Hotpoint urgent tumble dryer recall

wealdroam

Busybee5186 wrote: »

Hotpoint Dryer cause a fire after repair- hotpoint fobbing me off.

Hello,

I am at a lost. I bought one of the faulty Hotpoint dryers in July 2015 via AO. When we got the AO email about the possible fault, we registered for the engineer vistit which was due in May 2016.

The site clearly said the dryer was safe to use with a link to how to clean the filter, which my husband and I did after every drying cycle anyway.

However Monday 15th Feb, the dryer tripped the power, called hotpoint could not get through on the dryer line, several times.

Called AO who put me through hotpoint and got an appointment for Wednesday 24th, yesterday. An all day slot. So my husband had to take a day off work and wait in. We never got the text with a 3hr time slot as promised.

Dryer repair man turned up around 1pm ish, and did his thing. He did not test the dryer. When my husband asked he said the glue he used needs to cure, we need to wait 3-4hrs before turning it on.

Around 9pm we turned it on to test, within 10min approx it shorted the power again AND THE PLUG BURST INTO FLAMES!!

Luckily the fire died off but the burning stench is still very strong today! As you can imagine, I was shocked, shaking specially as I have young children in the house.

Tried to call hotpoint dryer line again today, get put on hold with a horrible beeping noise then it cuts off AGAIN.

Called AO who washed their hands off and passed me to Hotpoint. Was told I can only book another engineer visit which will be next Wednesday at the earliest, again another full day slot. I do not want this fire hazard fixed, I want it out of my home. But an engineer need to confirm the fault first before they take the next step.


Now as you can imagine, I cannot afford for my husband or I to take yet another day off work. They refused to give a shorter slot or do anything else.

So I am stuck without a dryer, with a fire hazard that has caused a fire. And short of 1 day's pay and no way to get another dryer.

Don't get me wrong, I understand they need to check it, etc. But how can they justify not giving a shorter slot so we can plan it and not end out more out of pocket as we already paid £234.98 for the dryer, lost £70 pay and have no working dryer.

Please, any suggestion of what next step I need to take will be gratefully received.

Isn't AO the people who need to refund me as I purchased from them? The dryer is 7 months old.

We cannot afford to replace it. I live in a small flat with little drying space and have young children which made having a dryer a necessity.

TIA

Read MSE's Failed Delivery article.
Not quite your scenario, but the principle is the same.

As your issue at this stage appears to be nothing to do with the dryer recalls, AO should not be avoiding you.

Some more reading - MSE's Consumer Rights guide.
A short extract:

Know who's responsible

When returning items, beware shops trying the oldest trick in the book: saying they're not responsible for the shoddy goods and you must call the manufacturer. This is total nonsense!

If a company fobs you off by saying “go to the maker instead”, it's wrong. It's the retailer's job to sort it.

It doesn't matter if it's an iPod from a high street shop or a designer frock from a department store. If something's broken, torn, ripped or faulty, the seller has a legal duty to put it right as your contract is with it.

Lots of other good stuff in there too.

peachyprice

AJXX wrote: »

I find it hilarious that this same website advises NOT to leave dryers unattended in general under any circumstances (including overnight and going out and leaving them on).

This is what I don't get. People like the poster above saying they can't now go out/to bed and leave their dryer on. Did people really do that before the recall?

I thought it was common knowledge that you never leave a tumble dryer on an go out/to bed, they've always been a fire risk, recall or not.

Nicip

I registered my 6 year old machine in November and got a reply on 29th saying they'd contact me within 5 weeks. Heard nothing so rang first week of Feb, they arranged to come to repair today, 25th Feb. Next day I got an email telling me I could have a replacement for £99. So I did, and it arrived last week, 18th Feb at 4.30pm. Took two weeks to eventually cancel todays appointment! Went to use new dryer for second time today, no power. Checked plug worked, checked fuse, nothing working. But they have to send out an engineer to agree with me! Can't be till next Friday, and if Engineer agrees with me then they'll deliver me another new one, within 7 to 10 days after! So who dries all my laundry? Got four loads waiting here just from today! And its not even one week old!

Zandoni

AJXX wrote: »

I find it hilarious that this same website advises NOT to leave dryers unattended in general under any circumstances (including overnight and going out and leaving them on).

Therefore if you follow the above advice not to use the dryer until it has been modified by Hotpoint and are one of the (seemingly many) people who leave your dryer on unattended during normal use then you're a bit of a hypocrite.

It's extremely good advice not leaving any tumble drier completely unattended.

What do Hotpoint recomend you should do if your attended tumble drier catches fire? Perhaps they should include a fire extinghuiser with all their products.

Zandoni

peachyprice wrote: »

This is what I don't get. People like the poster above saying they can't now go out/to bed and leave their dryer on. Did people really do that before the recall?

I thought it was common knowledge that you never leave a tumble dryer on an go out/to bed, they've always been a fire risk, recall or not.

Personally I'd never leave an appliance like this on when I was out but many people do so they can take advantage of off peak electricity. The manufacturers even fit them with a delayed start feature so this can be done.

The trouble is that Hotpoint have a known fault and are more likely to catch fire. There's also a good chance that your insurance will refuse to pay out whether you were in or out.

wealdroam

Zandoni wrote: »

What do Hotpoint recomend you should do if your attended tumble drier catches fire? Perhaps they should include a fire extinghuiser with all their products.

Doesn't every household have appropriate fire extinguishers?

I already know the answer to that question, but shouldn't all households have this first line of defence?

Of course, no-one should risk life or limb... etc.

Zandoni

wealdroam wrote: »

Doesn't every household have appropriate fire extinguishers?

I already know the answer to that question, but shouldn't all households have this first line of defence?

Of course, no-one should risk life or limb... etc.

They should, especially if they have a Hotpoint tumble drier.

AJXX

peachyprice wrote: »

This is what I don't get. People like the poster above saying they can't now go out/to bed and leave their dryer on. Did people really do that before the recall?

I thought it was common knowledge that you never leave a tumble dryer on an go out/to bed, they've always been a fire risk, recall or not.

I think you may have misunderstood my post as I actually agree with you - I certainly wasn't saying I leave my own dryer unattended.

I was flamed a few pages back by several people for mealy suggesting they're more vigilant around their tumble dryer and can safely continue usage of it. I was flamed because according to them they're far too busy/have a life to use their TD whilst in the property - one poster even suggested it was "life changing" not being able to use it unattended.

These same people also flat out refused to use the dryer at all due the advice given by fire "officials" not to use it because of the recall, yet these same people apparently leave their dryers unattended willy nilly anyway which the fire "official's" advise also against.

So my point is, there seems to be an awful lot of hypocrites on here who flat out refuse to use their TD because of all these fire "officials" saying not to - yet these same people are happy to ignore the fire "officials" advise not to use it unattended (recall or not) when it suits them.

Zandoni

AJXX wrote: »

So my point is, there seems to be an awful lot of hypocrites on here who flat out refuse to use their TD because of all these fire "officials" saying not to - yet these same people are happy to ignore the fire "officials" advise not to use it unattended (recall or not) when it suits them.

That must be because Hotpoint have a known fault which increases the chance of a fire. There's a also good chance their insurance will not payout, attended or not.

Poppie68

Owners of these effected dryers can minimize the risk by making sure they clean the dryers after every use. Make sure all fluff is removed, condenser dryers should have their filter cleaned out weekly (the big filter at the bottom).
If people are capable of taking the back off they can also use a paint brush to remove any fluff build up inside.
For those that are adamant they don't want to use their dryer until the fix has been completed then buy a clothes horse..Many people manage perfectly without a dryer, I for one never had one when my 3 where babies..3 babies together and a couple of clothes horses were not a big deal. I've still got 2 now and I have 2 dryers that only occasionally get used....You make a big saving on your energy bill also.