Fridge warranties not covering seal?

AMO

Hi there,


My parents bought a Hotpoint fridge from Curries which comes with a standard 1 year warranty and registering online gives a further 5 years limited parts warranty.


After about a month, the suction started to periodically fail so that when you close the fridge door, you can, with minimal strength (small finger) pull the door open as there is no suction preventing this from happening.


We thought that this would be covered by the warranty and checked with both Curries and Hotpoint. They said that only the electrical and mechanical components were covered. They said that it wasn't and it would cost £110 callout plus labour charges to fix the fridge. The Hotpoint customer services advisor said that it is possible that customers went out of their way to open the fridge door for hours at a time and likened the problem to driving a car over something that would burst the tyres.


They both also offered an alternative - pay £3.50 / month for 20 months and this would cover everything including accidental damage.


Now I don't have a problem with £3.50 per month, but I just want to check that this is normal.


Should we accept that this is normal and we just don't realise that this component is considered user wear and tear and not covered or are Currys and Hotpoint just not being nice and possibly part of the problem is getting a Hotpoint fridge?


Any responses greatly appreciated.


Thanks.

wealdroam

AMO wrote: »

Hi there,


My parents bought a Hotpoint fridge from Curries which comes with a standard 1 year warranty and registering online gives a further 5 years limited parts warranty.


After about a month, the suction started to periodically fail so that when you close the fridge door, you can, with minimal strength (small finger) pull the door open as there is no suction preventing this from happening.


We thought that this would be covered by the warranty and checked with both Curries and Hotpoint. They said that only the electrical and mechanical components were covered. They said that it wasn't and it would cost £110 callout plus labour charges to fix the fridge. The Hotpoint customer services advisor said that it is possible that customers went out of their way to open the fridge door for hours at a time and likened the problem to driving a car over something that would burst the tyres.


They both also offered an alternative - pay £3.50 / month for 20 months and this would cover everything including accidental damage.


Now I don't have a problem with £3.50 per month, but I just want to check that this is normal.


Should we accept that this is normal and we just don't realise that this component is considered user wear and tear and not covered or are Currys and Hotpoint just not being nice and possibly part of the problem is getting a Hotpoint fridge?


Any responses greatly appreciated.


Thanks.

If the warranties do not cover the seal, then there is nothing you can do about that.

However, The Sale of Goods Act may help you.
Within six months from purchase it is up to the seller to prove that the goods were not faulty at the time of sale.

I would be pointing out to Currys that the seal is faulty as it hasn't lasted, and you expect a remedy as entitled via The Sale of Goods Act.

Have a read of MSE's Consumer Rights guide where you will find more detail.

MarkBargain

I think it should be covered, as it's a pretty integral part of the device. Saying only electrical or mechanical is covered means the sides could fall off and not be included. :-)

Try raising this with Hotpoint on Twitter or Facebook, as they dislike bad publicity so might sort it out for you. If not, raise formal complaints. Don't pay £3.50 a month, why should you?! That is £210 over five years, which is pretty much the cost of a basic fridge freezer.

wealdroam

MarkBargain wrote: »

I think it should be covered, as it's a pretty integral part of the device.

I agree it should be covered, and it is covered by The Sale of Goods Act, if not by the warranty.

But as a warranty is in addition to your statutory rights, the warranty provider can include whatever conditions he likes, within reason.

Might be an idea for the OP to read the warranty documentation too.

Liliya

I had a similar problem a couple of years ago with a Hotpoint fridge and the seal not working properly, which was covered under warranty and they arranged to have someone come out and replace the seal.

They also advised to try warming the seal with a hairdryer, which actually fixed the problem I had. I let them know, but the engineer still turned up to fix it!

EssexExile

My, how things change. I was a Hotpoint service engineer for 15 years & we never argued about changing door seals under warranty. But then the doors were held shut by magnets in the door seals not suction. Still, Hotpoint wasn't Italian then.

maninthestreet

Rodders53

Assuming:
1) the door has not been removed and re-fitted from the 'as supplied' condition to allow LH rather than RH (or vice versa) opening {and if that was done this has been checked to ensure free opening and closing - no catching of edges}. The hinges may need a slight adjustment?
2) there's nothing in the fridge that prevents the door closing properly (bottle on side contacting door shelf or things on door bins)
3) a gentle push home on the door doesn't cure it {It may be the fridge isn't properly level - most have adjustable feet and the door is 'wanting to fall open; rather than biassed to fall shut?}

Then it seems the fault has presented within one month of purchase from Currys. If so the fault is deemed to be 'inherent' and your parents should ask Currys to repair, replace or refund.

AMO

Well, I've been posting on Hotpoint's Facebook page. They reply asking me to message them, but then it goes down a black hole. You don't hear from them again. I think I'll need to post new posts on their page.

wealdroam

Have you spoken to Currys since 24 November?

What are they now saying?

AMO

wealdroam wrote: »

Have you spoken to Currys since 24 November?

What are they now saying?

I got a reply from them just now.....


----
Hello,

Thanks for getting back to us and for providing the requested information.

We will require conformation from your parents that they are happy for us to discuss the matter with yourself. I have tried to contact them this morning but have been unable to speak with them. Could you kindly confirm the landline number and a convenient time for me to call?

Kind Regards

----


They'll call my parents and we'll see.


My parents tried to call Currys first, but they had exactly the same information about the seal not being covered and other exclusions. As it takes 1/2 an hour to get through to Currys each time, it wasn't worth calling them a second time.


Thanks.