...to think that a new washing machine should last more than 3 years?

[Triathlete]

I'm flipping livid! We bought a new washing machine - Tricity Bendix AW1201W - in March 2008. It's done its bearings already, 2 years and 10 months later. 3, perhaps 4 washes a week, and the fricking thing has had it.

It was recommended to us as a sort of cut-down Zanussi made by Electrolux to Zanussi standards but with fewer features. We bought it from John Lewis. We didn't take out any extended warranties as we thought "It's a washing machine, it'll last 5 years".

John Lewis have more or less said "Tough - nothing we can do about it". Tricity Bendix ditto. I now need to decide whether to spend next weekend replacing the bearings, or whether to buy a new one.

I'm so fizzing angry! The retailer doesn't give a stuff, the manufacturer doesn't give a stuff, and we've built an economy based on things breaking down and needing to be replaced. And we can't afford it - I was going to get my bad tooth done with that money.

Thanks for letting me vent.

cat64

Our issue was with a cooker from COMET ( bastards!) it took 8 months of emails and LOTS of energy, urghhhhh was awful, but they did replace said cooker eventually. We lost out, but are hoping to claim back, £125 that we paid an independent engineer who made a report for us detailing the faults.

I still remember one dodgy Comet salesman trying to quote the sales of goods act to my dh in an attempt to fob him off - the poor chap was stunned when dh gave him what for, as by that time dh knew the SOGA inside out and back to front!

We were told recently that modern appliances such as washing machines are built to last for about 7 years max - as in, 7 years would be good going.

AFAIK only Miele are built to last longer than that; aren't Bosch the same as AEG and Siemens anyway? Certainly our Miele dishwasher is much more solid (I mean that in a good way!) than our previous Bosch one was, and I'm not greatly enamoured of our Bosch washing mchine......

wigglybeezer the thing with the Bosch dishwashers is that they have a kind of U bend at the back and over time it clogs up with grease until eventually it blocks completely. No need to worry about it though because:
A) I don't know whether it still applies to the latest designs.
B) I use mine every day and it still took six years to clog up.
C) if it does happen then it's fixable yourself if you're confident, or by a repair bloke for sixty quid or so (less outside London I assume)

The bearings are likely to go if you overload your machine or use it more than average.

Fingers crossed have had mine now coming up 7 years and it is still going strong.

God it's crap how 'disposable' everything is supposed to be these days,they just don't make anything to last.I'm sure grannies' 'twin tub' outlived her.

After a year,my machine went wonky, the makers' engineer came out, and told me if i put a pair of Jeans in the wash, it would make the drum unbalanced, that was the problem..When i asked how i washed 'heavier' items? he said in the bath!
What Crap!He repaired it, i ignored him, and it's still going strong 5 years later.

I have an LG, my second. Industrial size and probably does an average of 4 washes per day.
I bought the 5 yr warranty.
After no calls outs and nearly at the end of wwarranty, I called them out to give it a service type thing.
The bloke wrote it off. Handy cos I then got the value of it, what I paid for it, to spend on a new machine.
Will do the same when this runs out too.
Only ever buy warrantys on washing machines as I am constantly using it.
They base the lifetime of a machine on an average one load per day to last 7 yrs.
A repair man told me this once. I laughed as at the time I had a normal size one which did an average of 9 loads per day!

I think it's a pain but from my experience I would never buy another Hotpoint and my mum would never buy another Electrolux.

With a family I expect five years and anything over that is a bonus. Got 8 out of the last one which was a low to mid range Bosch. Would love to do the whole Which thing but when they go, they go and it depends on what the local department store has in stock and can get plumbed in asap.

I think washing machines are definitely worth spending more on, especially if you know you have a heavy usage .Mine is an LG, has been good so far but is about 6 years old now. When it goes I am going to grasp the nettle and buy a Miele. Same with my dishwasher.

I brought a Miele because it is built to last 20 years, the delivery men all complain that it is really heavy to move and this model came with a 10 year parts and labour guarantee.

I would look at the cheapest machine offering a 5-10 year guarantee, you will have to pay more but the thing is - a Miele is about £800 but it is built to last, you could buy 2-3 washing machines for this price, however Miele's dont tend to flood your kitchen, or breakdown and leave you having to go to friends to get your washing done! Additionally they do come with more functions for this price. My Miele has a lovely handwash cycle. Much better than me doing it by hand..

Look on the John Lewis website for long guarantees, Siemens, Pansonic, Miele and some JL machines come with long guarantess. When we moved into our house we brought a lot of Miele products. Not sure they were all necessary, however the washing machine is definitely definitely worth it!

Agree with what ranty said.

I do at least 1 wash per day and buy the cheap "Beko" washers and driers for axactly this reason.

My 1st washer was a REALLY expensive Bosch one...12 years ago it cost over £500! as I was recommended it because "it would last years and years". 1 year in and we have to have the whole front panel replaced (luckily still under warranty) It was sooo slow and even on eco wash took nearly 2 hours on a wash cycle.

So....buy cheap. If they break after 2/3 years you ahve had your moneys worth.

My iron is also a tesco own brand one (£9) as my last one was over £100 and was rubbish.

A very nice repair man told me, as I was grumbling that my 2 year old cooker was broken, that the reason things break down so quickly is that they're made with cheap, non-durable parts. The reason this is done is because consumer surveys consistently show that whenever people change their kitchens, they change their 'white goods' to match. They'd rather have cheap and replaceable than more expensive and 'non-matching'. As someone who has personally never had a designed or replaced kitchen, this seems madness. But he assured me it was consumer choice.

Blimey, over the rainbow. 25 washes a week!!

I have had my Miele for 6 years, it has had one repair which was actually the fabric conditioner dispenser not working properly and the Miele repairman said 10 years or 10,000 washes, I use mine probably 10-12 times a week and was under the average. They can tell by sticking some sort of probe on the machine and it will tell them how much you have used it. The limit is very generous and stops people using it for industrial use and claiming for repairs.

Eclipse, that's why white goods have integrated doors - so when they are replaced they don't look any different when compared to the kitchen that's been guaranteed for 25 years. Mind you my Alno is starting to show signs of wear and tear after 16 and I'm NOT impressed.

rocky12 the hand wash cycle is great isn't it? I LOVE my machine

Mieles are BRILLIANT. Would highly recommend to anyone. And their customer service department phoneline is so relaxing it's practically like therapy.

Yes they really are horton - our miele dishwasher is 8 years old and still going strong, tumble drier and washing machine 10 years old as I mentioned before and never needed repairing once. And big fridge and freezer which are great!

Oh! And their hoovers are fab too :D Perhaps I need to change my name to Mielemum

We've bought a new one - a whirpool - from the little independent shop around the corner. I'll now settle in for a war of attrition with John Lewis, and ensure that any profit they may have made on the sale is absorbed by answering my letters and calls. Beryl thanks a million for posting up that letter template, it's fab. 2ndcoming, I do sympathise. We were without one for 2 weeks and it drove us mad.

Thanks all, will update with results.

I would suggest contacting "Consumer Direct"
www.consumerdirect.gov.uk
They are a free, government funded consumer advice service.

My husband and I bought a HP Pavilion computer and after about 3 years the screen went blank, apparently a glitch with this model of computer. HP were completely disinterested and the shop we bought it from told us that computers weren't covered under Sale of Goods Act...

Luckily I got in contact with Consumer Direct who over numerous helpful phone calls advised us of our consumer rights, helped us to draft letters to company we bought computer from [always deal with the supplier as your contract as a consumer is with them NOT the manufacturer] and basically held our hands through the whole process [we got given such a run around that I think we would have given up and bought a new computer if left to our own devices]. Ultimately company we bought from conceded defeat [prior to the need to take them to court] and arranged for a repair of the computer [no cost to us]. We are still using same computer and according to Sale of Goods Act we are covered for 6 years for any defects.

So personally would really recommend contacting Consumer Direct. And I am sure that John Lewis will not want their name dragged into court as a company contravening their consumer obligations...

Bootymum thanks for that, I didn't know about them.

I've found the original Order Confirmation email from John Lewis Customer Services and emailed them saying it has broken down, and requesting a replacement or repair (If they do replace we'll have 2 washing machines, not quite sensible but there you go). We'll see how it goes. I'll update with results and replies etc.

This has been a tremendous help and nearly makes me ashamed of my recent wind-up...

Thanks all!

the thing with washing machines is that the higher the spin speed, the quicker the moving parts (including bearings) will wear out, as the machine basically vibrates itself to death.

we are all sold the idea that the higher the spin speed the better. however I could only afford an 800 rpm Zanussi machine when I bought it in Feb 1998, and it is still going now, having done at least 6 washes a week during that time. Im sure part of that is that it just isnt wearing its mechanical innards out at the same rate as say a 1600 machine.

the build quality of mainstream washing machines seems to have deteriorated hugely since Ive had this one. when it does conk out I will be buying a Miele.

Bosch are trading on their reputation of yesteryear and by all accounts are no better than any of the others now.