Our washing machine picked one heck of a time to die. It couldn’t have happened in, say, February, when we have to bribe our friends and family to venture north of Augusta. Nope, instead it bit the dust in the height of the Orono tourist season. And it did so in dramatic, dirty and sopping-wet fashion. Leaving us with a load of moldering laundry and the equally stinky prospect of buying a replacement.

The incident, which included an agitator that had come untethered, a pump that didn’t want to work and a load of my favorite golf shirts, occurred on a Wednesday. By Saturday, we determined there was no hope of fixing said agitator and pump. We also realized there was no hope of finding another deal like that again – our original washer cost $50 because a former landlord had received a much nicer model as a wedding present.

I’m going to blame the spectacle that was our washer’s demise for what followed. Because that’s the only reasonable explanation for our momentary lapse of judgment. And while I’m not usually one to air dirty laundry in public, I have a confession to make: We didn’t even comparison shop.

Instead, we set off, unawares, in search of a bargain and clean clothes. Like the hundreds of other people we dodged while trying to find a parking space, we drove to a nearby big-box store, figuring we’d get the best deal there.

We wanted a front-loader. We were also ready for a step up from the basic model that had served us so well over the years. But in our price range, everything looked the same. In fact, two different brands looked like they were made by the same company.

The only pleasant surprise was that a super-efficient Bosch washer was in the same ballpark as the other models we were considering. But we had a few questions.

Unfortunately, there were no answers in sight. We waited. We tried to capture the attention of the sales staff, in vain. We walked around and around and around. For 45 minutes. Then, after nobody helped us, we left in a huff, declaring that we’d rather pay more than do business at a place with such poor customer service.

As we hopped in the car, we looked at each other and it was clear we were both thinking the same thing: We should’ve known better. Not five years before, we went through the exact same drill – only with kitchen appliances. Oh, and last time, we visited at least two other big-box stores and a major national chain before we realized the error of our ways.

But it wasn’t too late. We immediately headed toward the Bangor waterfront to Dunnett, Inc. As soon as we stepped through the door, someone helped us – without being pushy. He answered all of our questions – and confirmed that the two suspiciously similar-looking washers were, in fact, made by the same company. Dunnett also carried Bosch, including a more energy-efficient model with fewer bells and whistles for $600 – about $200 less than the Bosch we saw at the big-box. A comparable model was similarly priced, except Dunnett had a $100 rebate offer that the big-box store did not. Well, maybe it did – but there’s no way we would’ve known because we couldn’t pay somebody to talk to us.

So we bought it. And it was delivered on Wednesday, just a day before my brother-in-law’s scheduled arrival – clean sheets for all! Alas, the saga of the broken-down washer has a happy ending.

We’ve done it again.

Or, I should say, we’ve Dunnett again.

And when it comes to appliances, we’ll never, ever do the big-box thing again.

ShopGirl would love to hear from you! Send questions, comments or suggestions by e-mail to: kandresen@bangordailynews.net, by U.S. mail to Kristen Andresen, P.O. Box 1329, Bangor 04402-1329, or by fax to 941-9476. For exclusive online shopping tips, click on the ShopBlog icon on the bottom of the BDN homepage: bangordailynews.com.