It's a brand you may not have heard of. Yet. Manufactured in New Zealand, they produce home appliances (dishwashers, clothes washers, ovens, refrigerators).
My folks, being European, tend to value some things more than money/economy. So they bought a matched pair of DishDrawers, the smaller dishwashers designed by Fisher & Paykel (available from Lowe's in the Pacific Northwest). I've always marveled at how much quieter they are than American products. One can actually sit only a few feet way during a wash cycle and hold a conversation in a normal tone of voice without straining to hear over the "whir whir" of the dishwasher.
Anyway, we had a problem with one the other day, where it wasn't exhausting all the used dishwater. So being the mechanical one, and being home for a visit, I was asked to look into the problem.
About an hour later, after I had figured out the design - I think it's revolutionary compared to most dishwashers - I thought I had figured out the problem. Only I had one barrier to addressing it. A smoked plastic shield covered some of the motor parts I need to get to and it wasn't obvious how to remove it.
So I called their 800 number. And was connected to a delightful Australian lady in one of their call centers. Well educated, well-spoken, and knowledgeable about the product. She led me in the right direction and I ended up ordering a new "motor rotor". Brilliant design, really. The commutator brushes are insulated from the internal chamber of the dishwasher and spin the rotor to exhaust the waste water from the dishwasher. No mechanical connection between the two. Easy to service and the water cools both the commutator and the rotor.
I was thinking about what it said that Fisher & Paykel hadn't outsourced their call centers. Why do we outsource ours? In pursuit of the almighty dollar I suppose? But it sort of gives the lie to it being "necessary", doesn't it.
The average wage in India of a call center employee is about $7.50/hr. The average minimum wage in Australia is about $10/hr. So maybe their call center people make $15. Big difference. But Fisher & Paykel still manages to make a profit and hasn't seen a need to offshore their support (I asked).
Posted by artandscience at November 11, 2008 02:05 PM