Manufacturers Warranty (Not naim)

i think that 5 years would be a long time to keep repairing.  there is something on the sale of white goods, that in the uk that ties them down to 5 years not 1 year -  reasonable life span or some other cr@p.

3 attemps is enough, they have had their chance, i would contact citizens advice, they normally advise the best cause of action.  End of the day, monies have changed hands, which is a contract, and the goods do not meat the the terms of the contract, i.e. they work, i would demand a refund.

trying not to get on my soap box.

merry christmas to all...

Three unsuccessful attempts to resolve the same fault should give you reasonable grounds for refund or replacement for something less than a year old. I hope you won't have to start going legal on them. They can't wash their hands of something which is a large heavy door stop and I would hope that they will be reasonable. I don't think there are any grounds to suspect the worst at this stage, and it might be working properly after the next visit. Nevertheless, doing a bit of research and getting your argument straight is prudent. I hope this will all be moot next week.

Graeme - that retailer is notorious for its poor customer service when things go wrong. The tales of woe on faulty laptops etc are many.

Over many years of buying various white goods I have found that German manufactures produce stuff which seems to last. Costs more to buy but the warranties last longer and the service if you need it is reliable.  Our washing machine [Sie***s] came with a 10 year warranty and the two repairs it has needed over the last 8 years have been completed efficiently and without the slightest quibble. I might have paid twice the price that most machines retail for but I've more than twice the value out of it. 

Same with our Sie***s dishwasher and tumble dryer but only 5 year warranties with those  

Thanks for the comments so far.

Ironically all our kitchen goods are Siem**s apart from this recent purchase! We bought our washing machine 12 years ago with a free 10 year warranty and never had to use it.

Really frustrating, as a family of five and both of us working, we rely on it every day. That's three weeks now it has been inoperable.

G

I'd recommend visiting the retailer during a busy time, ask to see the manager and have good rant, if that doesn't produce results try again a few days later. It's the retailers responsibility to ensure you're happy with the goods/service provided, not the manufacturer.

My father in law managed to get a TV and a TV hard drive recorder swapped by the same retailer. Not only did he tell them he wanted replacements, he insisted on equipment from a different manufacturer.

Well, Graeme, if one of the appliances is going to fail I'd vote for dish-washer as the good old-fashioned manual back-up method is easier than grappling with broken fridges & freezers or trying to wash and dry clothes when it's constantly howling with wind and rain outside.  Bit of family collective effort round the sink and with tea-towels should do it. Goodness, those were the days, eh?  

If you want German white goods at a slightly cheaper price, take a look at the John Lewis website. It's sometimes quite obvious who manufactures the John Lewis branded goods.

Yep, I agree fatcat. Our larder-size fridge and freezer are from JL and both are very obviously re-badged AEG models - the reason I went for them.  

That's useful to know. Thanks.

We're using JL exclusively now for these sorts of goods. We've also standardised to Bo**h - but it's still no guarantee. We *hope* that in the event of difficulties he have adopted a responsible retailer.

Graeme,

Which? gave the following advice recently(my summary) -:

Under the Sale of Goods Act, goods must be as decribed, of satisfactory quality and fit for purpose. If you discover a fault early on you can reject the item and get a full refund if done within a reasonable time - usually up to 4 weeks.

After this you can ask for a repair or a replacement - the retailer is able to choose the cheapest option.

You contract is with the retailer, not the maufacturer. The retailer should arrange for the repair to be carried out. The manufacturer would probably be the best option for doing proper repairs, but its the retailer to whom you should address your concern about inadequate repairs.

After 6 months, the onus is on you to show the item was not of satifactory quality, fit for purpose, or as described, rather than the retailer.

You have six years from when you got the item to take a claim to court (5 years in Scotland)

If this next repair doesn't solve the problem then I would ask the retailer to provide a replacement machine. I would also state that I have no confidence in the current manufacturer and would prefer to upgrade to a better machine and pay the difference.

Thanks Don.  That's the next move I plan and want to be sure of my ground.

G

We have done the same over the past 40 years and been really satisfied.

However, Which? did a recent survey and found that only 1 in 12 compaints to JL were dealt with satisfactorily. The JL response was "ok" to my mind and I will continue to buy through them despite the poor showing. The "Indian Meal" company faired much better than JL with 5 out of 12 complaints dealt with satisfactorily.  I guess I just prefer to shop at JL.

Graeme,

My understanding of the Which? advice is that you cannot demand a replacement machine, but that is what I would ask for. And I would ask to upgrade.

However, if the vendor won't replace, and simply insists on repair after repair, I would point out to the vendor that repairs will have to continue well past the 12 month warranty period. A dishwasher should last far longer than 1 year. Make it clear you will go to the Small Claims Court if he doesn't get the machine fixed properly and doesn't keep the machine going properly for (say) 5 years. I can't find the Which? advice on this post-warranty situation, but i'm pretty sure you are entitled to a machine that lasts a lot longer than a year.

Thanks.  Lets see what Monday brings.

G

Interesting figures from Which Don. And it just goes to show.

Mind you, a relatively good clear up rate may not necessarily tell the whole story. I have on two occasions (and for the life of me I can't understand why I didn't stop after the first) purchased shrink wrapped, new, VAT rated goods from a chain which doesn't reside many branches of the tree away from a retailer already referred to. The first was a scanner about 15 years ago, the second was a laser printer about three years ago. Not only were both dead on arrival but the warranty registration cards has been filled in by a previous owner. - one completely and one partially. A swift trip back to the store (at my own expense of course) and a frank and blunt discussion with the manager resulted is an immediate refund on both occasions. So their clear up rate for my issues is 100% and swift. But they are still cowboys compared to many other retailers.

So much for the engineer phoning tonight to arrange tomorrows visit......

G

Given your experience with this lot so far, Graeme, I suspect you not at all surprised. 

Most of the main brand appliances are made under licence these days, which means there are certain manufacturers that produce the product with the brand name on.

Therefore, buying a Bosch appliance does not mean it is made by Bosch.

I had a running two year battle with Siemens about a fridge freezer that was constantly developing faults.

Right from the beginning i didn't bother going through the retailer, but went direct.

After many phone calls, repairs, faults, visits etc etc, they eventually agreed to replace it with new.

First day it was installed, faulty ice maker.

It has been ok so far, but im not holding my breath.

FYI, some manufacturers pay a 'bonus' to call centre staff etc who manage to get out of supplying replacements.

That ultimately means they will always try a repair, and many of them to avoid replacing.

Good luck.

Called the manufacturer at 8:30 and after 2 attempts left a polite but firm message.

Lo, the engineer rang within half an hour and appeared an hour later only to diagnose another probable cause and 2 week wait for parts.  Boll**ks to that so off to the retailer we went, braving the consumer mele and not even a sign to say 'Customer Service' visible.

The long and short is I await a call to see if the manufacturer will offer a replacement through the retailer.

Not holding my breath....listening to the Dead's 'Europe 72' to keep calm and carry on.

G

Did you buy with a credit card? If yes then give them a call because they are liable as well.

Thanks, I may have to look into that.

Supposed to be ringing tomorrow now.

Ho hum,

G

Latest Graeme ?

The retailer 'missed' the manufacturer on 30th......Waiting for a call tomorrow now.......I think they will try to accelerate another attempt at repair.

Grrrr

Fingers crossed

Repair now scheduled for Friday - !

G