Can't claim we didn't see it coming, that we had no warning. Our washer-dryer set has served us well for the past dozen years. The set is produced by Fisher and Paykel and although the washer could be very annoying with its tweets informing us that the load needed to be redistributed all too often, it was efficient enough, as was the dryer. And then they weren't. The washer failed to spin-dry as it should, leaving the washed items far too wet when the cycle was completed. And the drier struggled to do its job, but when its cycle was completed invariably presented me with too-damp items, even if the dryer was set to 'extra dry'.

And because of their age and our experience with them we thought it would be wiser, in the long run to simply bypass a service call and go directly to replacing them. We did this reluctantly, since discarding still-useful products for new replacements doesn't appeal to us enormously. Prudence, however, mitigated against laying out big dollars to correct the faults of aging appliances when they've likely reached the end of their life-cycle.

So we decided on Sunday, the day the dryer's action on handling a load of laundry was so obviously wonky that our two little dogs began barking in alarm at the clanking, leading us to recognize finally that their useful days were numbered, and it was time to look for replacements. We went off to Home Depot, the big box store that sells large home appliances, which is located a two-minute drive from our home. There a friendly and knowledgeable appliance salesman gave us information on the newer appliances. We had earlier consulted our annual Consumers Guide booklet on home appliances and thought we'd look for Samsung or LG models, reliable and hard-working.

There were plenty of models on display, but the salesman warned us that their capacity and size was much larger than we'd been accustomed to, given the age of our current, decrepit washer/dryer. So we returned home after taking the measurements of some models that interested us, to measure the space we would need and which would be available in our laundry room. On Monday we decided we'd have a look at Lowe's, also located mere minutes' drive from our street. And there we saw an even greater number of makes and models.

And we might have bought a set there but for the fact that the salesman, a young man, went out of his way to affirm for us our earlier impressions that the sales staff at this purveyor of household goods is invariably hostile to good service and positive customer relations. Little can be more off-putting than having to interact with an intermediary in searching out information and making decisions that will affect your life, than to come across young people who haven't the sense and good grace to treat potential clients with common courtesy. We left Lowe's feeling pretty certain there would never be an occasion when we might ever return there.

From Lowe's we headed directly to an outlet with many locations in the city and in Quebec, specializing in home appliances. Going there represented a much longer drive.  It's called Corbeil Appliances. They have a very good reputation as a reliable dealer, and we were about to discover it's a reputation they have earned. Their displays of all manner of home appliances are generous, their store staff well attuned to the needs of customers. The young man who looked after us there, was the very epitome of sensitive customer relations; friendly and informative. We chose a Whirlpool set. It took us little time, with his help, to decide the product we would commit to. And the deed was done.

Unlike Home Depot and Lowe's, Corbeil picks up  and looks after the old appliances you're replacing at no extra charge. And nor do they charge for delivery, which the others do. Their pricing is at least as competitive as the others and the selection they carry indeed superior. We had purchased the laundry pair on Monday morning, and they were delivered to us on Tuesday morning. What more could anyone want in such a transaction?