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 ?

[TroublesomeEx]

I replaced my Indesit with a Beko at New Year.

The Indesit was 14 years old.

[dollywobbles]

Legally, you can expect something to last 6 years (taking into account relevant circumstances, eg price etc). That's your right under the Sale of Goods Act.

[Patchouli]

Nothing's made to last these day - I don't think it's in the manufacturers interests.
There are many appliances (sewing machines etc) where I'd rather buy a second hand, old, made to last, one than a brand new one towards the cheaper end of the range.

I think how long the guarantee is gives you an idea of the lifespan of things.

[ENormaSnob]

What do the extended warranties cover that the sale of goods act doesn't?

[dollywobbles]

Depends on the warranty, they're all different.
SGA covers inherent faults and manufacturing defects.

[Cherriesarelovely]

Sorry to read your OP! As I write I have a washing machine engineer working on our machine that is 7 years old.....there are only 3 of us in our family and I don't think we over use it. I really hope it isn't dead!

[DIYapprentice]

My 18 month old Bosch one just broke down and I have a repair man coming out tomorrow.... But then again with two DSs and one being potty trained I am a HEAVY user of it.

[Stargazey44]

In the past six months I have had our apparently latest technology Zanussi tumble dryer break down (and currently is still waiting on a new part 8 weeks after engineer visit no 2), the Bosch dishwasher needing its heating element replaced after less than 2 years (luckily under warranty), the AEG freezer malfunction, the less than 12 month old Tefal iron stop working and now the * Bosch washing machine is not heating the water. We bought it three years ago. None of the appliances above were cheap. We are a busy household of 5 and I am so fed up with the hassle, inconvenience and expense of trying to sort out all these relatively new and expensive machines. I can't believe it is all down to bad luck that they keep breaking down. Are there any reliable brands out there?

[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.

[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.

[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.

[EllenJanethickerknickers]

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

[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.

[Littledrummergirl]

Oops, zombie thread

[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.

[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.

[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...

[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

[Catlady1976]

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

[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....

[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.

[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!

[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.

[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

[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.