Please help - Washing machine broke after 24 days.

sm1975

We bought a washing machine from Currys on 24th June. On 17th July the door became loose and one of the paddles in the drum broke off. I phoned Currys and the automated system put me straight through to Indesit. They said that the paddle breaking off "could not happen" unless a coin or something else had gone through the wash but they would send an engineer out for the door. We had to wait a week for the engineer to come out. He mended the door and checked the filter for any foreign objects. He didn't find any so replaced the paddle and left. I put a wash through and the paddle broke off again.

We emailed Currys (it is impossible to talk to them on the phone) and was told (again) that the paddle could not have broken off unless we had done something wrong. When I insisted that we had not and asked for a refund I was told that the engineer would have to confirm that there was a manufacturing error for that to happen. When the engineer came a week later (incidentally we have 2 kids under 5, one of who is pooty training - badly! so 2 weeks without a washing machine is a real pain) we asked him to confirm that there was nothing in the filter, which he did verbally, and asked whether it was a manufacturing error. He said that it was impossible to tell and even if it was he was not allowed to say so! He replaced the paddle again.

The woman from Currys left me a message this morning to say that we could not have a refund as the engineer's report said that there was no manufacturing error!

Now the door has come loose again!

Please could I have some advice on where to go now? The thought of phoning Currys again and having to wait another week for the engineer makes me feel sick and I know that they are just going to fob me off again. I have included all the key phrases and words from the Sale of Goods Act in our e-mails etc but genuinely don't think they will budge unless I get a solicitor onto it, which obviously would be very expensive.

What should I do? Any advice would be greatly appreiated.

bod1467

WRITE to Currys to formally reject the goods. IMHO you are still (just) within a reasonable time period to reject the machine, given that it failed within about 3 weeks, then failed again a week after repair.

Under 6 months it is for the Retailer to prove that any fault is due to misuse; just because the engineer didn't say there was a manufacturing error - if he didn't say it was due to misuse either then the onus is still on Currys.

How did you pay?

sm1975

Thank you for that. Will write a letter tonight.

Paid by debit card unfortunately.