The purchase of a home appliance can take a big chunk out of a budget. An El Cajon family learned the hard way why it’s good to know the warranty details before stashing the information in a drawer.

Sonia Ruiz said back in July, her growing family found the perfect washer/dryer combo to fit in a small space inside their new home.

“We needed to free up some space, and this little room was perfect for the stackable unit,” she said.

They paid more than $1,200 for the new unit. It was delivered to their home a few days later and hooked up perfectly in a little closet-like space.

However, Ruiz says her enthusiasm was quickly washed away shortly after she tried to wash for the first time.

“It would start, fill up with water, but it wouldn’t drain, and it would just stop," recalled Ruiz. "So

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