Fiasco with Appliance Installation - Our Rights?

SharonLH

Hi

This is a long and horrible story, but I will try to just be as brief as possible without missing out key details. This is an 'off piste' scenario on which we haven't been able to find clear guidance about our rights and the retailer's responsibilities.

Mid July 2015, we moved house. We inherited some unusable integrated appliances which we needed to replace in a hurry. These were a 50/50 fridge freezer and a dishwasher.

Due to our desperation and a bad back, we went to a well-known retailer two days after our move and ordered the appliances and paid for their installation service (we wouldn’t ordinarily, but needs must at the time). This was all organised in store. We paid by credit card, which might be a saving grace. There is a lot more detail to what follows, but the key facts are ...

Late July - goods delivered and installed - not happy with loose door on dishwasher from the outset - it didn't seem tight enough. Installer said it was self-tensioning with no independent adjustment. We took that at face value. Although it had never been as tight a mechanism as we had previously had, as time moved on, we were convinced it was getting worse. At about the 45-50 degree point it drops to the floor of its own accord - hitting shins if you don't keep hold of the door/lower it manually/use a spare knee to keep it upright!

Fast forward to a few weeks ago. We are in the process of looking for a new kitchen. By a set of coincidences during this process, we found the same dishwasher (with a different badge) installed in a display kitchen - nice and tight door which required pressure to lower it - it didn't try to hit user shins without warning! We went straight home and examined our dishwasher, got the instruction manual out, and realised that a couple of securing screws to the side had not been used.

So, we ask the retailer to send someone back to check/correct the installation. This happened a couple of weeks ago. The installers said it had been installed incorrectly, and they could not fix it – they noted their paperwork accordingly. They did insert the missing fixing screws, using a drill (which we have since discovered they shouldn’t have) and during the process, they have punched right through one of the screw holes.

Furthermore, we have also since discovered that our integrated fridge-freezer was meant to have been vented, and because it hasn't, it has probably been 'over-working' and the manufacturer's guarantee is probably now void.

We went to the store where we purchased – staff member just telephoned Central Customer Services then asked us to email everything in. We could have done all that from home!

A complaint has gone to the retailer that the dishwasher might have had a faulty door, but in any case was installed incorrectly; also that the fridge-freezer was not installed in accordance with manufacturer instructions. Needless to say, the fact we are seeking advice here is because they are only offering a second visit to seek repair to the dishwasher (that they installed incorrectly and then damaged!). With regard to the fridge-freezer venting, they have stated that it needs a vent, but that it is not their responsibility. Our logic says if we pay for a ‘professional’ install, that install should be in accordance with manufacturer instructions, or we should be explicitly advised what they will not do/what we need to do. None of the above has happened. Because this is an unusual set of circumstances, even having undertaken loads of research, we haven’t been able to establish what our rights are. Our view is that we paid for a service that hasn’t been carried out fully or competently, ie, without an appropriate level of care and skill, which has had a detrimental impact on the manufacturer’s warranty and the life of the product. But in those circumstances, what are our rights? Do we have to accept a repair to faulty workmanship that may have voided guarantees? And what would happen to those guarantees now? Or can we get replacement/refund?

I’m really hoping someone might be able to spell it out for us, and/or offer any other advice/guidance to try to support our case.

Many thanks for any clarification or help that anyone can offer.

Sharon