washing machine problems - any advice

[mdavids]

I was reliably informed that most washing machines these days are rubbish so I bought the cheapest one I could from currys and then paid for a 5 year whatever happens extended warranty. Since I bought it, the machine has randomly decided not to go onto a fast spin from time to time meaning washing sometimes comes out dripping wet. After a few months the problem became permanent so it got repaired through the manufacturer (beko). At first the fault was misdiagnosed then I had 2 appointments cancelled then finally the motor and circuit board were replaced. Although it was fixed it would still randomly not spin out but I was reluctant to call the engineer again because I doubted I would beable to demonstrate the fault. The problem became permanent again in september and its now over a year old so its currys responsibility. Again the fault was misdiagnosed with the engineer telling my girlfriend that it was a load balance problem and we just had to "persevere with it". On the next callout he found the waste pipe to be kinked off where the last repairmen had pushed it back too far. This seemed to fix the problem but once again it would sometimes not spin out and now 1 month later the problem has again become permanent.

I am now totally fed up. My girlfriend has had to wait in for the engineers on 7 separate occasions and is giving me grief for buying a pile of crap which has regularly left us with mountains of washing. I have tried to complain to currys and have gotten nowwhere and been passed between departments by people who just dont want to know and dont give a toss. IMO for a machine to go wrong as much as this there must be something fundamentally wrong with it but because its mainly an intermittant fault, even when it appears to have been repaired its actually still broken. Currys have told me that for the machine to be replaced the engineer needs to declare it a write off but how do I get him to do this when he thinks its fixed but I know its not and its just going to go wrong again.

For those that are interested, heres a link to a consumer review site for the same machine and theres at least six comments from people who are having similar problems.

 

Beko WMA 510, 97 confirmed customer reviews on Reevoo

 

Do you think currys know about this fault and are just fobbing me off?

I am trying to arrange to be there when the engineer comes out again but they cant give me an exact time and I cant get the time off to wait in all day. I get the impression that they think they can just tell my girlfriend anything.

Any advice on how to proceed would be greatly appreciated.

[H.A.K87]

Ok first of all you have to be there when the repair man comes.

Talk to him and and try demonstrating the problem before he touches the machine, show your proof of repaires for the same problem to him too.

Ask him to write it off, as reapiring will do the same thing again.

Also currys will give you this problem of not wanting to deal with you. therefore i suggest that you write a formal letter to them complaining about the issue and state that you want it replaced.

I would recomend that you get the contract where it states that they cannot give you a replacement untill its written off in print.

If they cannot give you that then you are entitled to t a new machine.

[demon_x_slash]

You need to write to the store concerned, copying in one of the 'higher-ups', setting out your grievance and what they can do to make you a happy customer again. Barracad's Guide is a good one to follow. You need to decide what you will be happy with - a replacement of the same model? different model? a straight refund? - and then you can tailor your resolution request to that end. Currys are liable to you under the Sale of Goods Act (insufficient quality, durability) and beginning to create a paper trail like this will stand you in good stead if you do end up having to go to Small Claims over the situation. It shows that you are making reasonable attempts to resolve it. It also shows the Currys representatives that you are aware of your rights and are prepared to exercise them.

 

Here's the full Sale of Goods Act; here's a more streamlined explanation.

[fred2009]

ok so you know washing machines are unreliable. so rather then buying a more expensive one or checking reviews of top quality low fault report washing machines you bought the lowest price one.

 

knowing full well if it went wrong you have not lost too much money to buy a new one.

 

secondly you purchased a 5 year warrenty which means if it goes faulty it will be repaired.

 

so you know its a cheap one you have been infirmed they are unreliable and now you want to complain and blame someone else that they have to keep turning up?

 

a 5 year guarantee does not mean it makes the machine magically indestructable. it just means someone else deals with faults and repairs.

 

if you want to complain that someone is actually coming out to repair it then i suggest you re-assess your initial buying decisions.

 

ok to the point.

 

you are talking about the terms of there whatever happens agreement which is in addition to SOGA. id suggest talking to currys customer services department and inform them that you are seeking a remedy under the sale of goods act .. forgetting about whatever happens. reverting back to your basic rights

 

tell them that you have had their own engineers out on several different occasions and still the unit is not fully functional. give them the repair references and inform them that after so many repair/inspection attempts you are looking for an alternative remedy in the form of a replacement or recision of contract (refund).

[demon_x_slash]

The OP said that the machine has been faulty from purchase. The SoGA does apply (as I already said in my post above), as even as the machine is a cheap one and therefore wouldn't be expected to last as long, it has never worked properly from purchase.

[H.A.K87]

you are talking about the terms of there whatever happens agreement which is in addition to SOGA.quote]

 

 

So there is additional conditions set by Currys, but the sale of goods act still applies, and the additionl conditions im assuming is given when you purchase a five year warranty/guarantee

[Conniff]

so rather then buying a more expensive one or checking reviews of top quality low fault report washing machines you bought the lowest price one.

 

fred, not everyone is as affluent as you and some can only afford the lower priced equipment or they would have gone for a top quality one.

[fred_2009]

my point was you fully knew and understood at the time of purchase that you did not want to buy a high quality, high priced piece of equipment. you just wanted a cheaper model and you not care about quality beause after a couple of years ud just buy another one...

 

so why now complain that it has failed. by taking a 5 year watever happens does not make the product indestructable for 5 years. it just means there is a less hassle route to get it fixed then relying on your SOGA rights which may only be honoured by going to court.

 

hindsight says if you not want the same hassle in 2 years time spend a little more money and buy a higher quality product.

 

yes you do have upto 6 years for a replacement under SOGA. please read the word UPTO. again UPTO.

 

retailers are known to beleive the length of a manufacturers guarantee is the lifespan of the product. thats why some washing machines come with 5 year guarantees as standard and others come with only one. so asking a retailer to repair it under SOGA is hard especially with untrained store staff.. i would advise contacting the complaints department or someone higher up to get action

 

the only way to truly gain your SOGA rights is if you can somehow prove the life expectancy of the product via either a whitepaper or quote from the manufacturer. or by taking the retailer to court.

 

now think about hindsight. maybe its worth spending a little extra for the higher quality product if you dont like it when it fails. warrenties dont make things indestructable. if you dont want things repaired. then you might want to think about looking into a household insurance policy that does straight like for like swaps next day. they are better then warrenties or court cases

[HSBCrusher]

It is expected for a washing machine, whatever make bought, is fit for purpose. This means it working for more than one year without continual break down.

demon is bang on.