Faulty Washing Machine From Brighthouse

[Blondmusic]

In Febuary 2008 I bought a 'Quality Refurbished' Beko WMA 765 W Washing Machine from Brighthouse. I am paying for the Service Cover and the Damage Liability Insurance for peace of mind if anything goes wrong.

 

Within 2 months it would 'reset' itself while spinning at full speed. An engineer arrived on the 7th of April 2008, he told me that it was the way i was loading the machine and he told me how to load the machine properly. I followed his instructions but the machine still 'reset' itself on the 1st wash after he left.

 

Another engineeer was supposed to come out on the 9th of April 2008 and have a look at it but i got a call from the Brighthouse Service Centre telling me the engineer could not make it and they asked if the appointment could be re-arranged for the following week. I replied that no i could not do without my washing machine for that long so they arranged to pick my washing machine up and give me a loaner to use in the meantime. They did this on the 10th of April 2008.

 

My machine was returned on the 16th of April 2008 and it was working fine until the 8th of May 2008 when another engineer had to come out as the washer was 'resetting' itself when it was supposed to spin the clothes. He said that the motor was struggling and it needed a new motor despite the machine being less than 1 year old! He ordered the new motor, told me i would get a call when it arrived and they would arrange to fit it. They called me on the 13th of May 2008 to tell me the new motor had arrived and they will send an engineer to fit it on the 22nd of May 2008.

 

On the 27th of May 2008 i noticed the washing machine was having the same problem again so i called Brighthouse and they arranged an engineer to come out on the 31st of May 2008. By this point i was absolutly sick of the washing machine but i did notice that it only had a problem when it was spinning at full speed (1600 RPM) but it worked fine on the lower spin speeds (1200, 800 & 600 RPM). I could do the 1st wash of the day with it spinning at 1600 RPM but any further washes had to spin at a lower speed otherwise the washing machine would 'reset' itself. To prove that the machine did indeed have the described fault i set up my mobile phone, which has the facility to record video, set up the washing machine to spin at full speed and left it. My mobile phone recorded the whole thing and i showed it to the engineer when he arrived. He said it was the mainboard and he replaced it for me.

 

On the 12th of September the washer was 'restting' itself again and the engineer came out on the 13th and replaced the mainboard again.

 

All was fine until the 27th of November when after 2 washes the machine just churned the clothes but refuses to spin on any speed at all. The Engineer is coming out on the 1st of December, if he cannot fix it they will take it to the Service Centre and give me a loaner again.

 

I have had enough now. I want to know if anyone can advise me as i am sick of having to do without the Washing machine every time it goes wrong and i am sick of waiting in for engineers all the time.

 

Any advice or help will be much appreciated.

[plumberjon]

Hi

 

You certainly have been having a hard time!

 

This item was a QR item and wasn't brand new at the time you took out the agreement, but despite anything they tell you, this does not affect your statutory rights under the sales of goods act. This means if they sell you something that doesn't do what it is advertised to do, even if it is due to the item breaking down, then they are effectively in breach of the contract they made with you (the point of sale, not the HP agreement).

 

Now you did take the OSC for peace of mind, which under the terms of the same act, shouldn't have made any difference, but that's another story. I would say that given your catalogue of failures in just 1 year, that they should not now complain at the request to replace the item altogether. But you can't expect to get a brand new item, as you signed for a QR in the first place.

 

My advice is to insist that you get a replacement, and that you get to have a choice and to see the item in your local store before they deliver it to your home.

 

Providing they find an item that is similarly priced to yours, they should be able to perform a "switch-out" on yor existing agreement, meaning that you won't have to sign a new agreement, and as such you won't be paying any more than you would if your original item was OK.

 

I think this course of action is the only answer, it is a reasonable request for you to make after the trouble you have had, and let's face it, if it was a DVD player or a games console or some other that was "non-essential" then maybe not, but this is one of the golden 3 items in your house (cooker, fridge, washing machine) without it things are very difficult.

 

Hope this helps, and please keep us informed.

 

PJ

[BankFodder]

I think that you have put up with more than enough.

 

Write them a letter telling them that their visit on the 1st December is their final chance. After that the contact is at an end and that you will get a new machine elsewhere and require a full and immediate refund.

 

You will have to fork out for the new machine straightaway unfortunately - and also store their machine until they pick it up.

 

 

Be as good as your word. If the machine is not repaired then send them another referring to this letter and giving them 7 days for the refund or you will sue.

 

BH are used to this kind of tying - but they aren't used to people carrying out their threats.

Be as good as your word. They will buckle down. Don't extend any deadlines. Honour your threats. You will win and get your costs as well.