Montgomery Ward Dishwashers

Montgomery Ward was a catalog and department store retailer that has gone out of business. As such, Montgomery Ward brand dishwashers are also no longer in production. GE Capital saved Montgomery Ward from bankruptcy in 1999, but GE let the company disappear a year later. Although a new web-based catalog company now exists bearing the Montgomery Ward name, it no longer sells dishwashers nor does it honor old Montgomery Ward obligations.

Montgomery Ward Company History

Montgomery Ward was founded by Aaron Montgomery Ward in 1872 as a mail order dry goods company. At the time, the catalog only featured 163 items but boasted the unprecedented company policy of "satisfaction guaranteed or your money back." By 1883, the Montgomery Ward catalog was 240 pages and listed 10,000 items.

Montgomery Ward rose to fight for dominance over the mail order/catalog business with Sears, Roebuck and Co. In 1926, the company opened its first retail store. The company opened 244 stores in two years. Everything went well for the company until the 1950s when it failed to adapt to America's expansion into suburbia. While its competitors opened stores in suburban shopping malls, Montgomery Ward stuck to its downtown and mainstream locations. By the time the company tried to break into the suburban market, its competitors already had too strong of a hold.

Mobil Oil bought Montgomery Ward in 1976. In 1985, the company closed its catalog business and focused more money on the retail stores. A push toward the consumer electronics market in 1987 gave Montgomery Ward the financial rebound it needed. Montgomery Ward's stores were very popular and successful until the 1990s when it succumbed and lost to cheaper competition. In December 2000, Montgomery Ward announced the closing of all 250 retail outlets, and by May 2001, Montgomery Ward had vanished. An online retailer bearing the name and the Montgomery Ward logo was created. The company doesn't honor gift cards or obligations from the old Montgomery Ward and doesn't operate any retail stores.

Tips For Trouble Shooting Montgomery Ward Dishwashers

General appliance vendors still carry parts for Montgomery Ward dishwashers. Most sites ask for a model number and also tell customers how to find the appliance number.