Oven - doesn't seem to heat up properly (updated)

Jonesy_McJones

Hi all,






I bought an oven from eBay shop (not an individual) in mid August 2013, which was clearly marked as a second:

• ‘used’ return in very good condition
• fully inspected, cleaned & valeted in our approved test centre
• comes with a 1 year manufacturer’s warranty
• only has a few light marks on the handle, not very noticeable otherwise in excellent condition
• this is a graded product

Their returns policy states that:

• ‘the appliance is supplied with a 1 year manufacturer’s parts & labour warranty - if a fault occurs within the warranty period, the customer is required to contact Service Force on the number provided on the warranty card - if an item cannot be repaired then an exchange or refund can be authorised assuming a valid engineer’s report is available.’

I paid by credit card but via PayPal. The oven was installed (by a qualified electrician) a couple of weeks ago.


So far, I’m not convinced by the temperature - it has a digital display and according to the manual, once it has reached the desired temperature, it will beep. So we’ve cooked a few things and so far so not good. Things are clearly not cooked, and often have to stay in the oven for a substantial amount of time (i.e. not just an extra five minutes). For example, we tried to cook a pizza the other evening, according to its packaging it needed 15 minutes from chilled - 15 minutes later and the cheese hadn’t really melted, let alone the rest of it. (Aware of fan / non fan options.)







So my questions are...

• Is it possible to ‘test’ the temperature somehow? Preferably cheaply & easily! I’m asking this because I’d prefer to be able to say to the retailer that I ‘know’ the temperature isn’t right rather than I ‘think’ it isn’t. Also, having just gone through their terms & conditions again, I found this:

‘If after fitting your product you find that it is faulty, meaning your product shows symptoms of failure preventing basic operation (this does not include any superficial or cosmetic damages, for example scratches or dents) and you have checked the troubleshooting section of the Product's User Manual, please contact the manufacturer or us at your earliest convenience. Arrangements will be made for an approved engineer from the manufacturer to visit you free of charge.’

However, further down it says this:

‘We are not responsible for any costs associated with the de-installation and re-installation of built-in or integrated appliances under any circumstances. Please note, any faulty items have to be seen by an authorised service engineer before any action can be taken. If your goods are not found to be faulty, a call-out charge or a collection charge may be incurred.’

• In view of the above, is it ‘fair’ that the customer should foot the bill for de-installation & re-installation if this is down to a fault?
• Does the fact that it was a second (apparently only because of the marks on the handle and not functionality) have any impact on my consumer rights?
• Does the fact I paid by PayPal invalidate any chance of getting a charge back to my credit card (just in case it comes to that)?

Thank you for reading :-)


22.10.13 ETA: I bought it as an eBay auction, not a 'buy it now' puchase - I think this might have some bearing on my rights but am not sure...?

PasturesNew

Are you familiar with this type of oven? I ask because I know modern ovens can be a bit odd and it can be making a noise, with the lights on, but the heating's not been turned on as you chose the wrong set of knobs.

It's fair that the callout is free if the unit is faulty - and you'd be charged if you weren't using it right.

What you bought won't affect your rights. It says it was tested and you've got a guarantee; if it's malfunctioning it's "not fit for purpose".

Lomast

I have to say my electric non-fan oven takes considerably longer to cook things then the packet says.

I would suggest a cheap oven thermometer from a hardware shop/ Robert Dias/ Wilko.

Jonesy_McJones

Thank you for replying.

PasturesNew wrote: »

Are you familiar with this type of oven? I ask because I know modern ovens can be a bit odd and it can be making a noise, with the lights on, but the heating's not been turned on as you chose the wrong set of knobs.

Good question! No, as in this is the first digital display oven I've ever used, but yes, as in we've gone through the manual several times to check if we're missing something. It says:

'If the pre set temperature' (so once you've set it to fan, conventional etc) 'press button - or + to adjust the temperature in 5 degree steps. As soon as the oven heats up, the thermometer symbol rises slowly indicating the degree to which the oven is currently heated. When the required temperature is reached, an acoustic alarm will sound for a short time and the thermometer symbol will illuminate permanently.’

The steps they’ve listed happen as expected, with the temperature being shown as well.

PasturesNew wrote: »

It's fair that the callout is free if the unit is faulty - and you'd be charged if you weren't using it right.

Totally agree - and part of why I’m nervous of calling them.

PasturesNew wrote: »

What you bought won't affect your rights. It says it was tested and you've got a guarantee; if it's malfunctioning it's "not fit for purpose".

That’s what I thought but wanted to check.

Jonesy_McJones

Lomast wrote: »

I have to say my electric non-fan oven takes considerably longer to cook things then the packet says.

I would suggest a cheap oven thermometer from a hardware shop/ Robert Dias/ Wilko.

We've tried both the fan and conventional oven settings, neither of which seem to take the expected (or vaguely near to) time.

Am off to the Wilko website now to check out oven thermometers... Thank you!

yangptangkipperbang

Some makes of oven are notorious for having poor temperature regulation, usually not reaching a high enough temperature. Especially the "budget" models.

They are fitted with a heating element which is barely adequate to heat the oven. It will take a long time to heat up, will not hold the commanded temperature very accurately - especially if you open the door to see why your food is taking a long time to cook.

This is done so that with a bit of clever wording in their brochures they can claim to "use 20% less energy" than other brands. This is true for an instantaneous reading at full power - BUT, it doesn't mention that it will take 50% longer to heat the food !!!! So you end up using more energy in the long run........
You will also find that some ovens are marginally smaller than the rest, as below a certain size there is a different, less onerous, set of energy efficiency requirements to be met.

I had a B*** oven which was rubbish - replaced it with a B**** - which is brilliant !

mttylad

ISTR reading that the pipe feeding the oven should in some circumstances be 20mm rather than the more common 50mm.

This is sometimes the reason why an oven does not get hot enough, because it does not have an adequate supply of gas.

So I heard.

wealdroam

mttylad wrote: »

ISTR reading that the pipe feeding the oven should in some circumstances be 20mm rather than the more common 50mm.

This is sometimes the reason why an oven does not get hot enough, because it does not have an adequate supply of gas.

So I heard.

Your recollection is failing you.

My understanding is that some gas cookers need a 22mm gas supply instead of a 15mm supply pipe.

Having said that, I believe the OP has an electric oven.

Jonesy_McJones

Yep, it's definitely an electric oven. It's also definitely faulty... I bought an oven thermometer and am testing it now - the oven thinks it's reached 220c, according to the thermometer it's only 150c.

mattyprice4004

Good stuff - that gives you something to go off.

Jonesy_McJones

Ok, so I contacted the retailer on Sunday - I sent a message via eBay on the same thread that we had discussed delivery. I said that it was faulty, explained why and said that I'd call them on Monday. I mainly did this because I wanted it in (some sort of) writing that I'd let them know of the problem, but I also thought it couldn't hurt to given them a heads up.

They responded first thing Monday morning (so before I'd had chance to call) and advised that I should register the warranty (if I hadn't already done so) and then "Once you have done this, you will be able to call your local service centre to arrange an engineer to come out and repair the item for you (usually a few days)."

So I did this and someone is coming on Friday to look at it.

Have I messed up by doing it this way? I.e. by not insisting that the retailer sort this out for me?

Also, if it can't be fixed, it is 'right' or 'fair' that they will not pay for the cost of disconnecting it, and the cost of installing a new one? (As the oven was a second, it was not full price and so it's unlikely that a replacement through them will be an option.)

Thanks for everyone's replies by the way :-)