy a washing machine, Pendergast was reluctant to spend $1,000 or more for a machine from a different brand.
“Yeah, I ended up getting another Samsung. Why? Because the stove that we originally bought was $3,000,” Pendergast elaborates. “Was I spending $3,000 on another stove? No.” She concludes that, unfortunately, it was a case of “you get what you pay for.”
“Now I’m gonna have to go dropping $1,000 on a washing machine,” she states.
In Pendergast’s opinion, the process of repairing the Samsung machine would just be a long-term money sink prolonging the inevitable.
“It’s not worth it for me to pay $150 to $200 for somebody to come in and look at it and be like, ‘Oh you need this part,’” she explains. “And then it costs another $300, and then we’re up to what I paid for the piece of sh*t.”
She ends the video with a warning to all prospective launderers watching: “Don’t get Samsung. Don’t do it.”
Advice from the comments
Commenters weren’t sure whether they agreed or disagreed with Pendergast’s denunciation of all Samsung appliances, but they were able to give advice, regardless.
“I have a Samsung washer that I’ve had since 2014 with no problems and a Samsung refrigerator since 2016 with no problems,” one commenter declared.
Another user disagreed, seconding Pendergast’s opinion. “As someone that used to own android products, the only thing Samsung is good for is their phones and their laptops,” they said. “Stay away from their appliances. The same for LG.”
Some commenters recommended buying older, used washing machines, or machines from other companies like General Electric or Whirlpool. The brand people recommended the most, though, was Speed Queen.
“Speed Queen is the way to go, for sure!” one user summed up. “Top loader with no lid lock. Gets clothes clean, is built tough, and actual hot water when called for.”
One of the top comments urged buyers to still be wary of any new machine. “I work for an appliance repair company. It’s not just Samsung. it’s ALL of them,” they said. “They are building them to fail in a few years.”
@giapendergast If there is anything that you take away from this video, please do not ever buy a Samsung appliance. They need to just stick to TVs.
♬ original sound - Gia Pendergast
What’s the deal with agitators vs impellers?
According to an article from Home Depot’s “Home Improvement” section, there are two types of washing machines: agitator and impeller.
Agitators are top-loaded machines (meaning you put the clothes in the top, and not the front) with a big stick in the middle. The stick has fins on it, and beats the clothes around during the cycle.
“Placed in the middle of the wash basket, this agitator moves vigorously back and forth during the wash or rinse cycle,” the article explains. “This movement makes its vanes or fins agitate or rub against fabrics to remove dirt and stains.”
Home Depot says that agitators facilitate a lot of “heavy-duty cleaning action.” However, can also use up too much water and be hard on the clothes they wash. On the other hand, impeller washers, where only the drum of the machine rotates during the cycle, are gentler. They drain fewer resources, but it's more difficult to get exact results from them.
Is Samsung really that bad?
Samsung has a history of simple defects and recalls when it comes to their top-loading washing machines over the years. According to The Guardian, in 2016, Samsung recalled over 2 million washing machines after they “exploded,” resulting in hundreds of complaints and injuries.
In 2022, the company recalled their machines once again. According to the US Consumer Product Safety Commission, “the washing machines [could] short-circuit and overheat, posing a fire hazard.”
Now, according to Anne Bucher of Top Class Action, Samsung is involved in another class action lawsuit due to claims that their washing machines “corrode prematurely.” The erosion causes water and particle buildup in the machine, which in turn causes mold and debris during wash cycles.
Whether or not corrosion is what’s causing the issues Pendergast claims to have with the Samsung washing machine remains to be seen.
The Daily Dot reached out to Pendergast via email and TikTok direct message, and Samsung via email.
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