To be somewhat taken aback by Curry's estimated lifespan for a washing machine

[GleamingHeels]

Went with my mother to buy her a new washing machine yesterday, we'd made a list of things we required and selected the one we wanted... as part of the attempted extended warranty hard sell, the salesman told us that the expected lifespan of a washing machine 'these days' was two years!

My mum's last one lasted her fourteen years - single person, fairly light use, my last one lasted me at least eleven... have we just been really lucky or was the salesman talking through a hole in his fundament or possibly chasing some commision for selling insurance ?

[LalyRawr]

Currys employees do not get commission for selling extended warrantys.

Frankly, two years sounds about right for heavy use, longer if lighter use. Stuff isn't made to last anymore. Where is the profit in that?

[Wabbitty]

Have had mine about 8 years, want it to die so I can have one that does faster washes (heart set on a miele). It is still going strong unfortunately for me

[noisytoys]

Our last one was a washer drier (which are notorious for breaking down) and lasted 8 years

[MamaMary]

My mum's washing machine lasted 17 years.

[AKissIsNotAContract]

I bought the cheapest one in Currys 3 years ago. It was only £199 gets used 7 times a week and is still going strong.

[apostropheuse]

My last washing machine lasted nine years - just replaced it last year, the previous one thirteen years. I used it daily, often three or four times per day as I had a busy household.

If my current machine only lasts for two years I will be rather annoyed!

[HotCrossPun]

I used to work in Curry's, in Customer Service and in Sales.

There are a number of brands that are notorious for going wrong after a year yes, I'm talking about you Indesit and Beko

Sales staff don't earn commission for 'extended warranties' and Currys don't actually sell extended warranties, it's their own after care plan.

For washing machines I would always recommend my customers took it, it was about £3 per month back then and it meant they would get a 2 day call out, no call out fee, unlimited repairs and a replacement if it couldn't be fixed within 21 days.

It saved the hassle of having to deal with the rubbish manufacturers if something went wrong.

[CaffeDoppio]

Currys employees do not get commission for selling extended warrantys.

Now THAT I do find hard to believe. Since they are notoriously bad value and many times fail to pay out anyway why would they do it? Out of the goodness of their hearts? Yeah. Right.

[TheCraicDealer]

They might not get commission but they probably do have incentives or targets with these products, like with store cards in many clothes shops. He may just be being economical with his information- I bet some of the families off "16 Kids & Counting" who are doing four loads a day would go through one every two years, but someone using it for one cycle every few days? Come on!

[FeckOffCup]

My last one only lasted 3 years but it was a shitty brand that doesn't even exist now as it went bust.

[LadyMaryQuiteContrary]

The EC laid down expected lifetime limits for white goods. A washing machine should last for 10 years IIRC (you should google this).

[GleamingHeels]

Mine was a washer dryer too noisytoys. as were the couple before that, I don't think I have had one last less than eight years - there seem to have been a few longer lasting ones out there.

LalyRawr thanks for the information - I retract that unfair accusation about commission

[HotCrossPun]

CaffeDoppio They don't. Currys staff don't earn commission full stop. It was stopped around about 2007.

[CaffeDoppio]

Well fair enough then Pun - but seriously, the way they push it does make you think there's something in it for them don't you think?

[ihearsounds]

if its an indeshit, then yes 2 years if you are very lucky. But yes look up about how long goods should last. Then watch the sales people splutter when you go back armed with this info

[HotCrossPun]

TheCraicDealer I can only talk from my own experience, and I haven't worked there for a few years. When I did, there were no incentives for sales or selling specific products. A new scheme was rolled out which was all to do with 'enhancing the customer journey' and a big part of that was taking away the emphasis on hard selling and pushing products that customers didn't need.

As I said before, a lot of the time I would recommend the after care plan for washing machines, but if a customer was buying a Miele, Hoover, and some Hotpoint models I would tell them not to bother.

[lottiegarbanzo]

I recently retired one that had been going strong for 33 years (Hoover 'they don't make them like that any more').

Really, I'll be cross if the Bosch replacement doesn't last at least five, really ten years, especially as I calculated its higher cost / more efficient running payback time, compared to another contender, as at least five years and thought it might win through on lifespan!

[ouryve]

And of course, this 2 year estimate is based on about 3 loads a week, according to engineers.

So my 6 months old Siemens washer dryer should be about ready to pop its clogs. Good job I have a 5 year warranty for it.

[HotCrossPun]

TheCraicDealer I think that has a lot to do with the new scheme. It basically meant that when a customer came in to store you were to provide them with all the information they needed to decide on a product, then everything they needed to make the product work (accessories, cables etc) and finally that you advised them on the best after care service and payment plan (if applicable) for them.

I don't doubt that there will still be some pushy salespeople out there who want to sell the most just for the competition aspect of it.

When commisson was scrapped in our store some sales people left and went to Comet, and others stayed and still tried to achieve sales targets, even though they weren't earning any money for it.

[Rosesandlemons]

It's never worth taking out a Warranty on any electrical good unless you can't really afford them in the first place. All the money you save from not falling for these scams should cover the cost of a replacement if something breaks. You would be very unlucky to have every electrical appliance in your house break at once.

[GleamingHeels]

this article might be a bit out of date - but contains some interesting information and links about how long is a resonable lifespan

[TheCraicDealer]

That's fair enough, HotCross, you'd know better than me. I'm probably being unfair, but any high street chain I or (any of my friends) have worked for have always had incentives or at least targets they say you "must" hit for whatever product they're pushing. As a consequence I'm very, very pessimistic when I'm on the receiving end.

[tumbletumble]

Ours is 12 years old and good as new

[HotCrossPun]

TheCraicDealer A customer should never feel like they are on the 'receiving end' of a sales pitch.

That's the sign of an inadequate sales person IMO. Selling should be about giving the customer honest information in a non-pressurising way, and then allowing them to make an informed decision.