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Smart LG Washer and Dryer Carries a Tune (To Diagnose Its Diseases)

by Matt Evans on August 11, 2010 at 09:35 AM

lg washerWhen electronics quit working, getting good tech help is never easy. You've got the Geek(y) -- but also shady -- Squad, helplines based on other continents and your go-to friend whose best suggestion is always, "Have you turned it on and off yet?" At the end of the day, most issues could be resolved if communication were better between tech support and customers.

LG seems to understand and sympathize with this sentiment. The company's new washers and dryers come equipped with something called 'SmartDiagnosis,' which puts the appliance, not the hapless user, in charge of telling tech support what's wrong. When customers call the help line, the phone operator instructs them to go to the machine and press a series of buttons in a magical sequence. After the code is entered, and depending on the problem, the appliance will emit a series of tones, which the tone-fluent support guru will interpret, and use to diagnose the sick device, solving the problem within seconds.

The whole idea is a bit goofy -- not to mention vaguely reminiscent of 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind' -- but the craziest ideas sometimes end up working the best. Now, if only we could've had this kind of service for our VCR back in the '90s. [From: Wired]

Tags: appliances, dryer, lg, smartdiagnosis, TechSupport, top, washer, WasherDryer, WashingMachine

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