Boy, am I glad this appears to be the most common problem this piece of 'art' [it looks good, but doesn't have a function] has. {Come to think of it, junk could also have the same definition, at least some of the time!}
I have also moved into a rental, and have this problem. Dumb dishwasher stays on cycle literally all night. Powder doesn't deposit into wash load. Rotary Cycle knob doesn't cycle anywhere.
Back to handwashing in the sink.
Mike of Darwin., June 2011