AEG dish washer damaged New Kitchen Unit

December 18, 2020

I bought a brand new kitchen unit which included a dishwasher in May 2020.

The dish washer has only been used three times since installation in June 2020.

AEG (the manufacturer) have sent two repair engineers x2 times in two months October & yesterday 16/12/20 because on each occasion the washing machine has not washed the plates but has instead flooded my kitchen & thereby damaging my adjoining new kitchen cabinets.

Yesterday's engineer actually pointed out to me that the previous engineer had not properly secured a pipe, which was causing a slow leak into my new kitchen cabinet, which by now was damaged. After yesterday's engineer left, the washing machine again failed o work and is has again flooded my kitchen floor.

The brand new dishwasher is not fit for purpose.

1. How do i get AEG to replace the new yet continuously malfunctioning machine with a new dishwasher &

2. How do i pursue AEG to meet the cost of replacing the now damaged units?

Thanks

honeybee13 · December 18, 2020

Hi.

In case it's relevant, who did you buy the machine from please?

HB

December 20, 2020

I bought a whole new kitchen with the built in dishwasher as aprt of the package

BankFodder · December 20, 2020

Thank you, but that doesn't tell us anything at all about the supplier.
Was the installation carried out by a separate installer? Or was the installation carried out by the supplier?

I suppose it would be helpful if you actually told us the whole story in a bullet pointed chronology – not too much narrative – so that we didn't have to keep on chasing you for answers.

We need to understand the entire situation before we can give you the best advice.

February 6, 2021

Hi , sorry but i've spent last month & a half caring for my parent who has been very unwell.

The entire kitchen unit & dishwasher was bought from wren. dishwasher waa manufactured by Electrolux. Dish washer was installed by the builder.

Below is the email i've drafted to send to Electrolux on Monday. I'd be grateful for any constructive advice suggestions regarding the letter. Thanks

'Dear,

I am sorry to interrupt your busy schedule but I write in the hope that you may be able to interject into a matter of great concern & distress to me, as an Electrolux customer. It has been my experience that Electrolux is a reputable company with excellent customer service at the centre of its ethos.

To summarize, I bought a £7,000+ new kitchen in about May/June of 2020, which included an Electrolux dishwasher. I was only able to use the dishwasher twice times after purchase before it broke down in early October 2020.

The malfunction presented itself in the form of water spilling from the dishwasher onto my brand new kitchen floor, the machine washing cycle just rolling endlessly, without actually washing the plates etc.

I reported the matter to Electrolux who directed me to Respond Services, who they described as Electrolux’s repair service company.

The first engineer attended my property on 17/10/2020. During the engineer’s attendance to the dishwasher, my father who was present & observing the engineer, rang me to say that the engineer wanted to speak to me.

The engineer told me that in order to identify the fault in the machine & effect repair, it would be necessary to extract the machine from the casing in the cupboard unit but that he required my consent to move the florescent floor lighting, which was close to the machine.

I then rang my builder who advised me to tell the engineer to simply remove the wood below the machine. I called my father back who gave the phone to the engineer. I relayed to the engineer, the instructions my builder had conveyed to me. About an hour or so later the engineer called me & informed me that he had managed to remove & re install the dishwasher, without incident or difficulty and had rectified the fault.

When I arrived home and tried to use the dishwasher, to my dismay, I noticed water once more emanating from the dishwasher to the floor. Once again, no dishes etc were being washed by the machine.

I was again compelled to call Respond Services.

They initially scheduled an engineer to attend my property on 29/12/2020. That was then brought forward to 16/12/20.

On 16/12/20, the Respond Services engineer who attended told me that the engineer who previously attended on 19/10/20 had not tightened a pipe correctly, which meant that water was not entering the dishwasher but flowing out and had consequently sustained damage to a cabinet and its contents, next to the dishwasher and to the wooden casing to the right of the dishwasher.

The engineer told me that he would inform the relevant person/s back at the office, in order that the damage can be rectified. The engineer did not conduct a test wash of the dishwasher but told me that he had attended to the leaking pipe and therefore the dishwasher had been repaired. When I once again tried to use the dishwasher that evening, the dishwasher once more failed to operate.

By now my frustration was palpable. I rang Respond Services, to lodge a complaint regarding the damage to my brand-new kitchen units their contents & the ongoing malfunction of what was supposed to be a brand new dishwasher. I was initially directed to AEG who then redirected me to Electrolux.

I finally spoke to an Electrolux representative on 18/12/2020, who was very receptive, understanding of my distress. I explained to the representative the disappointing and damaging service, I had received in the preceding two months. I explained to the representative that the dishwasher which had only operated in a functional manner three times since purchase, was not fit for purpose and I informed her of the damage to my new cabinets and contents.

The Electrolux representative apologised for the poor service I had experienced and assured me that a senior engineer would be sent out to assess the cabinet damage & the issue with the dishwasher.

(Area Service Manager) from Respond Services, attended my property on 31/12/20. He pulled the dishwasher out of its casing and showed me a coloured pipe behind the washing machine which he said was defective. Before removing the machine Mr had said that the floor light would make it difficult to remove the dishwasher. I told him that he just needs to remove the wood near the machine , that the first engineer had removed and reinstalled the machine, without any difficulty.

When Mr exited my property I called him back in, as the dishwasher was making a noise which I thought should not be occurring. Mr returned to the machine, acknowledging that he had forgotten to stop the machine, which he had been testing.

Since that visit, I had to initiate further contact with Mr on 11/1/2021, when I called him but it went to voice-mail. Mr did respond via an email, indicating that he was waiting to hear from one of his engineers, who had previously attended my property.

Mr contacted me on 15/1/21, with what I can only describe was a devastating & distressing email, primarily because of the peppering of deplorable fabrications made in the email (relating to the removal of the dishwasher from its casing). The email appeared to be a strident attempt to absolve Respond Services of any liability in regards the damage to my units, instead of focusing on a genuine customer centred effort, to rectify the situation and propel the matter to a satisfactory conclusion.

Worse still, in Mr below noted email,

“Further to my recent visit, I have spoken to both the engineers attended your appliance.

The current fault with the appliance is that the drain hose has been kinked and is preventing the appliance from draining. The installation is further complicated by the neon strip lights that are attached to the plinth in front of the machine.

The engineer who called first on the 19^th October tells me that he did not need to remove the appliance to try and repair the fault. Looking at the part that was fitted it is plain the dishwasher would not have been needed to be pulled out to complete this repair, it can easily be done in situ.

The second engineer to visit identified the issue with the drain hose and became aware of the leak from the inlet hose which has caused some minor damage to the inside of the cupboard and for which you contend that my company is responsible for.

In order to repair the appliance the crushed inlet hose needs to be replaced but we cannot remove the appliance due to the neon strip light. The plinth needs to be fully removable for us to be able to remove the appliance and we cannot remove these lights, you will need to ensure the plinth has been completely removed before we can make a further visit. It is not sufficient for the plinth to be laid down on its front and left in front of the dishwasher.

I have spoken to one of my directors concerning the damage to the cupboard and having considered carefully the installation have decided that we cannot be held liable for the minor damage.

We would have had no need to remove the appliance on the first visit, nor could we have done bearing in mind the neons on the plinth prevent this from happening. As we did not remove the appliance we would not have loosened the inlet hose, nor would we have crushed the inlet hose. It is my view that the crushed hose and loose inlet hose occurred during the initial installation and as such my company cannot be held liable for the damage.

My I respectfully suggest you contact your home insurance provider should you wish to make a claim.

Please do contact us once the appliance is fully accessible so we can book a visit to repair the dishwasher.

Respectfully yours,”

he makes mention of Respond Services not attending my property again unless the floor lights are removed. Yet both himself and the first engineer removed the dishwasher from its casing. So why now such a disingenuous and unreasonable demand.

I am particularly disturbed by the content of Mr email, given that when he attended my property, he presented as a reasonable, honest and considerate manager, keen to fairly and adequately, address my raised concerns.

I am appalled by Respond Service’s undiluted glaring attempt at refuting any responsibility, in regards the damage to my units and lame excuse for now refusing to attend to the defective dishwasher.

I utilized savings which I worked incredibly hard to save, for the purchase of both the kitchen units and the dishwasher. I purchased both the units and the dishwasher from what retail companies reliably recommended to me a reputable retail companies, who consider the care of their customers as the epicentre of their success.

I did not expect my concerns to be dismissed, dealt with such disdain, as that demonstrated by Respond Services.

I have only been able to use the dishwasher three times since purchase. I was unable to use the dishwasher over Christmas & New Years, when I had higher than usual need, to use the machine.

Respond Services have been completely derelict in their duty and have disgracefully opted to refute their entire liability towards me the customer. This is wholly unacceptable.

The country in the midst of a pandemic, families are generally spending g more time at home and therefore probably washing more dishes than usual. I certainly had hoped to utilise the dishwasher, to assist me in my washing of dishes. Instead I am in possession of a ‘not fit for purpose’ dishwasher, compounded with a repair service ‘Respond Services’, failing to meet their obligation.

The Consumer Rights Act 2015 bestows upon me as a customer, certain expectations and rights.

I am kindly asking that your office intervene in this matter, with a view to supplying me with a new ‘fit for purpose’ and effective dishwasher. I also respectfully request that repairs (to my now damaged, new cabinets), be completed as a matter of urgency, thereby bringing this protracted and disconcerting matter, to an imminent and satisfactory resolution.

I thank you for your patient attention and await your imminent response.

With thanks'

BankFodder · February 6, 2021

Thanks for this, but I did actually ask you for a bullet pointed chronology without too much narrative.

Please could you simply summarise the problem – giving dates – because the letter is rather long to get through.

February 6, 2021

1. Bought dishwasher as part of kitchen unit in May 2020

2. Dishwasher manufactured by Electrolux

3. Used for 1st time in Oct when building work finished. Unsed a 2n time & water spilling onto kitchen floor

4. Electrolux send 3rd party repair company to fix dishwasher

5. After repair, dishwasher did not work , water spilling onto kitchen floor

6. 2nd engineer came & told me 1st engineer had not properly tightened pipe which had now damaged new kitchen units & contents

7. After 2nd engineer, dishwasher still failed to work now just making noise but not washing contents

8 December, manager engineer from 3rd part repair company came to look at dishwasher

9. After manager engineer came he sent email basically saying not his company's fault that unit damaged but a matter for my builder or i should go to my insurance & said he wont return to fix the dishwasher unless i remove floor neon lights. yet he had removed the dishwasher with the neon light in place, when he came to the house

Now i have damaged new kitchen units & a defective dishwasher, which has operated properly once, since purchase.

BankFodder · February 7, 2021

Thank you.

So we understand that the dishwasher was installed by somebody other than the people who sold it to you. I'm afraid that that is going to complicate matters because although this is a very normal thing to do, it effectively divides responsibility and allows each side to blame each other – and then it's very difficult to know whether it is a defect in the product or an installation problem.

You can see this happening already when people are already blaming each other and I gather that you have now even involved another repairer which also complicates the matter.

Have you had anybody who has definitively identified the problem.

When Electrolux came out, the manufacturer, you said that they had carried out a repair. This suggests that they had identified a defect in the dishwasher itself rather than installation. Have you any idea what they did?

February 7, 2021

The 1st Respond Services (repair company used by Electrolux) engineer told me that that was a part within the dishwasher which had malfunctioned, which he said he replaced.

The 2nd Respond Services engineer, who attended to the dishwasher, told me that the 1st engineer, had not correctly fitted a replacement pipe , which had in turn caused the leakage out of the dishwasher to the floor & into an adjoining unit

it is the manager who finally came out, who has now started to deflect blame away from Respond Services

BankFodder · February 7, 2021

I'm afraid that you are in a very difficult position. You can already see that so many people are involved – including the retailer that everybody is blaming somebody else.

I'm not sure what to advise because unless you can identify the actual fault then you simply won't know who to target and they will all deflect blame to someone else and at the very least it will take a look long time to sort out – if you can sort it out at all.

Normally speaking in this kind of situation I advised people to move very quickly to issuing a letter of claim and then threatening and then actually bringing a county court action. That normally sorts things out pretty quickly.

However, we really don't know what the fault is and who is the responsible party.

I'm anxious not to give you advice which will effectively waste your time – and possibly your money and produce no result because everybody else is pointing the finger at someone else.

February 7, 2021

I appreciate your candid comments Bankfodder . I’m going to throw a Hail Mary & send the draft letter to the ceo of Electrolux , in the hope that maybe fir their image if nothing else , they’ll do something.

I’ll post here the result

thanks again for your responses

BankFodder · February 7, 2021

Yes. Good luck.

You might like to post the draft of the letter here is so we can have a look and maybe make some useful suggestions

February 7, 2021

The draft is in red in an earlier post

February 8, 2021

Below is the long draft letter i'm planning on sending to the ceo of Electrolux. It is long but I felt I had to prove a chronology of what happened.

Any advice about how to make it shorter or content to add delete, the tone? Thanks

'

Dear,

I am sorry to interrupt your I write in the hope that you may be able to interject into a matter of great concern & distress to me, as an Electrolux customer. It has been my experience that Electrolux is a reputable company with excellent customer service at the centre of its ethos.

To summarize, I bought a £7,000+ new kitchen in about May/June of 2020, which included an Electrolux dishwasher. I was only able to use the dishwasher twice times after purchase before it broke down in early October 2020.

The malfunction presented itself in the form of water spilling from the dishwasher onto my brand new kitchen floor, the machine washing cycle just rolling endlessly, without actually washing the plates etc.

I reported the matter to Electrolux who directed me to Respond Services, who they described as Electrolux’s repair service company.

The first engineer attended my property on 17/10/2020. During the engineer’s attendance to the dishwasher, my father who was present & observing the engineer, rang me to say that the engineer wanted to speak to me. The engineer told me that in order to identify the fault in the machine & effect repair, it would be necessary to extract the machine from the casing in the cupboard unit but that he required my consent to move the florescent floor lighting, which was close to the machine. I then rang my builder who advised me to tell the engineer to simply remove the wood below the machine. I called my father back who gave the phone to the engineer. I relayed to the engineer, the instructions my builder had conveyed to me. About an hour or so later the engineer called me & informed me that he had managed to remove & re install the dishwasher, without incident or difficulty and had rectified the fault.

When I arrived home and tried to use the dishwasher, to my dismay, I noticed water once more emanating from the dishwasher to the floor. Once again, no dishes etc were being washed by the machine.

I was again compelled to call Respond Services. They initially scheduled an engineer to attend my property on 29/12/2020. That was then brought forward to 16/12/20.

On 16/12/20, the Respond Services engineer who attended told me that the engineer who previously attended on 19/10/20 had not tightened a pipe correctly, which meant that water was not entering the dishwasher but flowing out and had consequently sustained damage to a cabinet and its contents, next to the dishwasher and to the wooden casing to the right of the dishwasher. The engineer told me that he would inform the relevant person/s back at the office, in order that the damage can be rectified. The engineer did not conduct a test wash of the dishwasher but told me that he had attended to the leaking pipe and therefore the dishwasher had been repaired. When I once again tried to use the dishwasher that evening, the dishwasher once more failed to operate.

By now my frustration was palpable. I rang Respond Services, to lodge a complaint regarding the damage to my brand-new kitchen units their contents & the ongoing malfunction of what was supposed to be a brand new dishwasher. I was initially directed to AEG who then redirected me to Electrolux.

I finally spoke to an Electrolux representative on 18/12/2020, who was very receptive, understanding of my distress. I explained to the representative the disappointing and damaging service, I had received in the preceding two months. I explained to the representative that the dishwasher which had only operated in a functional manner three times since purchase, was not fit for purpose and I informed her of the damage to my new cabinets and contents.

The Electrolux representative apologised for the poor service I had experienced and assured me that a senior engineer would be sent out to assess the cabinet damage & the issue with the dishwasher.

(Area Service Manager) from Respond Services, attended my property on 31/12/20. He pulled the dishwasher out of its casing and showed me a coloured pipe behind the washing machine which he said was defective. Before removing the machine Mr had said that the floor light would make it difficult to remove the dishwasher. I told him that he just needs to remove the wood near the machine , that the first engineer had removed and reinstalled the machine, without any difficulty.

When Mr exited my property I called him back in, as the dishwasher was making a noise which I thought should not be occurring. Mr returned to the machine, acknowledging that he had forgotten to stop the machine, which he had been testing.

Since that visit, I had to initiate further contact with Mr on 11/1/2021, when I called him but it went to voice-mail. Mr did respond via an email, indicating that he was waiting to hear from one of his engineers, who had previously attended my property.

Mr contacted me on 15/1/21, with what I can only describe was a devastating & distressing email, primarily because of the peppering of deplorable fabrications made in the email (relating to the removal of the dishwasher from its casing). The email appeared to be a strident attempt to absolve Respond Services of any liability in regards the damage to my units, instead of focusing on a genuine customer centered effort, to rectify the situation and propel the matter to a satisfactory conclusion.

Worse still, in Mr below noted email,