Say what?

Last Sunday evening I happened upon a water puddle on the floor of our basement. It was in a strange place, which prompted me to look up rather than around. Sure enough, water was dripping from the crossbeams. I noted the sound of our locomotive-style dishwasher whooshing away and thought, oh dear. Or something like that.

So I did some research online and found that dishwashers are impossible to shop for in cyberspace. I would just have to shop the good old-fashioned way. I am a very tall person and therefore need to be particular about the dimensions of an appliance with which I spend so much of my time. After a trip to Home Depot and a chat with a salesperson, I found what I liked. Then I went home and searched thoroughly online for any consumer complaints. Nothing. Hopefully it's a good sign.

On Friday I went back to Home Depot with the entire gaggle of boys in tow. There was a different salesperson this time, a woman. I asked her to follow me and told her that I was ready to buy a dishwasher. I pointed to the one I wanted and pulled out my wallet. She took one look at my face, glanced at my boys, and said, "You are ready to buy a dishwasher. Let's get this done."

We scrolled through the many features on a computer screen. I didn't care about most of them, just the the child lock-out button and the Sanitize option for when the stomach flu makes a round in our house. There were so many lovely features that it seemed Maytag had it all covered. Except for one.

"Would you like to purchase a power cord?"

"I'm sorry. My boys were hanging each other over the side of the cart by their toes. What was that?

"A power cord."

"You've got to be kidding me." Most of the time I can employ a verbal filter instantaneously, thus avoiding any uncomfortable situations. This was not one of those times. "The dishwasher doesn't come with a power cord?!!"

She looked sheepish and assured me that this was a relatively new thing that Maytag was doing. Oh, how comforting. I wonder what else is not included with the dishwasher.

"Well, since I intend to USE the dishwasher, I suppose I would NEED TO BUY A POWER CORD."

I mean, really. How ridiculous is that? Is this the new trend in appliances? Maytag: "Yes, we know you want our product but here's the true test of whether you're actually going to use it. Will you buy the... (drumroll please) power cord?"

I suppose the hundreds of dollars I had already handed over wasn't proof enough.

ADDENDUM: When we unpackaged the new dishwasher, we discovered that yes, indeed, a power cord was included. I have no idea what that associate was thinking.