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 ?

[GleamingHeels]

Ooh, hello! The washing machine my mum bought which sparked this thread is still going strong (Hotpoint, I think) as is my nearly five year-old Zanussi washer-dryer... there that'll have attracted the attention of the fates and put the kybosh on them both

[ForalltheSaints]

I'd have been shocked. Though I would never have gone to Currys for a washing machine. On my third one in 25 years, bought a couple of years ago.

[HermioneWoozle]

We had a Hotpoint that lasted just over two years, broke down completely 3 months after the warranty expired. Had only bought one as my mum's Hotpoints had been so reliable. They went down massively in quality in the late 90s though, unbeknownst to us. After that we got a basic Miele which lasted 11 years. Now have a Bosch.

Will never buy a mattress from Dreams as they only last 8 years, apparently . Current mattress from House of Fraser is 15 years old and counting.

[RebootYourEngine]

I have only had indesit machines and the first one lasted about 4 years because the floor was set wrong in a new house and it ruined the drum. The next one i had lasted about 8 years. Have had this one about 2 years.

Two years for a white good is ridiculous. My tumble dryer was the cheapest one in the shop and its lasted about 6 years so far.

[UptownFlunk]

Never accept something worth hundreds of pounds only lasting a few years. I habitually complain about goods that haven't lasted long enough and, if you do it authoritatively enough, you will nearly always get a replacement. You do have to be prepared to write very stroppy letters and to just generally make a nuisance of yourself on review sites and Facebook pages though. I work too hard to waste my money on items that are not fit for purpose when they should be.

[AcrossthePond55]

My Maytag washer and dryer are still going strong. Got them as a housewarming gift in 1988. But there's not a computer component in either machine. Belts, pulleys, wires and circuits. DH has replaced a pilot unit in the dryer and a circuit in the washer.

I think it's all the modern technology/computerization that has shortened the lifespan of most appliances. And planned obsolescence.

[MissVictoria]

My washing machine is older than i am, and i'm 27!
Was one of my parents wedding presents, not sure of the make but it was a washer and drier 2 in 1. Cousin broke the drier part by pulling the knob off when i was very young (cousin has 10 years on me) when she house sat one time we went on holiday. This poor washer has had to cope 20 years with the typical washing rota of a family of 4. For the past 6 years since my germ phobic OCD went in to overdrive and it was a case of a shower EVERY time i went for a wee with 2 full size towels a go and a complete clean set of clothes it's had to handle multiple wash loads a day, and still going strong. It has taken to dancing across the kitchen floor in it's senior years when in use, and if it moves to a point where the floor is uneven the drum won't turn properly, but she's a togh old bugger.

[RandomMcRandomer]

My hoover washer dryer is 5 years and counting.

The one we had before that lasted 11 years. It may have been fixable but I didn't trust it after it flooded my house.

I worked at pc world back in the day and the dsg group sales policy was all the same. Sales people got slightly more per hour wages (about 15p) if we met store targets. I was the epitome of no pressure sales. I gave people help and advice and left them to make a choice. I was the highest performing sales person almost constantly but got a metric fucktonne of grief for "not selling enough cover" I left over it and haven't touched sales since.

[Rattusn]

Both our expensive fridge freezer and washing machine hit the dust in under 5 years, despite being supposedly good brands.

I was so glad they were both under extended warranties. Stuff just isn't built to last anymore.

An old washing machine/fridge may last 20 years, but that would be very rare indeed for one bought today.

[PurpleMinionMummy]

If its really only expected to last two years surely they wouldn't bother with extended warranties? They'd be better off with you going back to buy a new machine every two years than a measly £3 a mth to have to repair/replace it. Why would they be interested in potentially constantly fixing something past its supposed life span

[hungryhippo90]

Haven't RTFT but I wanted to add my experience.

I had a candy washing machine, which lasted for almost 3 years, I think it would have gone strong for years except for I moved and the hot and cold feed were marked out incorrectly, it killed the machine.

For 6 years after I hired washer dryers, as I really, really needed a dryer in the house, no radiators and lots of damp meant I needed to tumble all of our stuff. They were used more than most I'd say, but none lasted any more than 18 months, which I would have been upset by if I'd have owned the machine. It worked out well that I got free call out's and repairs.

I do tend to get a lot of use though...I wouldn't expect anything to last particularly well these days, unless you've got money for miele.

[woopwoopitsdasoundofdapolice]

Planned obsolescence... applies to most products these days. As a PP mentioned it's not in the manufacturers interest to make goods that last forever. However, that's not to say it won't keep going for a LOT longer than 2 years. We use a local repair guy to fix our broken items and some towns even offer free Repair Cafes where if it isn't easily transportable to the RC someone will come and fix it - usually free of charge or for a small donation. The stats around discarded electronics are terrifying!

[llangennith]

Isn't there a law (it replaced the Consumers right act) that says it should last for five years or retailer has to repair or replace. In other words, a 5 year warranty.

[Sara107]

2 years is far too little. Quite apart from any warranty, consumer rights state that goods should last a 'reasonable' time. I was reading about this in Which magazine or some such! 'Reasonable' depends on how much it costs. So if you paid say £15 for an electric kettle 2 years would be considered ok. However, if you have paid hundreds of £s, a reasonable lifetime would be much longer - probably about 6 to 8 years for a washing machine. So if it were to fail within that time you would have a case for repair or replacement (although most shops will try to tell you that because it's out of warranty they're not responsible).
So it would be expected for a washing machine to last that long, but many will go on perfectly well for much longer. Changing an expensive appliance every 2 years would be ridiculous. Why would anyone do it? Unless it's one of those tumble driers that burn your house down....

[Catlady1976]

My beko lasted a Year. They tried to repair it 5 times before giving me an exchange.

[minnymoobear]

Ours is s cheap Haier washing machine bought with free £300 loyalty vouchers for staying with Three phone company about 8 years ago - still going strong

[Mamatallica]

This maybe an old thread brought back to life but I can guarantee that Currys staff get no financial incentives for pushing the aftercare. It is targeted and they push it in every morning briefing but they don't give any rewards. Currys also give no Christmas bonus and no overtime despite the fact that they expect you to work all bank holidays and weekends, Christmas Eve, Boxing Day, New Year's Eve, New Year's Day etc. It's a flat minimum wage and if you don't like it you can leave. Then they wonder why they have such a high turnover of staff...

[neveradullmoment99]

I had an indesit for years and years without issue. It packed in, in the end but it was fantastic. Maybe indesit nowadays isnt the same. I now have a zanussi washer dryer. I have had that for years. In fact so many, i cant even remember but i would think around 10 years now. I totally disagree with what has been said.

[Herschellmum]

Yep that's about right, well I would say cheaper washing machines about 3 years, 4 if your lucky. The more you pay the longer it will last, my Samsung cost about £650 and has a 5 year warrenty, I would expect it to last little beyond that.

Techinokgy is getting cheaper and cheaper, people want everything cheaper, therefore parts are cheaper and not built to be easily fixed becuase that costs more. We demand cheaper products and we have gotten them, but it's caused a throw away culture which isn't Really ecconmical at all.

[Littledrummergirl]

Oops, zombie thread

[Littledrummergirl]

I worked for Currys until 2008 and we definitely got commission on after sales back then. It was woven into the culture of the business so much then that I would be stunned if it didn't play a part now.

As an aside-I bought a very cheap machine but took out the knowhow 5yr plan. It's one of the few things I think it's worth it on. I am very pissed off that I was told 2 day call out by sales staff but when I needed to use it they said 2weeks.

I escalated it to a manager who called me back 8hrs later when I had left for work as customer service doesn't seem to be a priority.

To be fair, they did offer me a refund of the knowhow instead of a call out so that I could buy a new machine- said it would be processed in 3weeks!

Yay.

[EllenJanethickerknickers]

Zombie thread! OP's washing machine will be nearly 4 years old, I wonder if it lasted?

[Champagneformyrealfriends]

Just replaced ours on Friday-it had lasted 10 years but cost £600. Couldn't afford one as expensive this time so I don't expect it to last as long.

[PaulDacresConscience]

In Curry's a few months ago and overhead the sales chap telling a young couple that they were lucky to have had 5 years out of their fridge freezer and now was the time to replace it...

We only changed ours because we needed a bigger one. The old FF had been going for 10 years without a lick of trouble. Got 7 years out of the last washer dryer - and we only replaced it because the integrated handle broke and the cost of repairing the door was uneconomical. Currently have an Indesit and its OK at the moment but I suspect that it won't last more than another couple of years. I want a Miele for my next washer; something that is built to last.

[tapdancingmum]

I have a Hotpoint that I have had for about 10 years now. We took out the extended guarantee and I have used it about 5 times in all that time. The last time the repair man was out he said I would probably be better off buying a new machine as with what I had spent over the years on the guarantee could have paid for two more machines in that time. But the new machines take longer to wash than mine - he was telling me a normal wash was more than 2 hours and a quick wash was nearly an hour. Also a 30 degree wash should never be used on clothes that have touched the skin as it is not hot enough to kill any germs. Also, in all the time he has worked for them they have never replaced a machine they will just keep on repairing it. We took out the cover as it is the hardest working machine in the house and if anything went wrong we wouldn't necessarily be able to replace it straight away.