Dishwasher developed a fault after 5 years - any recourse?

TheAble

Hi all

I just wanted to gather a few opinions. I bought a new dishwasher just under 5 years ago which has developed a fault, the cost of which to repair will probably be around half of what I paid for the appliance. Does this sound like a reasonable amount of time before a fault happens or would I have any grounds for recourse/compensation? I did purchase on a credit card, so section 75 is an option.

Many thanks in advance for any advice.

tacpot12

I think that five years is a reasonable period of fault-free operation, and I don't think you have any grounds for compensation or repair if the dishwasher is out of warranty. Sorry. At least you can get it repaired. 

JJ_Egan

Repair Replace or Refund less 5 years use .Consumer Rights against the retailer . But you will probably have to commission an independent report backing up claim should have lasted longer .

Sandtree

Remember that a refund will reflect the use that you've already had out of the item and so will be relatively token.

Similarly if the engineers report states that its fair wear and tear then you have no claim and have paid for the engineers report out of your own pocket.

user1977

What's the defect? Many repairs are DIYable.

macman

Context is everything in a case like this. For a Miele that cost £1000, I'd expect more than 5 years of working life.
For a £300 budget Beko, 3 years might be all you can reasonably expect.

Marmaduke123

We had an extended warranty on our old dishwasher, so four years in total. It developed a fault just outside the warranty period, which, like yours, was going to be about half the original cost to repair. The manufacturer eventually agreed a reduced price for the repair, and it carried on for another 5 years or so.

We thought nine years life was just about acceptable, but just over four years definitely not. Maybe worth contacting the manufacture?.

mattyprice4004

Marmaduke123 said:

We had an extended warranty on our old dishwasher, so four years in total. It developed a fault just outside the warranty period, which, like yours, was going to be about half the original cost to repair. The manufacturer eventually agreed a reduced price for the repair, and it carried on for another 5 years or so.

We thought nine years life was just about acceptable, but just over four years definitely not. Maybe worth contacting the manufacture?.

Out of interest, how much was your dishwasher?
If it’s anything less than £400, I’d say 4 years is fair enough - they’re just not built to last these days

Manxman_in_exile

Marmaduke123 said:

We thought nine years life was just about acceptable, but just over four years definitely not. Maybe worth contacting the manufacture?.

Well that's bonkers.  Yes, our fridge-freezer is 25 years old and our TV is 12 years old, but the idea that 9 years should be considered "just about acceptable" for a dishwasher is simply not realisitc.  The fact you wouldn't have any legal remedies after 6 years is a bit of a hint there.

But after 4 years the OP has nothing to lose by trying - but good luck!

macman

9 years is very realistic, even optimistic, for a budget dishwasher.  
What you are forgetting is that white goods prices are now cheaper than they've ever been. Manufacturers have almost all, with few exceptions, engaged in a race to the bottom on pricing, and that can only be done by reducing component and assembly costs to the very minimum, which is why some washing machines have a design life of as little as 500 cycles. So 5 years if you use it twice weekly, and much less if more regularly than that. That's the only way that the retailer can sell them for a little as £189. Once they've taken their cut, the manufacturer's margin is miniscule-and they've still got to provide a warranty service within that price.
What you paid for your fridge-freezer a quarter of a century ago will have been many times more than you would pay now for the same item in real terms.

Aylesbury_Duck

macman said:

9 years is very realistic, even optimistic, for a budget dishwasher.  
What you are forgetting is that white goods prices are now cheaper than they've ever been. Manufacturers have almost all, with few exceptions, engaged in a race to the bottom on pricing, and that can only be done by reducing component and assembly costs to the very minimum, which is why some washing machines have a design life of as little as 500 cycles. So 5 years if you use it weekly, and much less if more regularly than that. That's the only way that the retailer can sell them for a little as £189. Once they've taken their cut, the manufacturer's margin is miniscule-and they've still got to provide a warranty service within that price.
What you paid for your fridge-freezer a quarter of a century ago will have been many times more than you would pay now for the same item in real terms.

Quite.  I use a "one year for every £100" rule of thumb for washing machines and dishwashers, given our pattern of use.  Get more than that out of them and I'm happy.