Electric Cooker Ring Failed After 15 Months

Ergates

DullGreyGuy said:

Ergates said:

Alderbank said:

It's not the time. It's the thermal cycling that kills them.

You might switch a light on once a day. The thermostat in a hob could switch it on and off 100 times in 5 minutes.

But that is a known factor when the heating elements are designed, and they should be made to withstand that.  "We made our hobs in such a way that they burn out the heating elements very quiclky" isn't much of an excuse.

Items are made to a price, OP says they spent £300 on it with a ceramic top. It is the absolute most budget ones out there... there are a handful of solid plates that are cheaper and thats it. Durability has to consider the price, you wouldn't expect the cheapest one available to be as durable as a mid range model. Most the ceramic cookers for sale are more than double what the OP paid.

Making something last a long time is only one of the considerations in design, others are making replacement parts cheap and easy to fit which appears to be the case here. You've much greater cause for complaint when something that inevitably will fail over time is irreplaceable, like the other thread here recently of the Dyson Hair straighteners (that cost more than this cooker) who's rechargeable battery cannot be replaced. 

Yeah, but there's "last a long time" and "last 15 months of very light use". 

If the OP had been running their hob hours each day - or even some kind of average amount per day.   But they're describing 15 minutes a week.  15 hours of total use time.

There's "You get what you pay for" in effect, but that lifespan is absurdly short and - I believe - falls into well into "insufficient quality" territory.

For reference, the hob in my kitchen, was installed by the previous owners of the house, back in 2012/2013.  It's a CDA brand - which is towards the bottom end of the market (I don't know what this one cost, but you can get a CDA hob for £200).  It's been in constant use since we moved in 10 years ago, at a rate *way* more than the OP described, and none of the elements have burned out yet.

DullGreyGuy

Ergates said:

DullGreyGuy said:

Ergates said:

Alderbank said:

It's not the time. It's the thermal cycling that kills them.

You might switch a light on once a day. The thermostat in a hob could switch it on and off 100 times in 5 minutes.

But that is a known factor when the heating elements are designed, and they should be made to withstand that.  "We made our hobs in such a way that they burn out the heating elements very quiclky" isn't much of an excuse.

Items are made to a price, OP says they spent £300 on it with a ceramic top. It is the absolute most budget ones out there... there are a handful of solid plates that are cheaper and thats it. Durability has to consider the price, you wouldn't expect the cheapest one available to be as durable as a mid range model. Most the ceramic cookers for sale are more than double what the OP paid.

Making something last a long time is only one of the considerations in design, others are making replacement parts cheap and easy to fit which appears to be the case here. You've much greater cause for complaint when something that inevitably will fail over time is irreplaceable, like the other thread here recently of the Dyson Hair straighteners (that cost more than this cooker) who's rechargeable battery cannot be replaced. 

Yeah, but there's "last a long time" and "last 15 months of very light use". 

If the OP had been running their hob hours each day - or even some kind of average amount per day.   But they're describing 15 minutes a week.  15 hours of total use time.

There's "You get what you pay for" in effect, but that lifespan is absurdly short and - I believe - falls into well into "insufficient quality" territory.

For reference, the hob in my kitchen, was installed by the previous owners of the house, back in 2012/2013.  It's a CDA brand - which is towards the bottom end of the market (I don't know what this one cost, but you can get a CDA hob for £200).  It's been in constant use since we moved in 10 years ago, at a rate *way* more than the OP described, and none of the elements have burned out yet.

And as already advised, if they get an engineers report that states it's failed too early when considering the price point etc they have rights under the CRA. 

Cost however is a double edged sword, the replacement may be under £30 on a budget hob, some are under £20 whereas on higher end brands they can be over £100. 

Assuming the OPs is at the lower end of the cost range there will always be the question of if its worth spending £100 on an engineers report which may or may not support you -v- pay £30 and just fixing it. 

GDB2222

The OP said: "I may as well source a replacement element and fit it myself"

If the OP has the skills to do that competently, that's probably sensible. £25 for the part, and maybe an hour to fit it.  

Hotpoint used to be a good, reliable brand.... 

oldagetraveller1

"Hotpoint used to be a good, reliable brand.... " Yes, I have a Hotpoint tumble dryer, must be 30 years old now and working perfectly, as it did when bought new.

This might be a bit controversial, but in my opinion "Made in Great Britain" must have an influence on it's longevity.

steamship10

Lots of comments since I last checked, but surprised that quite a few people didn't actually read the original post. Several people have already corrected other peoples responses, so rather that quote all the wrong ones, I note a few observations:

1. I've already gone through the CRA and goods not being fit for purpose and durability, and got nowhere. As I stated in the original post, I spent over an hour on the phone and quoted all the relevant terms to them, and it all fell on deaf ears

2. I was told it's a consumable item, so end of story as far as they are concerned

3. An inspection would have to prove a fault in it. What else are they going to say, other than it failed. I've already told Argos that it failed, without having to dismantle it

4. The cost of a replacement that I found was £40, yet others quote £30 and £25. Any more responses at this rate and it will soon be free

5. £300 may not be a lot of money for some people, but it is to me. As for it being a cheap cooker, I know that. Even during my call to Argos, he told me that even if the cooker cost £1,000 and the element failed, it's still a 'wear and tear' item

I've done the searching online for prices, and £40 was the best I could find based on the size of the element. I set about dismantling the cooker earlier to get the exact part number. It is definitely built down to a price, with no thought put into the process for 'repairing' it. I then took the part to a local parts shop for kitchen appliances and got a replacement for just £28. It's all back together again and working.

Thanks to everyone who responded.

DullGreyGuy

oldagetraveller1 said:

This might be a bit controversial, but in my opinion "Made in Great Britain" must have an influence on it's longevity.

So you're not keen on things made in Northern Ireland?

The problem can be is... what exactly do you mean Made in GB? 

Very few companies are totally vertically integrated and so will be buying some form of supplies from others, now that could be just sheet steel whereas others may be buying whole motors, heating elements etc etc. There are rules as to  country of origin and it certainly isnt that the company has to start with a load of rocks with iron ore and some crude oil to make the plastic components. In some cases it can just be the final assembly is all thats required so it can be badged "Made in GB" despite the motor being made in China, the compressor in Turkey, panels cut/pressed in Czechia

steamship10

DullGreyGuy said:

So you're not keen on things made in Northern Ireland?

Possibly because very few people seem to know the difference between 'Great Britain' and 'United Kingdom'. It's somewhat ironic, as I'm in Northern Ireland, and wasn't sure if I had mentioned it or not.

DullGreyGuy

steamship10 said:

DullGreyGuy said:

So you're not keen on things made in Northern Ireland?

Possibly because very few people seem to know the difference between 'Great Britain' and 'United Kingdom'. It's somewhat ironic, as I'm in Northern Ireland, and wasn't sure if I had mentioned it or not.

The ones that always confuse me are the British Passports not issued by the UK (eg Bermuda, Jersey, Turks and Caicos etc)

oldagetraveller1

"So you're not keen on things made in Northern Ireland?"

You obviously missed the quotes. The appliance is made in Great Britain. Yes, I know the U.K. is G.B & N.I..

Clever clogs do amuse me. Must be the result of being Dull and Grey?

The Titanic was made in N.I., look what happened to that and many passengers, and crew, through poor design.

steamship10

oldagetraveller1 said:

The Titanic was made in N.I., look what happened to that and many passengers, and crew, through poor design.

I know your post is directed at someone else, but being pedantic, the Titanic was not made in Northern Ireland. It was made in Ulster, as Northern Ireland didn't become a legal entity until 1921.