COMET-Cannot actually install a washing machine.

fluffnutter

Comet's website has the following to offer on installation services. I don't think they've fulfilled this at all.

Washing Machines & Washer Dryers

Installation costs £19.99

As part of our service, we will:

Deliver your new appliance to your kitchen
Disconnect your old appliance
Connect the existing water supply, waste outlet (to an existing waste system) and power point
Level the machine to reduce vibrations
Test everything and take you through the key features
Before ordering, you should check that

There is enough space in your kitchen for the appliance
There is easy access to a working water connection and stop valves; and an independent waste outlet for your new appliance
You do not require hot water piped to be capped off
Your appliance is not more than 1 metre from a waste outlet
Your stop valves are working correctly
You do not require any carpentry work to install your new appliance

I thought it might have an exclusion for wiring to a spur, but no. So there you go. Naughty Comet.

shaun_from_Africa

I think the fact they where trying to use a screwdriver at all needs to be questioned when installing a washing machine?

As the machine was to be connected to a spur and not a 3 pin plug, then a screwdriver would have been needed to removed the cover and connect up to the terminal block.

This is probably where the problem arose.
By law, just about all mains powered electrical items now sold in the UK must come with an approved 3 pin plug fitted as standard, and if an item is supplied without this, the retailer is liable to prosecution.

If you (or the landlord) had bought a washing machine then paid someone to fit it, they could have removed the plug, but as it was Comet supplying and fitting, the delivery/installation people probably weren't too sure about how they stood in regards to the law as they would have been removing the plug before you had accepted the machine, and it would therefore have been supplied to you without the plug being fitted as required.

fluffnutter

shaun_from_Africa wrote: »

As the machine was to be connected to a spur and not a 3 pin plug, then a screwdriver would have been needed to removed the cover and connect up to the terminal block.

This is probably where the problem arose.
By law, just about all mains powered electrical items now sold in the UK must come with an approved 3 pin plug fitted as standard, and if an item is supplied without this, the retailer is liable to prosecution.

If you (or the landlord) had bought a washing machine then paid someone to fit it, they could have removed the plug, but as it was Comet supplying and fitting, the delivery/installation people probably weren't too sure about how they stood in regards to the law as they would have been removing the plug before you had accepted the machine, and it would therefore have been supplied to you without the plug being fitted as required.

I wondered about this. But having a spur is not that uncommon - even I've heard of it! So I would have thought that Comet should specifically exclude this in their T&Cs or else 'Connect... power point' can legitimately be taken to mean any type of power point. They don't specify 'standard 3 pin socket' (or whatever you call our usual power supply) and in the case of washing machines, perhaps they should.

crazyguy

The plug would have been on it at the start and upon delivery it was just incompetent people whom delivered it and couldnt figure out that you just unscrew a simple plate and wire it up, its childs play and can be done with a small knife so the excuss was very poor and I would have told them so.

shaun_from_Africa

The plug would have been on it at the start and upon delivery it was just incompetent people whom delivered it and couldnt figure out that you just unscrew a simple plate and wire it up

You unscrew a plate and then you have to cut off the fitted plug to connect up the wiring. (A fused spur doesn't take a 13A plug. There is a terminal block of some description behind the cover).
This is the bit that is illegal as the appliance must be supplied with the plug fitted.
Once the OP (or the landlord) had signed to accept the machine, the plug could legally have been removed by them or the installer, but this can't be done before they have taken ownership of the washer.

Siren1974

We had an absolute nightmare with Curry's fitters when we ordered a washing machine. First the machine arrived a bit battered. They had already removed our old washing machine by then so they said if we rang currys we could get a discount as it was only superficial damage. While I was on the phone they attempted to fit the machine. It turned out that since the hose that connected the waste to the outlet pipe was on the opposite side to our old machine, the new one wouldn't reach so they may as well take the machine away as damaged. The fitters gave us some sort of code to authorise them removing the new machine so off they went, with the old machine too. We rushed off to Currys to order a new one but when we got back we found our kitchen soaking wet!! The fitters had put a cap on the cold water pipe but it was obviously dripping and rather fast too. They just left it that way. The cupboard the pipes were inside was ruined and it took a good couple of weeks to dry the floor out. I will never use Curry's fitters again!!

ade262

I think your find that most electrical appliance retailers installation teams would have done excatly the same, as although its not rare to have a washing machine hard wired it is not the standard practise, maybe the buyer should of made the sales team aware of this at point of sale.

jonnyd281

martinthebandit wrote: »

So basically you are saying you paid extra to have;
one pipe put into another,
one plug put into a socket and;
one connector screwed onto another

Yeap, given that only my wife was at home, and I was aboard a ship on the other side of the country, and they did put a cap on the hot water feed. Otherwise I would have done it myself, but our old machine was a good 8 or 9 years old and feeling very sorry for itself so couldn't wait two months for me to get home.

michaelvintner

Emmzi wrote: »

comet installed my washing machine just fine!

Probably a nice and simple installation then. Anyone can install a washing machine wheen all you need to do is plug it into a mains socket. I have done 3 washing machines myself. However if you need to hard wire it in don't bother with comets because "they won't have the right size screwdriver".

michaelvintner

Boomtown wrote: »

The OP said, "they arranged a new washing machine to be delivered and installed today by comet".

'Installed' means exactly that. Wired, plumbed in, whatever. It means leaving the machine set up and ready to be used.

Now if it were simply delivering, well there's nothing to complain about . .

Indeed, my landlord paid for a service that Comet were too useless to provide.

My Landlord paid for delivery and a seperate charge for installation.