Washing Machine Broken.

mrstaypuft

Hello.
We bought a new washing machine from Comet last November and it has developed a leak.
I called the Comet helpline and they have booked a engineer to come on the 16th of April which is quite a wait but I suppose that must be about the average time everyone waits???
Anyway I had a quick look from underneath the machine where the leak seemed to be coming from in case it was just a hose that had come loose.
I found a large piece of plastic in the base which has broken off the casing that holds all the water in the drum so this is where the leak is coming from.
My question is , as this seems quite a major part and would not be able to be replaced (if at all) without removing all of the other parts and removing the drum , motor etc from the case , will the engineer just turn around and say "yea needs replacing" and then I will have to wait another 2 weeks after that?
Could I return it to the shop as the thought of being without a washing machine for a month especially with a 2 and a 5 year old is pretty grim.
I know I could have got special extended warrenties etc but these seem to work out at about 60% of the purchace price and have normally hoped that things will last at least 2 years not 4 months!

Hintza

I would be very carful about moving it yourself. You can just see the conversation changing to "Oh you must have damaged it when you moved it."

To me 17-18 days is not acceptable and I think I would be calling the manufacturer direct (esp. if as you think the machine is a write off).

But talk to Comet again and push them or something faster.

mrstaypuft

Well just phoned Comet are they are not budging on the timescale of getting a engineer to look at it.
I explained the source of the leak and even though their techical department seemed to agree that the machine was a write off they could not do anything till a engineer had confirmed that which is fair enough.
Candy are not interested as it is down to Comet because its under 12 months old.
Apparently if the engineer confirms that it is beyond repair then I will be able to get a replacement if I return the machine to the shop but this may take another 10 working days after his visit for us to get the necessary replace code.
So it looks like we will be stuck without a washing machine untill maybe MAY!!!
I do not like the extended warranties on thngs as they are so expensive compared to the price of the appliance anyway but I guess its a gamble.

mrstaypuft

So finally the engineer arrived today to look at it and seemed to agree that it was going to be pretty costly to repair but had to order the part anyway as he was not allowed to make that decision and I would receive a call this evening to confirm what they are going to do.
As they could not be bothered to call me I phoned them and was told that they were going to go ahead and repair it.
My main problem now with comet is that I have now been told that the part may take up to two weeks to come in and then after that the engineer will have to be rebooked to come back.
So can they just repair it when they want?
Do I have no right to replacement or repair in a reasonable time or is two months acceptable?
We have been without a washing machine for over three weeks now and may have to wait another month.
We have no family in the area so we are making a trip to a laundrette every Saturday which is a round trip of approx 45 miles and now with school starting again praying the uniforms are ok for a couple of days.
Have I any rights to complain or is it just a gamble you take when you buy things that they may not be too good and the stores don't care when they have your money?
If it is another month I may as well get one on eBay.

wealdroam

The Sale of Goods Act says (amongst other things)...

(2)If the buyer requires the seller to repair or replace the goods, the seller must—
(a)repair or, as the case may be, replace the goods within a reasonable time but without causing significant inconvenience to the buyer;

I'd be moaning about significant inconvenience if I were you.

mrstaypuft

Thanks for the reply.
I have been reading that I may be entitled to a refund as it is under 6 months old and is causing major inconvenience.
I will suggest that they either replace or refund tomorrow and see where that gets me.
If they refuse what would be my next step then?

CoolHotCold

Significant Inconvenience is all relevant I suppose.

I had a broken washing machine and found beating the ever-loving $*!% out in the bathtub managed to calm me down. (The bathtub was full of clothes and I had a nice big wooden paddle)

Techhead_2

CoolHotCold wrote: »

Significant Inconvenience is all relevant I suppose.

I had a broken washing machine and found beating the ever-loving $*!% out in the bathtub managed to calm me down. (The bathtub was full of clothes and I had a nice big wooden paddle)

I'd agree, I've always considered a washing machine to be a luxury item as it's a labour saving device. Significant inconvenience is meant to be situations like no toilet for a month.

As with all things, is best not too worry about what might happen and see how things develop.

mrstaypuft

Techhead wrote: »

I'd agree, I've always considered a washing machine to be a luxury item as it's a labour saving device. Significant inconvenience is meant to be situations like no toilet for a month.

Really???
So what you are saying is that anything invented in the last say 150 years is a luxury item anyway and we can go without them for as long as we want?
If your cooker or heating breaks down would you just start a small fire?

CoolHotCold

mrstaypuft wrote: »

Really???
So what you are saying is that anything invented in the last say 150 years is a luxury item anyway and we can go without them for as long as we want?
If your cooker or heating breaks down would you just start a small fire?

Well it depends if the hob's broke or the oven did, so long as one is working, and it could be argued that a cooker is a luxury item and you could eat salads or other cold dishes.

As far as heating goes, if you have a electric shower and it's the middle of summer you can't really claim significant inconvenience "because I couldn't take a bath",you do have a responsibility to reduce the inconvenience and if you don't it is unlikely to win you any favours in the small claims court.


It all boils down to how you handle the situation, I was brought up to overcome challenges and make the best of things, I'd still try my hardest to get the item fixed or replaced, but I won't moan that I couldn't use the washing machine, I'll figure another solution out. I'm not saying companies get a unlimited time to fix items which is why reasonable timeframe is included in the wording of the SoGA, I just find it hard to classify being without a time saving device a significant inconvenience, I'd want to restrict the use of that down to "I could not get by without it" such as a automatic/manual lift that lifts disabled people out of bed. Having that break down, I would classify as a real significant inconvenience, especially as the partner/carer is too infirm/weak to lift the disabled person. The same if a wheelchair breaks, that also is significant inconvenience. Being without a laptop or TV or cooker/hob is a inconvenience, but probably not a significant one.

mrstaypuft

Called Comet and they are only going down the repair route.
Found out the parts will be in mid next week then they will book a engineer........so maybe another month.

I think its terrible to wait over 2 months to get a repair on a washing machine that is only 4 months old.

Comet are Crap am going to get one on ebay now as it will mean saving on diesel and time.