Product review (4 stars): Changed my review--got one that works now
OK, I've received the replacement spin dryer after receiving one that was damaged when it arrived (I've left original review down below in case it's useful to others). Have had it a week to try it and I really do like it a lot. This one was packed using the same, barely adequate means of securing it, but it arrived undamaged and does a great job. A couple of comments:

* The packaging really is barely adequate, given that stuff does get knocked around in transit sometimes. The top of the machine does need to be secured within the box, even with something like brown paper. That would probably eliminate the need for the zip ties that secure it to the metal bar that is supposed to keep everything stable. Those zip ties really are quite difficult to remove because they are threaded up into the innerds of the dryer and looped around, making it feel like you're going to pull something important out while trying to wiggle them free. I spent a good 10 minutes finaggling them.

* The cord is a bit short for my liking. Literally every outlet in my house is halfway up a wall and/or behind furniture or cabinets, leaving me with options like shoving the sofa out of the way and using it in the living room (nope), letting it hang over the edge of the kitchen counter with the drain spout hopefully over the sink (in which case it's taller than I am...also nope) or else employing an extension cord, which the instrux say not to do. I can't use it in my laundry room because the outlet configuration makes that impossible, so I'm using it in the garage and storing it in a corner of the laundry room--love that portability!

* You'll want the biggest bowl you can fit under the drain spout because a surprising amount of water is released, and it can get a little messy if the bowl isn't fitted against the machine just right. Another argument for using it in the garage.

* If the load isn't balanced, it can get very wobbly very quickly, so be prepared to stop and adjust when you first start it up with a load. Once it gets going, it speeds up quickly and spins very smoothly and it really does expel a lot of water in a manner of a minute or two.

Original Review: Well, we're not off to a good start. I actually need this thing. I ordered it on Tues, 3/13. It shipped on 3/14 and was supposed to arrive on Fri., 3/16. This was all good. Got a message Thurs, 3/15 saying it had arrived in Jacksonville and would be delayed there until Monday 3/19. Arrived around 5 p.m. on 3/19. I guess the delay is on UPS, not necessarily on the shipper, but I was already a bit disappointed since it made it through 2 transfers in at least 3 states in 24 hours, but then had to sit in a warehouse 2 hours away from me for another 3 days. No explanation as to why on the delay. (Yeah, I know Amazon says not to include shipping experience in the product review but the shipping experience IS part of the whole product experience, so I'm doing it anyway.)

The box did not appear damaged when I opened it. Inside the box was a large, clear plastic bag and no additional padding of any sort. Inside the bag were: a large square of styrofoam about an inch thick which had a groove cut across the center, a metal bar that was sitting loosely in the groove, the dryer itself minus one round rubber foot cover, one loose round rubber foot cover, a single piece of paper containing instructions, and a couple of pieces of plastic that appeared to be the remains of a heavy-duty zip tie (although it should be noted that the pieces did not fit together to comprise an entire heavy-duty zip tie. "Where's the rest of the zip tie?" I wondered). I removed the contents from the bag, then wrangled the rubber foot cover back onto the foot--it fits on there pretty tightly, which made me wonder how it came off in the first place. While doing this I noticed what sounded like something rattling around inside the dryer. I turned the dryer this way and that, gave it a little shake, but nothing came out and the rattling seemed to have stopped. I skimmed the instructions. According to the instructions, I was supposed to cut the zip ties that were holding the dryer securely to the styrofoam via the metal bar. I can only assume that the dryer either wasn't secured when it was packed or the zip ties broke while it was in transit, because everything was loose in the bag, not secured together, when I received it. So, concerned, I plugged the machine in, closed the lid, and it started right up.

I'll say that it ran smoothly, although it did make a howling noise, I assume due to wind whistling through the drainage holes in the drum. Since I was engaged in a large project for work, and knew I wouldn't be able to try the dryer out properly, I carried it, via the handle, to a corner of the laundry room and left it there until this evening.

This evening I needed to use it. I carried it to the garage via the handle, plugged it in, closed the lid and nothing happened. Opened and closed the lid a few more times, unplugged and plugged back in, moved it around, shook it a little....nothing. Opened the lid to see if the drum would move and it will. Shook it a bit more and a few pieces of broken plastic fell out of the bottom. Some look like pieces of zip tie (although from what I can tell, I still don't have a whole zip tie's worth of parts) but some look like broken pieces of something that was once a molded plastic part. I tried plugging it in and closing the lid after that and it did start up, ran for several seconds, but then shut off. More shaking, more running for a few moments and shutting down. Obviously this isn't how it's supposed to work. (And I'm doing this while it's empty--thank god I didn't load the thing up full of wet clothes and then discover this.

So, now I must ship it back and wait another week to receive a replacement. I intend to update this upon receipt of the replacement, but at this point, I'm steamed. I really want this to turn into a good experience because, like I said, I need this thing.