Faulty fridge freezer only 4 months old

peters777

Hi
Im after some advice please. I will try and keep it short and to the point.
I purchased a Kenwood american fridge freezer from Currys on the 27.12.2017.
On the 30.04.2018 it broke. We rang Currys helpline on Monday as the offices were shut over the weekend.
They sent a repair man on the 2nd of May, he said it was the fan and that he coulld probably fix it that Friday.
Basically we then received a phone call saying that he didn't know when the part was arriving. Following us chasing this up we were told that the part would arrive on the 18th of May.
We left it a couple of days and then realised that it was going to be extremely difficult to cope without a fridge freezer for 2 weeks or more, I have 3 children and the temperatures were very warm, so we got onto Currys.
We asked if they could give us a replacement as after looking into it as the product is under 6 months old we were entitled to more rights.
They didn't even offer us a replacement they just told us it was going be repaired and they had 28 days to do it in.
I haven't been told when the repair is going to take place just that the part should be available on the 18th May.
After a few frustrating phone calls to Currys have got no where, we are basically just being left to cope without a fridge freezer until they sort it out.
Other phone calls to CAB have prompted my husband and I to look into taking it further.
I believe they have sold us faulty goods as there is no way a fridge freezer should pack up after 4 months.
We would be happy with a replacement at the moment as we literally have no way of storing anything, we are throwing food away left right and centre but Currys just don't care.
They have said that if we have it repaired then they will give us compensation, but the last thing I want is vouchers to spend at Currys (if that's what they offer) as I am NEVER shopping there again after this fiasco.
We have also opened a dispute with the credit card company to see what they can do.
We are seriously getting desperate I didn't think coping without a fridge freezer would be so difficult, I have to shop daily so my children can have fresh food.
I just like a bit of advice as to if I refuse a repair would I be wasting my time in taking them to a small claims court.
I have read on the consumer rights website that the freezer should be fixed in a reasonable amount of time without causing a major inconvenience. Well I don't think over 2 weeks is a reasonable amount of time and I personally think they are causing me major inconvenience, but Currys have just said they have 28 days and one attempt to fix it.
Sorry, it ended up a bit long winded but I am desperate for help. Many Thanks.

bris

They are right and are entitled to fix it, it's not a major inconvenience and so won't be classed as such.


Yes it's a problem, but 28 days will be seen as reasonable whether we agree or not.

McKneff

Eat everything in the freezer,. Buy a 2nd hand cheapie fridge off a local selling fb site and keep milk in it. Just shop each day for fresh meat etc. A nuisance i know but ..

Have you spoken to the manufacturer

peters777

Thanks for the replies. I am finding it a major inconvenience to be honest, its really hard as everything is just being wasted. It wouldn't be too bad if it was winter as its colder but as its warm its impossible to keep things fresh. Easier said than done.

I won't be buying another fridge as that's going to cost me more. I have been daily shopping but as I can only place the items in a dark place you would be surprised how quick things spoil, especially if I have no choice but to shop on the morning and then I have to store it through the day.

I just wanted to know my legal rights really, whether it was worth taking them to a small claims court.
I have emailed Kenwood but Currys and Kenwood are apparantley the same company and in a recent email Currys told me that Kenwood would aim to fix it within 28 days also.

I don't think 28 days is reasonable when i have small children to feed, I think its outrageous, especially when they could just replace it, not as if they are a small company !

peters777

Its actually says significant convenience not major (although I am feeling its major for me!) I found this on the white goods help page:

You should also be entitled to a refund or partial refund if a repair or replacement would cause you significant inconvenience, or if a repair would take an unreasonably long amount of time. This may well be applicable if a repairman looks at the appliance and says he needs to order parts that might take weeks to arrive and be fitted. I would especially argue the significant inconvenience issue if you had a fridge or freezer break down within 6 months and they can not repair it for weeks. Any reasonable person is likely to argue that being without one of these vital appliances for more than a few days is very inconvenient.

Fosterdog

I agree that 28 days is a long time to be without a fridge or freezer in this heat however there are some things you can do to make it easier.

You say you are throwing food out left, right, and centre, but that just means you are buying too much at a time, if you shop once a day and only get enough for the day then food will stay fresh.

Ask your neighbours nicely if they could maybe store a bottle of milk, a pack of ham and some cheese in their fridge, pretty much anything else (excluding raw meat/fish) will keep fine out of the fridge for a few days.

Buy a bag of ice, or ice packs put it in a tub in the fridge, it will cool the whole fridge for the day as long as you keep the door closed as much as possible and only open it when needed.

Get a cooler box and some extra ice packs and ask neighbours if you can freeze the ice packs in their freezer once a day, each day swap them for frozen ones and they will keep things cool for ages, people manage to take fresh food camping for a whole weekend with just a cool box and a couple of ice packs.

While it is inconvenient it isn't quite as bad as you are implying and they are just a few ways of making it manageable, you've waited this long and if they are due the part in three days they will hopefully get it fixed by the end of the week.

They only get one repair attempt so if that fails you can reject the FF and get a refund.

KeithP

You are right - the legislation says that they must provide a remedy without causing significant inconvenience.

As a repair is causing a significant inconvenience, suggest to Currys in robust terms that an alternative remedy of either a replacement or a refund need to be provided.

Unfortunately, it is likely that your f/f will be repaired before you and Currys can agree the way forward.

McKneff

I just meant a cheapie 2nd hand fridge for 20 or so or have a look on the free sites.
Just shop on a daily basis for only what you need for that day and stand your milk in cold water

TonyMMM

In reality, taking small claims action will take a lot longer than the 28 days, so isn't going to resolve your problem.

ablecloth

Just started to google this forum to see what we can do about our faulty Kenwood from Currys, and Peter 777 your experience is almost identical to ours: American style Kenwood fridge freezer, 4 months old, it's the fan motor (having seen it I can see why: it's exceptionally flimsy), and the part is out of stock.

They say it 'may' arrive next Friday, so it would be fitted some time the following week. The fridge was delivered 28/2/2018, developed the fault 14th July, reported Monday 16th, engineer out on Wed 18th...so far so good...but the part is not in stock. Temperatures are set for 30C, and we live 3 miles from our nearest corner shop, 7 miles from the nearest supermarket. Is it acceptable to have to be without a fridge/freezer for so long in this heat?


If you see this can you tell me what happened in the end with yours? Many thanks - if anyone else can offer any help, that would be great. The engineer tells me he is called out time after time as Kenwood parts are such bad quality they keep breaking.

JJ_Egan

Never seen any laws that say we must have a freezer if the heat is xx .


No part in stock is the problem .
What are you expecting the vendor to do and have you asked them .