The Good, the Bad, the Ugly

Summary of User Experience

As a frequent user of this laundry facility and through casual conversations with fellow Edgerton residents, I have summarized the good, the bad and the ugly features of the service.

The user experience is generally positive with only complaints happening during the peak periods of usage. There are times over the weekend in which every machine would be utilized and one had to wait for a long time before a machine is available. As there is no queuing system and the service is ran as a first-come-first-serve basis, users would get frustrated when they are unable to find a single available machine the whole day. LaundryView which allows you to check the availability of the machines is an amazing service for users as it prevents any wasted trips to the laundry room.

Another main complaint from users is when washing/drying jobs are done but the previous user has yet to remove their clothing from the machine. While this wouldn't matter during off peak periods, it becomes extremely frustrating during peak periods when machines are not readily available. While the next user could technically remove the clothing of the previous user, it is not a common practice out of respect for the other user.

Furthermore, while the fault reporting system, LaundryLinx, responds quickly to requests within a week, machine problems go unreported for extended periods of time. The next section summarizes my own experience with machine problems that went unreported for 2 weeks and a service request I made to the service provider.

Problems with machine problems?

As shown from the series of emails on the Edgerton House Open mailing list, we can see the different user interactions with the laundry service. Throughout my residency at Edgerton, I have encountered two machine problems. One of them was from Washing Machine #14, that was mentioned in the email, and the other was Dryer #17.

Dryer #17 could be used but for some reason, there was no heat being generated in the machine. Hence, my clothes were naturally still wet after an hour of "drying". As it was a peak period and I didn't want to waste another dollar, I decided to hang dry my laundry. Naturally, I thought of reporting the issue. But by the time I was at my apartment, I realised that I couldn't use the machine number 17 to report an issue. Instead, I needed a machine specific serial number. Not wanting to head down again, I decided to let it be. After a week, I found out that the machine was still not fixed and clueless people were still using it and getting frustrated with the machine. After a second week has passed, I finally saw a piece of paper resting on the dryer informing others that it was not working. However, I did not know if the issue was reported up to the service provider. LaundryView also did not register the machine as down.

Washing Machine #14 was a big problem for all the residents. As we do not usually take note of the amount deducted in our card, I didn't realize the machine was eating my money till after 3 dollars was spent on it. Fuming, I decided to note down the Machine's serial number and report it to the service provider and demand for compensation. Only a few days later did I then received the email from fellow residents of the problem with machine #14. Apparently, my reporting of the machine did not flag a warning for subsequent users. It was through the emails that I then realized that the machine had stopped working weeks ago and no one bothered to report it or notify others.

This negative user experience that occured boils down to a lack of communication. Furthermore, even though LaundryLinx is an efficient service to receive reports and rectify them, there is a lack of incentive to report the problem. When I was reporting the problem for machine #14, it was mainly to receive compensation for the money I lost rather than to ensure that the machine would be fixed. Furthermore, the system for reporting was not intuitive and easy to use. This makes it unlikely for people to report problems with the machines and as shown, machines with problems can go unreported for weeks before something happens.

While LaundryLinx provides excellent one-to-one communication between the user and the service provider, the system does not help in communicating problems to the rest of the users. Even after reporting the issue, LaundryView did not show that a machine was down and users could still techincally use the faulty machine.