AEG Washer Dryer. 3.5 Years old beyond economic repair

dantc

Well the subject kind of says it all. We bought a AEG Lavamat L16850 Washer Dryer in November 2008. We paid £630 for it from Comet based on a Which best buy award.

Well it's died, 3 years, 8 months. The first engineer said it was the main circuit board and also the door switch was blown. We contacted what we thought was AEG and it turns out it was actually D&G.

The engineer they sent out basically confirmed the original engineers diagnosis and said it was beyond economic repair, the main circuit board was definitely blown and even if he replaced it, if the fault was due to a pump issue it might just blow the second one straight away.

So there we are. A washer dryer that lasted just over 3.5 years, we do not have any kids and this washing machine does maybe 4 loads a week.

Comet were a joke, they said to send a letter with the engineers report and they would consider the case but we might have to pay £70 for a report from one of their engineers.

I even went in to the Comet shop we bought it and said I was looking at a new washer dryer but was concerned about the life expectancy, the sales person went in to full sales mode, reassuring me how reliable their machines were and how realistically we could expect anywhere between 5 and 10 years depending on whether it was a cheap one or an expensive one. When I said my previous one was a AEG he told me that we should expect at least 7 years from a good quality brand like that.

At that point I told him that was why I was there, we had bought the previous one from them...... so was it reasonable that it had failed after 3.5 years.

We showed him the paperwork and explained that I wanted to see what they were willing to do, given the premature failure of the previous unit. Quoted SOGA1979, reasonable quality, durability etc. I even asked him to go and speak with the manager and see what they could do, perhaps a substantial discount off a new one.

Well lots of conversations with the manager, reassurance that they would do us a very good deal and all they came back with was an offer that they would match the 10% discount on their web site in the store..... I left.

So finally just to add insult to injury, phoned Electrolux as they own AEG. I explained the issue and the best they would offer was a 'contribution exchange', well what they came back with was an offer that they would supply me with a L87695WD AEG at a discount price of £799.89 - Given I can buy this from COOP electricals for £789.99, that's not such a great 'contribute exchange' to me.

Now I accept that sometimes products do fail prematurely, even to the point where they are not economical to repair. But I also expect the service from the supplier and manufacturer to be significantly better than either Comet or Electrolux delivered.

Very poor show, unfortunately we cannot go without a washing machine indefinitely so I have to sort something out this weekend, we have already been without one for over a week due to waiting for engineer visits etc.

I am pulling together all the evidence and paperwork this weekend and think this is going to end up with a small claims court.

Also spoke with Trading standards, they were very helpful and told us to email Comet as well as advising what to put in the letter. Unfortunately as stated we are without a washing machine so can't really afford to be without a washing machine while they consider the case. I guess before I lodge a case through small claims I could start with a letter requesting a refund, including expenses I have incurred.

After any advise you can offer as well as a view of what could be considered a reasonable refund based on the initial price paid (£630) and the actual age when it failed.

Thanks in advance.

shaun_from_Africa

Before considering any court action, you really need to read up on your rights and obligations under the SOGA.

Quoted SOGA1979, reasonable quality, durability etc

Yes, the SOGA does state that goods must be durable and of a reasonable quality, but it also states that after 6 months from purchase the onus is on the consumer to prove that any fault was due to an inherrent problem and not down to misuse.

Without having this proof, it will be pointless attempting any legal action

Comet were a joke, they said to send a letter with the engineers report and they would consider the case but we might have to pay £70 for a report from one of their engineers.

Again, this is in line with the SOGA.
If the report states that the fault was due to a manufacturing defect then you should be able to reclaim the cost of it from Comet, but if it says otherwise, you will have to cover the cost.
You do not need to use a Comet engineer for this, any reputable independent engineer should be okay.

neilmcl

dantc wrote: »

Comet were a joke, they said to send a letter with the engineers report and they would consider the case but we might have to pay £70 for a report from one of their engineers.

I don't see any issue with this. Have you actually done what they suggest?

Only until you've actually sent them the engineer's report are they going to be in a position to decide whether a remedy is in order. No point in talking about small claims courts until you know for sure what their position is.

dantc

neilmcl wrote: »

I don't see any issue with this. Have you actually done what they suggest?

Only until you've actually sent them the engineer's report are they going to be in a position to decide whether a remedy is in order. No point in talking about small claims courts until you know for sure what their position is.

Yep, going to do that on Monday with a letter, what i find frustrating is that i was willing to meet comet or electrolux Half way on this and pay a fair price for a replacement. Both never even made any effort to offer a sensible discound on a replacement.

Which then puts me in the position of buying a replacement elsewhere and chasing for a refund/partial refund as replacement/repair is not of any value.

Still based on the conversation i had with the second engineer it's going to be worth pursuing as he is willing to put in writing that it is a inherrent fault as the door lock shorting/overheating has caused the main circuit board to blow.

Guess we will see what they say, will update once i hear back from them.

SuperHan

You might find that the retailer is much more forthcoming when you hold up your end of the SOGA, and will most likely offer a reasonable partial refund.

neilmcl

dantc wrote: »

Yep, going to do that on Monday with a letter, what i find frustrating is that i was willing to meet comet or electrolux Half way on this and pay a fair price for a replacement. Both never even made any effort to offer a sensible discound on a replacement.

Which then puts me in the position of buying a replacement elsewhere and chasing for a refund/partial refund as replacement/repair is not of any value.

Well that's not how it works unfortunately, AEG/Electrolux have no obligation to you and the retailer is entitled to request you to prove that the machine has an inherent fault before offerig a suitable remedy of repair/replacement or partial refund.

Arfa__

We had the exact same machine. Ours has died after a little of 3 years too. Drum spider bust (so it's grind metal on metal as it spins) and the dryer PCB is dead, so no heat on drying.
Quoted £172 for new drum and £149 for PCB. So we'll be binned it. Avoid the AEG brand, it's junk now Electrolux have it!

arcon5

Before going down the engineers report route write to them and tell them you are willing to accept a sizable discount on a replacement and remind them if you spend money on the report you will be seeking full reimbursement from them. It's at least worth a try.

You've only lost about 30-50% of its lifespan... so push for a discount in this region.

fannyadams

have a look at the whitegoods website.

"For a normal family use you will be lucky to get two or three years out a machine without incident or a replacement being required as they are all generally rated for about 6-1000 cycles of use. The average household does 250-280 loads per year and most of these machines won't see their third birthday. You can read more about the durability of washing machines in this article about how long washing machines should last."

POPPYOSCAR

OP as it has been nearly 4 months since you posted, what happened in the end?

yangptangkipperbang

arcon5 wrote: »

You've only lost about 30-50% of its lifespan... so push for a discount in this region.

Just how do you arrive at this figure ? Just because you paid a lot of money for it doesn't mean it will last any longer.
A pair of Jimmy Choo's won't last any longer (almost certainly less) than a pair from Clarks.