Candy Washing Machine, Candy removed features. Any consumer rights?

m-holland

Hi folks,

Bought a Candy "Candy CSO14103TWCBE" Washing Machine roughly 1 year, 1 month ago from Littlewoods. 

Main reason for spending more was the remote features, as it allows me to remote stop/start monitor it through an app as it is installed in the house of someone i care for.

Candy have removed the ability to use the app for the washing machine due to legislation change:

"On the 29th April 2024 a new act came into force to manage the cyber security of connected products (PSTI). ​

As a result of the legislation change, the Wizard and Simplyfi Apps have been closed to enrolments.​"

Do I have any rights here?

Hoenir

Rights to what?  No manufacturer is going to intentionally break the law. 

Aylesbury_Duck

I don't see you have a right to force them to break a new law.  It does say "closed to enrolments", which suggests it is only for new users.  Are you sure your access has been removed?

Ayr_Rage

As the law has changed, very unlikely there is anything you can do.

eskbanker

m-holland said:

Candy have removed the ability to use the app for the washing machine due to legislation change:

"On the 29th April 2024 a new act came into force to manage the cyber security of connected products (PSTI). ​

As a result of the legislation change, the Wizard and Simplyfi Apps have been closed to enrolments.​"

Do you perhaps have the option of using their other app?

While simply-Fi is the very first app developed by Candy, all Candy connected appliances produced after 2020 use hOn: the Haier Group’s new connectivity hub. Some products with the simply-Fi app are still available on the market, but this is not an issue: both apps allow you to fully enjoy Candy's smart connectivity features. So, which app should I download? Easy: the one that is pictured on the product! If you have any further questions, please contact us.

https://www.candy-home.com/en_GB/smart-home/washing-machines/

paolope

I am in the same situation, unfortunately the wireless connection never worked for me, today finally the technician came and replaced the washer's PCB, I asked him to stay till I got it connected but he got upset and rude "it's not my job" and left without saying a word.

Little did I know that the support for the washer had been removed server-side due to PSTI. So no use for the repair.

I think this is shoddy behaviour from Haier/Candy/Hoover (Hoover for me) as they could potentially fix these issues with a firmware upgrade but they decided not to, instead they bricked the service.

As a consumer I expect to be getting the features I paid for, regardless of legislation. It appears this law was passed in September 2023, yet I bought the product in November 2023 - Hoover should have known better. I am going to complain, but I wondered if there is any expert here wrt consumer rights that could tell me if I have a legal base?

Bradden

. There are three requirements for PSTI .... all of which are basic security.

What are the Security Requirements?

Ban default passwords. Products that come with default passwords are an easy target for cyber criminals.

Require products to have a vulnerability disclosure policy. Security researchers regularly identify security flaws in products, but need a way to give notice to manufacturers of the risk they have identified, so that they can enable the manufacturer to act before criminals can take advantage. The Bill will provide measures to help ensure any vulnerabilities in a product are identified and flagged.

Require transparency about the length of time for which the product will receive important security updates. Consumers should know if their product will be supported with security updates, and if so, what the minimum length of time is that they can expect that support to continue.

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head

Would be interesting to know whether the app is classed as digital content under the same contract for the washing machine?

froggybrolly

In case anyone is still trying to do this, I managed to get mine to work by editing my account’s profile (menu -> tap on your name/email -> ‘Profile’) to say I live in the United States (US) — had to then log out and back in again, and it let me add the machine.

Presumably you could change it back to UK afterwards, once the machine is added to your account, but I’m not sure why they should care… it still works with Language set to English (UK)

m-holland

froggybrolly said:

In case anyone is still trying to do this, I managed to get mine to work by editing my account’s profile (menu -> tap on your name/email -> ‘Profile’) to say I live in the United States (US) — had to then log out and back in again, and it let me add the machine.

Presumably you could change it back to UK afterwards, once the machine is added to your account, but I’m not sure why they should care… it still works with Language set to English (UK)

can confirm this worked for me as well

tc5712

Confirmed, works perfect! Shame the same app doesn't work for newer devices. Had to install 'HON'?