To think a fecking washing machine should last longer than a year?

[WendyWasherWoman]

Washing machine has broken down due to the concrete counterweight snapping and breaking into pieces. It’s unfixable as it’s damaged the drum. It’s never been overloaded but has always been noisy when it spins.

It is 14 months old so out of one year warranty but surely it should last longer than that! Argos are saying ‘tough’ basically!

I’m so pissed at having to shell out for a new one when we’re already financially shafted due to CV. Really don’t want to use a laundrette at the moment so am currently stomping on washing in the bath which I can’t continue for long.

Is there anything I can do?

Yes, it is a lot but I’ve been doing a lot of washing for many years and have never had a machine go so quickly. Average is about 4/5 years.

YANBU

@WendyWasherWoman I have just read that you are a household of 6. Manufactures normally base life expectancy of a machine on it being used 4 times a week. So if you look at this machine lasting you 5 years being used 4 times a week you will have used up it’s expected life in about a year and a bit.

I think the Sale of Goods Act is one to research. It states time thing should be fit for purpose. For white goods I think it's 6 years. I once quoted this with Curry's when a TV was fucked after about 16months and they gave in and I got a refund.

@WendyWasherWoman machines now days are made to a price. There is very little on the market that is going to withstand your usage. I know it’s wrong but when I first came into this business the average cost of a good machine was £400. 22 years have passed and the average cost of a machine now is less than that. Something has to give.

The sale of goods act is there to protect consumers but the manufacturers don’t care. They hope the amount of time it takes for them to offer you anything means you will have gone out and got a new appliance before it gets that far. I’m guessing that washing for a household of six means the OP needs a machine ASAP.

OP I had a faulty product from Argos that was out if it's warranty period.

It wasn't fit for use, so I tweeted them.

They didn't like that. They fixed it really fast...

Twitter is your friend....

I bought a washing machine for a facility where it would be used between 1&2 times a day (actually it was two machines, between 4 and 10 people living there full time). And I had to buy machines that cost over £3,000 each before a manufacturer would recommend them for twice daily use long term. Just as a baseline for how domestic versus industrial end of domestic compare

Sorry haven’t read all this but have you checked if there’s a recall on you machine?

I’ll see if I can find the link

productsafety.bsh-group.com/gb/en/

You have a couple of options:

Under EU law quoted above you’re entitled to a manufacture guarantee of 2 years - you can go direct to the manufacture for this, although a good seller should deal themselves.

You’re further protected under consumer protection act 2015 (replacing old SOGA 79 and SSGA 82) entitled for goods to last “a reasonable length of time”. As you can sue for breach of contract up to 5 years in Scotland and up to 6 years in England (and wales too possibly?) this is a good benchmark. There’s argument that it should last longer than this but you’re pretty much out of enforcement options if the other side don’t play.

For electrical goods if they fail prior to 6 months ownership, it’s accepted the goods are faulty. Post 6 months the onus is on you to prove they are by way of expert report (these are easy enough to get by way of local trader etc). Remember this is only after the 2 year warranty which you’re still in.

Quote all of the above to Argos, be firm but polite they’re not always well trained. Escalate to complaint if need be. Otherwise contact the manufacture direct.

If you paid via credit card you can do a s75 claim against your credit card company who are joint and severally liable. They’ll refund the amount and take it up with the seller.

I had the same with a Siemens appliance. Posted on Trustpilot telling everyone to avoid......lo and behold, they offered to fix at no expense to us.
Worth a go.

** consumer rights act 2015 apologies

Is it a hotpoint? This happened to our last washing machine. Exact same timescale.

Saved up for the least expensive Miele and the difference is amazing re quality and customer service.

I had the exact same issue with a different brand. Always noisy and then the arse fell out of it one night! I opted not to bring their engineer out to look at it, they were charging a bomb and I was liable if it turned out not to be a manufacturing error.
While swapping in the new one the person installing it said the last one had been bolted incorrectly and they were surprised it lasted 18 months. We still can’t remember who actually installed it, it was bought when we moved house and there was a lot going on.

A) bush are not a particularly good brand, particularly for white goods.
B) 2 or more loads every single day is a huge amount. Do you really need to wash so much . Please think of the environment.

I have a big LG. I am a reasonably heavy user (family of four, 1 in washable nappies, sicky/messy baby), toddler wets bed sometimes. I've had my machine almost 5 years, no trouble.

OP - I have been through this with Comet (before they went out of business).

You can of course expect a domestic washing machine to last more than a year.

As Chandler 12 writes above, you can ask Argos to replace or repair the machine. If they refuse, you can take them to the Small Claims Court, or if you paid by Credit Card, you can make a Section 75 claim against the Credit Card company.

Your sales contract is with Argos and it is Argos who you should be corresponding with (unless you go to the Sect. 75 route). Retailers will try to fob you off and tell you to go to the manufacturer - you politely reply that they (in this case Argos) are the ones responsible for making the repair or replacing the machine. They might attempt to get you to pay for an engineer to come out (you've already had one - did he leave a report?) or attempt to get you to ask the manufacturer to send an engineer, again at a cost. Just remind them that it is their responsibility, not yours, to provide an engineer. If you do eventually decide to get one, in order to move things along, find a local one who might charge you £50 rather than using 'their man' who might charge you £150 (it's a tactic to get you to drop the claim).

Which (see posts above) have template letters that you can use, and also tell you the steps that you must take in order to make a claim. You must do Step One, allow Argos time to reply, then Step Two and so on, and then which forms you need to complete if you need to go to court. Always keep copies and always send letters by registered post, so you have proof of delivery.

I ended up at the Small Claims Court, which is just you (you can take a friend or partner), the judge and the representative from the retailer sitting round a table. The judge will have read the papers beforehand and will ask any questions that he/she feels necessary, before making a judgement. My case took about 5 minutes - the judge asked Comet why they were even bothering to defend the case when it was clear cut. They had to pay the refund, plus compensation for my court costs, including postage and fees, and the engineer's fee and if I had pressed the matter, I could have asked for compensation for half a day's wages (time spent completing all of the paperwork, plus the time off work for the hearing).

Bit weird they don't sell it anymore! Contact bush

I always buy one with at least 5 year warranty and pay around £500. Twice a day, 6 days a week is excessive.
www.repairaid.co.uk/washing-machine-lifespan/ according to this article most cheap machines can only last around 18 months with normal usage

4 washes a week is hilarious.

OP to replace consider ikea. They have longer warranties on some models. Ours was cheap and brill.

I know it’s wrong but when I first came into this business the average cost of a good machine was £400. 22 years have passed and the average cost of a machine now is less than that

Indeed. We generally go for mid range appliances, not the cheapest and not the most expensive.

We've had three washing machines in 25 years. The first one cost £400 in 1995 and we left it when we moved house 12 years later because I wanted a hand wash programme and a bigger drum and DP didn't want to move an elderly washing machine for it to break shortly after the move.

The second one cost about £250 so massively cheaper than the first one and it lasted 14 years before we replaced it a few months ago because we thought it was about to die as it was fucking loud and moved across the kitchen on a spin cycle.

We got a deal on an AEG so less than £400, so about the same price as the first one a quarter of a century earlier. Incidentally we still have our first Hotpoint fridge freezer that is about 22 years old and I keep looking in case it breaks and needs replacing in a hurry and we're looking at a similar price in money as the original purchase, around £500. That was more than my months salary when we bought it.

But yes OP, YANBU to expect your appliance to last more than 14 months but sadly it is far more difficult than it should be to enforce your statutory legal rights.

Did you pay for any part of it on a credit card?
If so, the credit card company are jointly liable for the warranty along with the supplier. Might be worth exploring that avenue.

WaveySnail, According to that link, OP is doing the equivalent of a years wash loads in approximately 11 weeks if the average person is expected to wash 135 loads a year.
In 14 months, OP has probably washed 730 loads, which is almost 5 and a half years worth.

OP, if I had to wash 12+ loads per week, I'd seriously look into getting a miele washing machine.

Doesn’t EU law state your must have a 2 year guarantee?

Err... we're not in the EU.

Is it really not fixable? ESpares are great for parts and advice. DH has kept our LG going. It's a washer/dryer and the dryer heater fell apart quite early on because the screws used to put it together were quite short and it shook itself apart making a big mess inside. We've had drum bearings go and the door lock. It was expensive when we got it so pretty determined to keep it going :)