Washing machine plug - Fire Risk

Derry29

Hi there, I'm in need of advice please. We bought a Samsung washing machine from Currys on the 17-1-16, Machine has a manufacturers warranty for 5 years. On the 2-1-17 I called the Samsung warranty dept as we could smell burning when the machine was on, On the 5-1-17 an engineer visited and confirmed that the washing machine plug was scorched and had scorched the wall socket. He checked the electrics in the machine with his testing kit and confirmed it was all ok and the plug was at fault, I think although I cannot confirm that he confirmed the household electrics were ok too. He sent his report off to Samsung and confirmed someone would contact me with regard to the repair and that Samsung would probably repair our socket and the plug and also replace the drum as he also confirmed that the bearings had gone, His report back to Samsung confirmed that yes the drum was the manufacturers fault however the plug was not a manufacturers fault. (I know this as I asked Samsung for a copy of the report, Maybe he filled in the form wrong, Maybe its a H&S issue ?) There have been several lengthy calls to the warranty department and the engineers office since who have confirmed that the problem must be with our household electrics and wouldn't be the machines plug. Samsung have asked for us to arrange for an electrician to come to check the household electrics and confirm that they are safe and then they will compensate us for the cost for the repair. I requested that they repair the machine so that at least I could do some washing ( we are a family of 2 adults and two small children!) and I would use an extension lead to plug the machine in, They refused stating that they needed the electrics checked and the socket repaired before they would do any repairs. Anyone with children will understand how many loads of washing ive had in the last two weeks.
The electrician confirmed on Friday that the fault is for sure with the machines plug and our electrics are fully ok, His company is in the process of providing a statement to back this up to give to Samsung.
My issue is - I do not want the machine in my house now due to the fire risk, Even when repaired I will still be unhappy. Im unhappy with the warranty customer service, Im unhappy that the fact that weve already called them in Aug 16 due to the rubber seal wearing and small bits of rubber being in with the washing, Im unhappy with the fact that the bearings have already gone.
I have spoken with currys cust services and they have suggested that Samsung could give us a refund in the form of a currys voucher, I have since emailed and asked them to confirm this is correct, They have confirmed as yet. Whilst on the phone to Currys the lady also said that she has a lot of dealings with customers who are not happy with the Samsung warranties therefore I have even less confidence!!!
I really want to demand a refund from Samsung for the machine, The launderette costs and the cost of the electrician. How do I stand? Any advice ?
Thank you

neilmcl

Unfortunately, if you want Samsung to give you a remedy you'll be subject to their warranty T&Cs and therefore if they choose to repair the machine then I'm afraid that's all they have to do.

However, your statutory consumer rights are against the retailer (and credit card co. if paid by CC) but as the machine is a year old they too have the right to attempt a repair. TBH, if your electrician has confirmed that the plug was at fault then simply changing the plug should be enough.

wealdroam

Derry29 wrote: »

Hi there, I'm in need of advice please. We bought a Samsung washing machine from Currys on the 17-1-16, Machine has a manufacturers warranty for 5 years. On the 2-1-17 I called the Samsung warranty dept as we could smell burning when the machine was on, On the 5-1-17 an engineer visited and confirmed that the washing machine plug was scorched and had scorched the wall socket. He checked the electrics in the machine with his testing kit and confirmed it was all ok and the plug was at fault, I think although I cannot confirm that he confirmed the household electrics were ok too. He sent his report off to Samsung and confirmed someone would contact me with regard to the repair and that Samsung would probably repair our socket and the plug and also replace the drum as he also confirmed that the bearings had gone, His report back to Samsung confirmed that yes the drum was the manufacturers fault however the plug was not a manufacturers fault. (I know this as I asked Samsung for a copy of the report, Maybe he filled in the form wrong, Maybe its a H&S issue ?) There have been several lengthy calls to the warranty department and the engineers office since who have confirmed that the problem must be with our household electrics and wouldn't be the machines plug. Samsung have asked for us to arrange for an electrician to come to check the household electrics and confirm that they are safe and then they will compensate us for the cost for the repair. I requested that they repair the machine so that at least I could do some washing ( we are a family of 2 adults and two small children!) and I would use an extension lead to plug the machine in, They refused stating that they needed the electrics checked and the socket repaired before they would do any repairs. Anyone with children will understand how many loads of washing ive had in the last two weeks.
The electrician confirmed on Friday that the fault is for sure with the machines plug and our electrics are fully ok, His company is in the process of providing a statement to back this up to give to Samsung.
My issue is - I do not want the machine in my house now due to the fire risk, Even when repaired I will still be unhappy. Im unhappy with the warranty customer service, Im unhappy that the fact that weve already called them in Aug 16 due to the rubber seal wearing and small bits of rubber being in with the washing, Im unhappy with the fact that the bearings have already gone.
I have spoken with currys cust services and they have suggested that Samsung could give us a refund in the form of a currys voucher, I have since emailed and asked them to confirm this is correct, They have confirmed as yet. Whilst on the phone to Currys the lady also said that she has a lot of dealings with customers who are not happy with the Samsung warranties therefore I have even less confidence!!!
I really want to demand a refund from Samsung for the machine, The launderette costs and the cost of the electrician. How do I stand? Any advice ?
Thank you

OP, you have spent far too much time on this.

Cut the existing plug off and fit a new one - ten minutes work.

Mr.Generous

Generally the fault in a plug that causes scorching is a loose or poor connection, If its the factory provided moulded (sealed) plug where the only thing you can get at is the fuse then it won't be your fault. The same conditions could arise in your socket but your electrician will have checked this.

I would agree you could PROBABLY fix it by cutting off the plug, however that would almost certainly invalidate the guarantee and with all the issues you have had with the machine I'd be inclined to get rid.

It was probably quite an expensive machine too I imagine. My daughter bought a cheap Beko 3 years 3 months ago, it has been 100% reliable and is A+++ rated. We ditched our loyalty to Hotpoint and got a Beko for (roughly??) £160 which has been excellent and cleans the clothes really well - but has very long wash times!

If you can deal with Curry's rather than Samsung, its where all your legal rights are. It was just under 12 months old when you first reported a fault.

OP sorry I forgot to say, a few line spaces would make your post a lot easier to read and maybe get you more help.

CoolHotCold

For the future, You cannot/Should not plug any sort of white goods appliance into an extension cord, (Cooker/Washing Machine etc) it increases the risk of fire, especially when your household electrics are in doubt.

Any rights you have are against Currys. However, unless Samsung provide a RA (Returns Authorisation), then they are unlikely to do anything other than what Samsung are doing.

Derry29

Hello all, Thanks for everyone's reply.
After much grief and stress, We have had a refund from Currys and are getting a new non Samsung machine tomorrow. Samsung were useless, I will never ever buy a Samsung product ever again. The customer services were awful, it took weeks to get a repair and once it was repaired it was not levelled / balanced correctly and the water supply pipe was not connected properly therefore water everywhere!
Point taken re line spacing! I was stressed!