Who to Take to Court? Any Advice Please

WhiteHorse

When (and who, exactly) did you first notify that there was a fault?

stuart_miles

Poppy9 wrote: »

My Hotpoint machine is just under 12 months old but I didn't know about this balancing the load etc. I just fill it up, switch it on and it does it jobs. It's never not spun on me.

How exactly are you supposed to balance the load?

Lucky you I remember these days !

stuart_miles

I have read the article, thanks. It's a very useful article, one which I will quote from as I have followed all the instructions, it doesn't make a loud banging noise but it fails 70% - 80%, like I said before, the odd out of balance I can handle but its just unreasonable.

Having done a bit more research, it appears that many people have this exact issue, some have had it fixed with a new motherboard but like mine, for some it hasn't helped.

stuart_miles

timbstoke wrote: »

Wow, remind me never to buy top of the range LG. The idea of 'top of the range' should surely be that it works better than the cheapest model. I've never had a washer that you don't just throw clothes in, press a button or two, and leave it to it. Surely that's kind of the point of having the machine in the first place?

Well, if anything I have may have prevented one person from buying an LG machine.

The annoying thing is the machine is great... it washes the clothes lovely, sometimes a 2 1/2 hour cycle and then fails 15 minutes to the end.:mad:

stuart_miles

MY LETTER TO THE RETAILER ( ignore the grammar please )

Any advice, am I being unreasonable? Anything else I should put ?

Thanks again, you guys are great.

WashKing Discount Ltd
Company Director
WashKing Discount Ltd
31 Westgate, Burnley,
Lancashire, BB11 1RY
Dear Sir / Madam,
Following my conversation with you 27th October 2011. Please accept this letter as a formal request for a full refund or replacement for the washing machine purchased from named company on 19th May 2011.
Model No. LG F1443 KD – Invoice No. 20531 – Agent No. W0164887
I am asking for a full refund on the basis that this machine is not fit for purpose, I acknowledge that you have refused my request but I believe I am entitled under the sale of goods act 1979.
The reason it is not fit for purpose is that the machine fails at the spin cycle 70% - 80% of the time.
Since the purchase in May 2010, we have had three engineers out from the manufacturer ( LG ) who have replaced parts in attempt to rectify the problem but it still persists, the manufacturer have informed me that they are not prepared to do anymore as the machine is not faulty. I have been fair and patient but a machine that fails 70% - 80% of the time is unacceptable, I paid £684, it’s not a cheap machine.
I have followed the manufacturers instructions 100%, I accept that new machines, especially large drum ones have a higher chance of spin failure due to their complex balance detection but again 70% - 80% is unreasonable.
The engineers had advised that I move the waste outlet from the sink trap spigot to a standpipe, I have done this and I also changed the water from the header tank to the rising main but neither have made any difference.
My partner suffers from severe eczema, washing clothes and bedding is a massive part of keeping her condition as livable as possible, this machine failure is having a huge impact on her health and I do not have the funds to purchase another machine, please treat this as urgent and provide your formal reply within seven days.

mildred1978

stuart_miles wrote: »

Well, if anything I have may have prevented one person from buying an LG machine.

The annoying thing is the machine is great... it washes the clothes lovely, sometimes a 2 1/2 hour cycle and then fails 15 minutes to the end.:mad:

FWIW I have the same machine and have had similar trouble. Have only recently contacted LG who are changing the motherboard next week.

I can't say it's a problem I'd sue over though.

stuart_miles

WhiteHorse wrote: »

When (and who, exactly) did you first notify that there was a fault?

The first engineer came out within a couple of months, I'm pretty sure the fault was there from day 1.

It took a while of try and error, changing our usual cleaning routine but we had an engineer out within the first six months, I do have the exact date, but not to hand

stuart_miles

F_T_Buyer wrote: »

Does the washing machine work if it's empty? The issue is clearly with a balanced load.

yes, it does, the issue is 100% about balance, the problem is that it fails whether the machine is full, 60% full, different types of clothing, there is simply no pattern.

One day it will finish a load and exactly the same, fail the next!

stuart_miles

mildred1978 wrote: »

FWIW I have the same machine and have had similar trouble. Have only recently contacted LG who are changing the motherboard next week.

I can't say it's a problem I'd sue over though.

I hope you are one of the lucky ones whereby this resolves the problem, good luck!

aliasojo

OP, LG admitted in a Which article that they did have issues with the spinning and load balance in certain models. According to them they have dealt with this problem now and the early models which were affected had parts replaced which was supposed to have solved the issue.

I know from doing research of my own before I bought my new washing machine, that some people were still having problems after the replacement parts and LG have washed their hands of them now.

I believe LG STILL have an issue with some their 11kg models but proving it will be the problem.

Unfortunately I chose to believe the 'yes we had a problem with the early 11kg machines but it's fixed now' and I bought one. I really needed the ability to wash duvets so I succumbed. Biggest mistake I ever made.

Yes mine spins (it hasn't ever actually stopped a cycle) and when it works properly , it works really very well. However it's out of balance mechanism is so flaky that it throws a hissy fit regularly. I have bought the rubber feet suggested by LG, I have sat it on a solid thick piece of wood, etc etc and still I have issues. It bangs like a big bass drum on occasion simply because it is spinning out of balance. It has been levelled accurately as advised (picures taken of bubble in spirit level being exactly central), yet it still dances about at times as if it's possessed.

I have other ongoing life issues which are more important to me at present and fighting with LG is not top of my list so I put up with my machine and have vowed never to buy another LG product again.

(I also bought the large 9kg dryer - it too vibrates badly despite being perfectly level. Noisy, noisy appliance. Would not recommend this either.)

Apparently the 8kg models do not suffer from these problems so it would seem that LG didn't quite deal with the increased load issues accurately enough when introducing a bigger model.