Washing machine busted 2.5 weeks ago - not yet repaired, no time scale given

UnsureAboutthis

As above

One of our children we went to see today - they have been without a wash for over 2.5 weeks. The have two little kids one is one and other is 3. The young one often throws up a bit of milk, spills stuff etc so a mass of washing even if you are being carefu

Its a Samsung cost almost 700 - the filter housing is broken the engineer came out without being told waht the part was and now its on order and the warranty people, a massive household name for stuff like this is not indicating when the part will arrive other than one bit of it.

They are busy people and not sure what is meant by a "reasonable time" in their contract.

Today our son spent close to 90 minutes on the phone, initially waiting to get the phone answered by a human, then passed pilliar to post

He is going to get a new washing machine, ie order one tomorrow if he speaks to them or his wife does and gets through within 40 mins and see what they say

So much so for the warranty the machine went out of warranty ie 5 year warranty, yesterday—so he is thinking of just bying another - possibly a cheaper one costing around 5/600 quid—it does not sound fair nor do they have time to spend long time on the phone - yes, parts can be out of stock but even when the part arriave, there will be another few days of waiting before they come out and no guarantee they got the right part

Aylesbury_Duck

Five years of what sounds like heavy use isn't bad for a washing machine. If you successfully pursued consumer rights with the retailer you would only perhaps get a small fraction of the initial purchase price back.

Personally, I'd get a new machine and not waste more time and energy pursuing it.

GDB2222

When we had a small repair done on our Miele washing machine, when it was around 14 years old, the service engineer told us that it had almost 20,000 hours of operation time on the clock. Bear in mind that there are only 8760 hours in a year, so ours had had the equivalent of over 2 years continuous use - and this was the first repair. Anyway, he fixed the small leak, and we kept using it for another 6 years, and then we gave it away, still working, and bought a replacement Miele.

For a busy family with lots of washing to do, I suggest a Miele machine as the replacement. A bit more expensive upfront but less trouble.

Aylesbury_Duck

I agree with the above suggestion. Whatever machine you get, you can add lots to its lifespan with a few simple things. Dialling down the spin speed on a warm or windy day saves a lot of wear on motors, bearings, etc. On a very warm day I run mine at only 500rpm and even in winter I limit it to 900rpm. I only use the 1400rpm if I know I'll have to use the tumble dryer. Add a couple of teaspoons of soda crystals to the powder.

I've had relatively inexpensive machines (£300-500) last many years with that routine.

Ms_Chocaholic

Sometimes you can get a local repair man to repair it but if it's been used heavily this might not be worthwhile.

kimwp

I think it was three months before mine was fixed - first visit to diagnose, second visit delayed because the part hadn't arrived, third visit determined that the part was incorrect and so on, with two weeks between visits. Fortunately my friend was kind enough to do a couple of loads for me. That was a repair service rather than a warranty, but I imagine it would be similar.

daveyjp

Samsung are good at phones and TVs, Washing machines its a no from me and £700 a definate no. You can spend half of that and get an excellent machine.

UnsureAboutthis

Update - thanks all.

The machine is still not repaired, but they have just had fitted a Bosch washing machine and took out another 5 year warranty.

Re current mach - looks like new, does not rattle, etc.—when it's eventually repaired, they will donate it to a good home

It is very poor showing by the repair outfit - what the point of a 5 year gurantee if they are taking this long to sort it

StewedApple

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82145002#Comment_82145002

Additional paid warranties are of questionable value in my view. Your rights reside within consumer legislation, and additionally I would always recommend paying by credit card (not debit card) as this provides Consumer Credit Act benefits as well.

Many people swear by paid warranties (they provide a degree of piece of mind) but as your family's experience suggests they may be of no practical benefit, and are frequently pushed by sales people who are paid a commission on them.

Personally, I would avoid them and save the money toward a new machine for when the old one pegs out.

MyRealNameToo

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82145017#Comment_82145017

CRA entitles the retailer to deduct use from any settlement, so a 5 year old washing machine is going to give you very little back. In principle a warranty could give you a brand new washing machine, depending on the terms so its really not comparable.

The CCA doesnt give you rights just another party to deal with. In most cases the retailer will be in a better position to help but it does give an extra layer if the retailer goes bust or is being particularly painful.

I personally dont buy warranties either and do think they dont represent great value for money but Im not thinking that the CRA provides the same protection and instead just accept a 5 year old machine from a regular brand is going to need replacing if it fails and I can afford to do so.

Not all retailers, manufacturers or warranty providers are equal, a warranty that gives you a new machine if yours is unrepairable is not the same value as one that gives you 20% off a new machine but most dont read the documents and will simply chose one because its cheaper.

MeteredOut

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82144316#Comment_82144316

Averaging nearly 4 hours a day! Do you operate a hotel? 😀