To be 38 and unable to do my own washing

[Laundryhelp45678]

I don’t know if I’m being stupid but I’ve had a Bosch washing machine for a few years now and I literally can’t turn my washing machine on and I certainly can’t wash things well in it, so I’m washing clothes (really badly) in the sink! Laundry is a basic life skill and at my age this is really embarrassing!

I mean it turns on for me eventually but I’m literally there pressing the weird button thing for ages until eventually it works (I average about 7 attempts). I could be stood by the machine feeling like an idiot for ages!

Once I can get the machine to turn on, all my stuff comes out soapy and my towels come out hard as a rock. I mean I don’t need to buy sandpaper because the towels will do that job perfectly well!

My towels come out with holes and rips as well and this happened from the very moment we bought this new machine!

I’ve tried changing detergent and softener and using less but it hasn’t helped.

I can’t do laundry like a normal person, I dread using the machine and not being able to turn it on and worry about it ruining my clothes so I’ve literally been washing my clothes in the sink for the last couple of years (I still wash towels in it thought because I just can’t be bothered to wash them in the sink).

It never used to be like this, I had a Zanussi washing machine and it worked fine, you could load clothes in, press start and they would come out without holes, clean and not full of soap, which was great because we all have far bigger things to worry about than washing right?

I reported these problems to Bosch including showing pictures of the rips in towels in the first year of having the machine, an engineer came out to look, they couldn’t find anything wrong with it. For the last 2 years Bosch have just fobbed us off saying it’s user error (which may very well be the case LOL) and delayed doing anything about the issue despite numerous chases from ourselves. They eventually sent another engineer who said the drum was faulty and causing the holes in towels (didn’t explain why I was having the other issues with it though). But they had fobbed us off and delayed things for so long that the diagnosis from this second engineer was made after the machine went out of warranty (clever tactic from them I guess) so they are no longer obliged to do anything to help us. But even if I get the drum fixed, it’s not going to help if I can’t get the soap out of my clothes and turn the machine on first time.

Is the Bosch brand just more entry level and cheaper quality or something? Is that why the customer service is so bad? Or am I just useless at laundry? Do I just cut my losses and buy a more upmarket brand like AEG or Zanussi?

Oh I don’t know I just put that as my name, it seemed to work.

You should add a follow up if you can about what they offered you subsequently.

I say this as someone who loves Bosch products and thinks you have been incredibly unlucky with your machine, having had two of them. Agree there response seems poor.

There wasn’t actually anything wrong with my previous Bosch, it was inherited and about 20 years old. Only replaced due to wanting to upgrade for a bigger drum, functions eg handwash programme, quieter and more economical.

Their legal obligation is to repair or replace your machine at their own cost. They don't get to offer less than what the law requires them to do. Send them a letter before action telling them that if they don't sort it out by the end of the month you will be taking them to the small claims court.

Thank you. What I can’t understand is that they haven’t flatly refused to do anything, they initially offered half off the new drum and then eventually said the part is free but I’d have to pay for install. So essentially they are admitting they must do something to help, but they are unwilling to do it all for free and I’m not sure why they are quibbling over the install cost.

To me it’s not worth paying for because the machine is fundamentally a bad design (as I have found by reading other reviews as well) and will continue to be a bad design after installation of a new drum, but it would show willing on their part and would give me confidence to use the machine more if I know things won’t come out with holes in.

The lesson here is read reviews, do the research and don’t just buy based on the look of the appliance in a kitchen!!!!!

The lesson here is know your rights and be forceful from the start. These companies usually back down when they realise they're dealing with someone who understands their rights and has signalled an intention to take legal action.

So you send them a letter before action telling them that their legal obligation is to repair or replace the machine at their own cost, that if they fail to do so you will take them to the small claims court, but as a compromise you will accept a refund and they will not hear from you again.

Get ChatGPT to write your letters if you like.

Thanks I will try and do this, I’m not holding my breath though.

Yes I should have been more forceful from the start and really been very persistent at the start of all of this.

We have a capitalism and information issue here really; great products last years with no rewards. Did I tell John Lewis or their customers that their bog standard machine lasted well for 12 years and 3 house moves, only being replaced for a bigger drum - no. Did I tell Samsung that their series 5 made me cry with happiness at finally having genuinely clean clothes softened with conditioner - no. I did tell Bosch their machine didn't work a ton of times, and left them bad reviews. Good reviews are usually within the first week; we should be asked a few basic questions a year down the line to compare the bigger purchases if we are to get real buyer info; does it still work, did it need repair, etc.

I think i have the same bosch washing machine as you, i found the digital display really fiddly at 1st , I think if you use your thumb and hold the start button down for a couple seconds to start it, if it doesnt work maybe the door isnt shut properly, with the ripping possibly over filling and the material is getting stuck in the rubber of the door , always put the liquid tab at the back of the drum, hope this helps a bit ?

That’s very true. We often don’t hear about things going well and like you say how long things actually last.

OP, you don’t need to be forceful. Hand it over to your credit card company .. they are jointly liable and will have it sorted in no time.

Can I ask if you press the button from standing up or crouching down. I press the button from standing, I wonder if that’s why I don’t get the right pressure, or coverage or whatever.

It’s so silly we’re even discussing how to turn a button on when buttons have worked perfectly well for years without this over engineered nonsense that creates no value for the consumer. Imagine if they start putting these buttons on TV remotes or computer keyboards?

I’m not one who particularly likes AI but since this experience the ‘like a Bosch’ advert that I keep seeing really annoys me, so I got chatGPT to write me a new version;

🎵 "Like a Bosch (Laundry Fail Edition)" 🎵
(To the tune and style of the "Like a Bosch" advert)
[Verse]
Button won’t turn on —
Like a Bosch.
Towels come out crispy —
Like a Bosch.
Soap left after a wash —
Like a Bosch.
Lots of rips in my towels —
Like a Bosch.
[Breakdown – spoken with attitude]
Premium machine...
Premium pain.
Designer drama —
Laundry shame.
[Final hit – chorus style]
Tryna flex with my tech, but it's all a mirage,
Now my towels look like they survived a garage —
Like a Bosch. 😎

This has made the adverts slightly more bearable!!!!

I would like to say thank you for everyone’s replies on here and I am waiting for citizens advice to come back to me so I know what to do next.

I wish I’d read reviews before purchasing. It looks like I’m not the only one who doesn’t like their Bosch washing machine;

https://uk.trustpilot.com/reviews/68767925e829e2697d21ad72

Thanks again everyone!

I too have a Bosch washing machine and I have noticed that my clothes are getting more holes. However, I do not have problem doing my washing. Simple enough to select a programme and switch on.

Is it holes in your clothes and towels? They said they think the drum is slightly opening during a cycle which is leaving a sharp edge that causes pulls in my towels resulting in holes.

It probably pulls the towels because they are heavier. Why are you waiting for citizens advice when you could have spent the same amount of time complaining to your retailer and let them take it up with Bosch or give you a refund?

Two and a half hours???????, mine does a wash in 45 minutes and I can change the temperature to suit. How much electricity is that taking?

They gave 50% off a new drum and that was £400

so a drum is £800 🙀🙀

just buy a basic easy washing machine

I have similar to this £250

https://ao.com/product/mtwc81495wuk-indesit-washing-machine-white-101358-1.aspx

I know right? Absolutely crackers!

They expected me to pay £400 towards a machine I didn’t like when it didn’t cost that much in the first place! I mean why would anyone do that?

Much less, in theory - most of my Bosch programmes take over 3 hours, but I can press a button to speed it up substantially if I wanted, but the installation men said it would use much more power if I did (it's only been in about 3 weeks.) I think a lot of the time is in heating up the water more slowly, because it costs less.

Yup, it's counterintuitive but a slow wash uses much less electricity than a fast one. Try explaining this to my mother in law, though. I always use the eco programme if I can, which is super slow but cheapest (and more eco_