Hotpoint Washer/Dryer Broken

thepurplegoldfish

Hi All,

I bought a Hotpoint washer/dryer in January 2009 for just shy of £400, soon after it delivery it was moved to storage (my friends back bedroom) and it remained there until December 2009.

I libe alone and only do a wash every seven to ten days or so, I don't do a manual job, so my clothes aren't dirty with oil or grease, just your normal sweaty t-shirt etc. Getting to the point my washer/dryer is now broken, I've had it over the 12 month warranty period, so to have it fixed I've to pay Hotpoint £105. Now I wan to know where I stand in relation to the Sales of Goods act, it states goods should be of satisfactory quality and last a reasonable amount of time.

Now I question the satisfactory quality of the faulty part (which I have been told is the module, a computer board of some sort), I have been goolging the specific model and i'm not the only one with this problem, many people have had similar experiences. Also the lasting a reasonable amount of time, is 19 months ( baring in mind it was in storage for 10 months) a reasonable amount of time for a near £400 washer doing 2/3 loads a month?

I have written to Hotpoint and they've replied with a very polite way of saying tough, but I'm not happy with this. Fair enough thing do break and I pay to repair/ replace, but after such little time and with so many others having issues too.....

Please Help.

Bloomin_Freezing2

I had a problem with a washing machine from comet, that too was a brand well known (not by me at the time) for going wrong. I contacted comet and consumer direct, and even though there could well be 1 million other people with the exact same model and fault it doesn't matter. Here we were talking about 1 little me with the 1 machine. Firstly, your contract is with Comet so go there and see the manager first. Hotpoint did not sell you this so they're really not obliged to help you out. I would advise contacting consumer direct also as you've not had it long enough (plugged in or not) for it to no longer work. Maybe it was not fit for purpose in the first place.

Not sure where you stand with the fact that you've paid for repairs and now you are going back to complain about the matter though. Consumer direct are fab and will show you the way to go. Good luck, it's a lot of money to have spent for something not very good.

rtho782

The OP doesn't say where he as bought it from?

The issue you have now is that the retailer can legitimately wash their hands of it, you have paid for a repair by someone else (hotpoint) and replaced the broken parts. They have not had chance to "make good" by repairing the item, you are just sending them a bill (and they may have been able to repair it cheaper etc).

You should have taken this up with whoever you bought it from before getting it repaired.

tbw

rtho782 wrote: »

The OP doesn't say where he as bought it from?

The issue you have now is that the retailer can legitimately wash their hands of it, you have paid for a repair by someone else (hotpoint) and replaced the broken parts. They have not had chance to "make good" by repairing the item, you are just sending them a bill (and they may have been able to repair it cheaper etc).

You should have taken this up with whoever you bought it from before getting it repaired.

I read it to mean that the OP hadn't got it fixed yet - he was unhappy with what Hotpoint wanted to charge him so he was getting advice first. I could have mis-interpreted what he said though.

rtho782

If that is the case, then he certainly has everything he needs to write to the retailer requesting a remedy - which could be a repair/replacement/refund at the retailers discretion - and his engineering report from hotpoint may well be enough that he doesn't need another inspection on it.

thepurplegoldfish

I bought it from Comet last year, but lost the receipt during the move (one of the boxes was lost). I originally called Comet but they weren't interested as I couldn't prove I bought from them, as I always pay in cash and no receipt.

So I called Hotpoint as I have a 5 year parts warranty, they've charged me its £105 for a repair, they've been today to fix it. It was the module, happy now my washer is working again :j But unhappy that s.o many machines are faulty and I have one of them, I bought it in good faith that I was paying good money for a good product, you know the saying " you pay for what you get".

I'v written to Hotpoint, will keep you up to date with the progress. Any further advise/ help much appreciated.

rtho782

Comet should be able to find you on their systems via the postcode you purchased it at, although the retailer can insist you provide evidence of purchase, this can be till receipt or bank statement if paid by card etc.

If you had spoken to their complaints team you may have been able to get a repair on it, but given the age of the product they would have expected you to pay some of the cost.

If you are going to pay by cash all the time, it is probably a good idea to keep receipts somewhere safe!!

david39

I was advised by a washing machine repair man never to buy a machine with an integrated dryer. The heat from the dryer bakes the printed circuit boards so that they become brittle and the vibrations from the spin cycles then cause them to crack and fail.

We had three such machines from three different manufacturers in six years - they all failed with damaged circuit boards which were uneconomical to replace.

We then bought a Zanussi washer, without dryer, and that is now in its 5th year without a visit from a repair man.

smcaul

Not an F13 error by any chance was it!!!! If it was we have had this time and time again - get the thing replaced approx every 6 months as they can never actually fix it!!!! Just poor design by HP/Indesit!!

thepurplegoldfish

Well, I've now emailed both companies, detailing the issue. Fingers Crossed.

I dont know what the error code was my machine doesn't have a screen / display. What was happening is the cycle starts, water fills as normal, drum spins very slowly half a dozen times then it just stops and all the lights on the front start flashing.

@David39 - That explanation makes perfect sense. Also loads of people recommending Zanussi, if, when this one breaks again, I might take the separate Washer and Dryerfrom them.

Thanks for all your posts, will keep you updated...

fre55die

Living in a flat I needed a washer dryer. Last Hotpoint lasted 20 years with only one minor circuit board replacement about 6 years ago costing £30 total bill including service and parts (new belt fitted) £85. Just got new Candy we shall see!!!!!