Product review (2 stars): Buy a different brand!
We just purchased this washer on May 13, 2009 and have had the service man out 4 times already.  There is an issue with the load being out of balance, especially towels.  The repairman attributes the problem to "user error" but we honestly have tried everything we can think of to resolve the problem.  If we lower the spin cycle speed the towels are too wet to put into the dryer.  If we leave it alone it knocks so hard and so load it sounds like the drum is going to bust through the side.  Especially when washing beach towels be it 1, 2, 3, or 4 in with regular towels or an entire load of beach towels (one person - Disney type - towels here, not the double wide super thick towels) we continue to have the same problem.  There is even a video on youtube of this model washing 2 blankets and the machine is doing the EXACT same thing.  We wish we had never purchased this machine, I miss my Maytag!!  We're still fighting with GE but they have finally offered to replace it with a top load machine since apparently all of their front load washers have the same problem.

As for the reviews, we too have had various items swallowed by the gasket around the door and the odor was present almost immediately. We have to leave the door ajar overnight to keep it at bay and even then we still have some odor.  This has happened within 90 days of owning this machine and it wasn't even used for 3 weeks in July when we were out of town.

Do yourselves a favor and buy a different brand.