Hello all~

Several weeks ago I was drying 2 bathmats in my building's dryer, which is a 12 year-old Maytag (model #LDG7304AAE) when one of the fins inside the drum broke off (I believe they are also called baffles). My landlord has since asked that I pay for the repair, which cost $225! His argument is that consumer level dryers are not designed to dry heavy items, such as bathmats, which is news to me. My argument is the following: 1.) the dryer is 12 years old and gets used several times a day by building tenants, so the fin could have easily broken from normal wear & tear. 2.) If it is unacceptable to dry certain items, those items should be posted for tenants to see and 3.) I have researched the cost of the fin and have found that the part costs only $7.95, so $225 seems like an extreme amount to pay for the repair.

So, I am wondering if anyone with experience with this type of repair has any advice. If my bathmats are truly responsible for breaking a 12 year-old part then I am willing to pay at least half the damage (I would not have dried the mats had I known I shouldn't have). However, if I am being asked to pay for a repair caused by normal wear & tear then I feel I have every right to object!

Thanks in advance for your advice!

I wouldn't agree to pay for the repair, because of the age and the distink possibility that someone else could have misused the dryer and your heavy bathmats were only the straw that broke the camels back, so to speak.

Besides if you are alittle handy with a screwdriver, it would only take me 20 minutes to change the baffle. Take a look at this thread and see if you might to give it a try. Its a real simple fix.

http://www.applianceaid.com/slidemayd.html

http://www.applianceaid.com/maytag-dryers.html

Good luck,
Phil

Hi Phil~

Thank you for the directions -- I wish I had been given the opportunity to use them, but alas, my landlord handled the matter on his own and passed the $225 bill along to me. Furthermore, I called Maytag and one of their representatives said the owner's manual for this model lists NO restrictions on garments/items that can be dried. She also told me there is not an average lifespan for a fin but the average lifespan for the dryer itself is 6-8 years. This seems like a low average, but given the degree of usage and the fact the dryer is 12 yrs. old, it seems likely that the fin was already weak and that a sock could have knocked it off!

thats crazy!!!!
bathmats are not something unusual to put into a dryer.$225 is outrageous for that job too...i would ask for a work order for the repair & even if they doubled the price of the part, it was still about $200 labor for a 15 minute job...
i dont know what you can do because its your landlord & he could make things hard on you if hes a jerk like that.i would try to dispute it any way you can because you could have kept your mouth shut & acted like you didnt know who broke it but you were honest about it
good luck

I just saw your post about your Landlord. That is ridiculous for him to expect you to pay for the repair and I am a Landlord. I own rental property in Minnesota. Before you decide to pay look at your lease. Is there anything that says you are responsible for any appliance repairs? Worst case is he would either take you court which would cost him time and money and my guess is the judge would not rule in his favor. Maintenance and Repair is all part of being a Landlord, you didn't do it maliciously, so I think he's fishing for you to pay. Also, if he tries to keep it from your security deposit when you move out, then you take him to court. I don't know how housing in your area is, but maybe your Landlord needs to be reminded what a good renter you are and that you pay your rent on time and in full every month. Also go to your States Attorney General's Website and look for a book called Landlord and Tenants Rights and Responsibilities (or a name to that nature) Tenants have a lot more rights than they are aware. Hope this helps. If you decide not to pay, don't sweat it, there really isn't much he can do to you.