Should i have to pay for a software update for our washer / dryer?

rainbowbright101

I have a Hotpoint washer / dryer which is 4 years old. Recently the dryer cycle kept filling up with water. I called Hotpoint, they sold me a plan for £210 called Repair or Replace. They said it was likely to be a problem with the Control board and it may need replacing, and it needed to be one of their engineers as a local repair man would not know how to program it and would not touch it.
So..........................a engineer from Domestic & General came out yesterday to repair the machine. He checked the filter and the drying system and no fault was found. He re positioned the outlet pipe so that it was more upright as he said it was low as it connects to the sink waste. (But i don'd think this would have caused our problem as the machine has been working just fine for the last 4 years) Then he said the cause is likely to be that the machine needs a software update, he has a memo to reprogram this model of washer/dryer as they come across them.
He confirmed that he found no fault, and it was the fact that the machine needed a software upgrade that caused the problem.
My question is.....should I have to pay for this? There was no fault through wear and tear, nothing we had done to the machine, and a software update is not something that we could do ourselves. Be interested to hear some thoughts, and it you have had a similar experience. So effectively, i have paid out £210 for no fault. Mmm.....................................!!
By the by, he said we need to be descaling the machine monthly, and you couldn't buy the best descaler in the supermarkets, but he could sell me a box for £15. So i bought some as we do live in a hard water area.

Fosterdog

I don’t quite see how it would need a software update if it has worked for this long, if it was a software issue it would have been like that from the start unless you somehow changed it which as you’ve said wouldn’t be possible

shaun_from_Africa

I wouldn't be surprised to find that repositioning the waste pipe did in fact cure the problem and the reprogramming the machine was a bit like the "service" offered by some motor repair shops where they charge an astronomical sum for some fuel additive/engine cleaner to boost their profits.

Even though the machine was operating for a long time with the waste pipe where it was, there may well have been a slight blockage or air lock in the pipe which wasn't allowing the water to drain properly and simply moving the pipe may have cleared it.

JJ_Egan

<<By the by, he said we need to be descaling the machine monthly, and you couldn't buy the best descaler in the supermarkets, but he could sell me a box for £15. So i bought some as we do live in a hard water area.>>
I worked that out a few years back against a well known product . Conclusion was save the money towards a new machine instead of the descaler .

paddyrg

Having to update the firmware is an odd fix - only thing I can imagine is that the firmware has some sensor level parameters relaxed, or if it counts wash cycles then an overflow at 2^10 being fixed or something. Bit odd for sure.

rainbowbright101

paddyrg , Thanks for your reply. Do you think it's reasonable that I should be charged for this?

unholyangel

rainbowbright101 wrote: »

paddyrg , Thanks for your reply. Do you think it's reasonable that I should be charged for this?

That all depends. Who did you buy the machine from? And what do the terms of the warranty/repair plan you purchased say about what it covers/what it doesnt cover?

rainbowbright101

Bought it in Argos. Warranty ran out, but still under 5 year guarantee for parts.
When reported the fault we were sold the Repair or Replace Plan.

Only mention On T&Cs re software is stated as follows:
GENERAL EXCLUSIONS
For products that include software: external data carriers, other input devices (scanners, joysticks, mouse devices), other external controllers (if not included when purchasing the product), installing, modifying and upgrading software.

Not sure, does this apply to an inbuilt control board in a washer / dryer??

unholyangel

rainbowbright101 wrote: »

Bought it in Argos. Warranty ran out, but still under 5 year guarantee for parts.
When reported the fault we were sold the Repair or Replace Plan.

Only mention On T&Cs re software is stated as follows:
GENERAL EXCLUSIONS
For products that include software: external data carriers, other input devices (scanners, joysticks, mouse devices), other external controllers (if not included when purchasing the product), installing, modifying and upgrading software.

Not sure, does this apply to an inbuilt control board in a washer / dryer??

Doesn't sound like it does apply to washer/dryers.

If the repair & protect plan is just a repair plan and they did exclude faults due to software issues, then you may indeed have to pay for a repair (as your statutory rights to goods of satisfactory quality would be from argos). But if it was a repair & service plan or just a repair plan that doesn't exclude faults due to software (and the fault is due to software) then they should be providing the fix under the plan (at no cost to you) or providing a refund of the plan.

takman

rainbowbright101 wrote: »

paddyrg , Thanks for your reply. Do you think it's reasonable that I should be charged for this?

But you weren't charged for this visit you have bought a repair or replace plan which presumably will also cover you in the future for problems. If you weren't happy buying this plan you could have refused and went elsewhere.

But has your washing machine had a problem and has it now been fixed after the visit?. If so then you have paid for a plan to get it fixed and it has been fixed for the price you agreed.

rainbowbright101 wrote: »

I have a Hotpoint washer / dryer which is 4 years old. Recently the dryer cycle kept filling up with water. I called Hotpoint, they sold me a plan for £210 called Repair or Replace. They said it was likely to be a problem with the Control board and it may need replacing, and it needed to be one of their engineers as a local repair man would not know how to program it and would not touch it.
So..........................a engineer from Domestic & General came out yesterday to repair the machine. He checked the filter and the drying system and no fault was found. He re positioned the outlet pipe so that it was more upright as he said it was low as it connects to the sink waste. (But i don'd think this would have caused our problem as the machine has been working just fine for the last 4 years) Then he said the cause is likely to be that the machine needs a software update, he has a memo to reprogram this model of washer/dryer as they come across them.
He confirmed that he found no fault, and it was the fact that the machine needed a software upgrade that caused the problem.
My question is.....should I have to pay for this? There was no fault through wear and tear, nothing we had done to the machine, and a software update is not something that we could do ourselves. Be interested to hear some thoughts, and it you have had a similar experience. So effectively, i have paid out £210 for no fault. Mmm.....................................!!
By the by, he said we need to be descaling the machine monthly, and you couldn't buy the best descaler in the supermarkets, but he could sell me a box for £15. So i bought some as we do live in a hard water area.

paddyrg

rainbowbright101 wrote: »

paddyrg , Thanks for your reply. Do you think it's reasonable that I should be charged for this?

I don't know if you were charged specifically for that or for the plan, a feature of which is a firmware flash, so I'm unable to comment. I would seek a lot more clarity from the repairman and look at the changelogs for the firmware versions before challenging the manufacturer under extended warranty terms. It's not going to be straightforward, I suspect.