Product review (3 stars): Pump Stopped Working After 5 Months of Use
Update - I contacted the company and was informed that if the drain hose is used  as it is designed that the pump will burn out quicker and may need to be replaced.

I decided to hold off on writing a review until I had used it for awhile and am really glad that I did. I bought this 6 months ago and didn't really use it for a month or so. Therefore, after 5 months of use it quit on me today.  The pump has stopped working. It agitates and will spin but neither is much use if the pump will not eliminate the water. I am really annoyed and if my son cannot fix it will be purchasing a new one but NOT this brand. I do want to say that I absolutely loved it until this happened but really figured I'd get more than 5 months of use from it. True, it is not automatic - requires manual transfer from washing side to spin dry side several times during the cycle. You run water into the wash side with soap, run through the wash cycle. Transfer clothes to spin dry side, drain washer (cannot run both at once), then transfer spin dried clothes into washer again and add water and softener. Once cycle completes, back into spin dry and drain again. If you don't want the softener left in your clothes, repeat the entire process again to clean. Sounds like a hassle but I didn't mind and was happy with the final result.