Painted signage on gas hob

maxmillion

I have a gas cooker hob that is almost 2 years old. We look after it well and it does get a wipe down after every use.
However the decals showing which knobs for which plates is wearing off, so it becomes harder to automatically know which plate is required. I'm told that this is wear and tear and cannot be replaced. Should these decal stickers or painted numbers be part of the original warranty?
Thanks

Aylesbury_Duck

No, they would be a wear and tear item.  Warranty terms are discretionary so the company can do what they like with them.

I had a similar problem years ago on an old oven.  I just got a permanent marker and drew my own back on!  I'm sure someone on ebay will sell stickers as well.

shaun_from_Africa

Mickey666 said:

Name and shame!

Ovens/Hobs are supposed to be durable items so having anything wearing off within two years is very poor design & manufacture.

I'm sure stickers or a marker pen would solve the problem but why should consumers have to put up with such cr@ppy products in the first place?  Forget about company-imposed warranties, just write to the company and complain that their product is not fit for purpose.  Post on their facebook page, their twitter feed (if they have them) and anywhere else where it's legitimate, with photo evidence if possible.  Just stick to the indisputable facts.

It might be that the wrong type of cleaning product has been used or too much pressure applied when cleaning the decals.
Whatever the reason, to try claiming that the hob is not fit for purpose is totally the wrong way to proceed.
Not fit for purpose means that the hob can't be used as a hob, something that is obviously not the case as the OP is still using it.
The OP might have a claim in that the hob isn't durable (but durability can take into account the price paid so if it was a fairly cheap appliance, 2 years for the decals to fade may well be acceptable) but this is totally different to fitness for purpose.

ToxicWomble

Just send a polite message to the manufacturer asking if they can supply you with a new set of decals - sometimes the simplest solutions are the best

JJ_Egan

OP who are you claiming against ??

The manufacturer under their limited warranty or the vendor under your Consumer Rights ??

shaun_from_Africa

Mickey666 said:

shaun_from_Africa said:

Poor excuses.  Firstly, I would dispute that the hob can be safely used as a hob without the decals - that’s presumably why they are there in the first place.  Of course you could use the hob without the decals if you really wanted, but why on Earth should you have to?   Secondly, as a durable kitchen appliance it is reasonable to assume it will endure many fairly aggressive cleaning cycles during its lifetime.  Have you never had anything spill over and burn on a hob?.

But surely if the OP is still using the hob then by default, it is still fit for its intended purpose. It might not be ideal, but it is still working as a cooking hob.
If the OP wants to pursue their legal rights against the seller, they may well have to prove that the decals have faded due to poor manufacturing and not because they have carried out many "fairly aggressive cleaning cycles" using either the wrong cleaning products or applying too much pressure.
That's why the suggestion from ToxicWomble to send a polite request to the manufacturer will probably be the best way to proceed.

unholyangel

Mickey666 said:

shaun_from_Africa said:

Mickey666 said:

Name and shame!

Ovens/Hobs are supposed to be durable items so having anything wearing off within two years is very poor design & manufacture.

I'm sure stickers or a marker pen would solve the problem but why should consumers have to put up with such cr@ppy products in the first place?  Forget about company-imposed warranties, just write to the company and complain that their product is not fit for purpose.  Post on their facebook page, their twitter feed (if they have them) and anywhere else where it's legitimate, with photo evidence if possible.  Just stick to the indisputable facts.

It might be that the wrong type of cleaning product has been used or too much pressure applied when cleaning the decals.
Whatever the reason, to try claiming that the hob is not fit for purpose is totally the wrong way to proceed.
Not fit for purpose means that the hob can't be used as a hob, something that is obviously not the case as the OP is still using it.
The OP might have a claim in that the hob isn't durable (but durability can take into account the price paid so if it was a fairly cheap appliance, 2 years for the decals to fade may well be acceptable) but this is totally different to fitness for purpose.

Poor excuses.  Firstly, I would dispute that the hob can be safely used as a hob without the decals - that’s presumably why they are there in the first place.  Of course you could use the hob without the decals if you really wanted, but why on Earth should you have to?   Secondly, as a durable kitchen appliance it is reasonable to assume it will endure many fairly aggressive cleaning cycles during its lifetime.  Have you never had anything spill over and burn on a hob?.
I agree that durability and price can be inter-dependent, though I’d still argue that 2 years for a kitchen appliance is unacceptable unless they were practically giving the things away.  But that’s why I suggested the OP name and shame, then we’d have a better idea of the expected ‘quality’ based on the price-positioning.

The decals do not give any safety instructions. It is purely for convenience so you know which knob to turn for which burner/oven and don't have to try various ones to get the right one. 

Plus, as its over 6 months the burden of proof would lie with the OP.

maxmillion

Thank you for all the comments. Fortunately, that part of the hob just gets wiped with a soapy cloth as per their instructions, and there is rarely if ever any baked on dirt. Given that the area is cleaned as per instructions, I would say whatever their signage method is, was not suitable, so a manufacturing quality control issue. If the appliance had an expected life of 2 or 3 years, one may accept that this but a new hob in a new kitchen would be expected to last a little longer. If the paint started coming off in 5 years, I would say it was quality. As it is, I'm just disappointed.
But I will take ToxicWomble advice and ping the manufacturer a message before I mention the brand here. And JJ_Egan, I contacted the retailer initially, but they have provided me with a phone number for customer care. Not sure if its their customer care or the manufacturer, but either way, at first they said its too bad. Then after some prompting they sent me an amazon link where I can buy replacement decals.
And I agree with Mickey666; why should I have to accept poor workmanship if that is what it is? If these things start fading after 1 year, then in my view they need to be more resilient and hard-wearing.
I will update with brand name as soon as I hear back from manufacturer. 

JJ_Egan

Your Consumer Rights are against the vendor not some other they shove you off to .

But they are entitled to ask you to prove your assertion via an independent report .

My signs are missing due to somebody called Mrs Brillo.

davidmcn

Mickey666 said:

shaun_from_Africa said:

Mickey666 said:

Name and shame!

Ovens/Hobs are supposed to be durable items so having anything wearing off within two years is very poor design & manufacture.

I'm sure stickers or a marker pen would solve the problem but why should consumers have to put up with such cr@ppy products in the first place?  Forget about company-imposed warranties, just write to the company and complain that their product is not fit for purpose.  Post on their facebook page, their twitter feed (if they have them) and anywhere else where it's legitimate, with photo evidence if possible.  Just stick to the indisputable facts.

It might be that the wrong type of cleaning product has been used or too much pressure applied when cleaning the decals.
Whatever the reason, to try claiming that the hob is not fit for purpose is totally the wrong way to proceed.
Not fit for purpose means that the hob can't be used as a hob, something that is obviously not the case as the OP is still using it.
The OP might have a claim in that the hob isn't durable (but durability can take into account the price paid so if it was a fairly cheap appliance, 2 years for the decals to fade may well be acceptable) but this is totally different to fitness for purpose.

I would dispute that the hob can be safely used as a hob without the decals - that’s presumably why they are there in the first place.

I could maybe see that argument for an electric hob, but for a gas one it's pretty obvious whether a ring is on or not.

lincroft1710

Decals wearing does not in itself mean the appliance is of poor quality or durability