Need new washing machine today. Advice please.

[belindarose]

My much used four year old washing machine died yesterday. It has stopped draining and spinning. I've cleaned the filter, checked all the hoses etc and can only assume it's something requiring an expensive call out, if it can be fixed at all.

Anyway, I have a small baby and a toddler and cannot manage without it! Any tips on what to look out for/ avoid? Budget £300 max. Needs to be home delivered and installed, with the old one taken away. Thanks.

Tesco are pretty good for washing machines. I got mine from there a few weeks ago. It's a Beko (which I was unsure about getting), but it's fine and only cost £240. I don't know about plumbing in-hubby does that!! I do know that a lot of the machines from Argos are delivered, plumbed in and your old one taken away. It would be worth getting on to their website and having a look, there are several on sale there too.

Being without a washing machine is horrible, I had to handwash everything-my back was killing me and I had blisters from all the wringing out!! (Agoraphobic, so I couldn't get to a Launderette!!)

I'd aim for more expensive washing machines that are on special offer or clearance somewhere. Plumber who sorted out a problem for us informed us the reason our Beko took so long, as with many cheaper washing machines is they have less powerful/efficient something or other (can't remember what specifically), so they take longer to heat the water (he said roughly a minute per degree Celsius, so a 40C wash would take 40 mins just to heat up, before it really hot on with washing etc). As a rough guide, a basic 40C synthetics wash (no extra rinse or anything) would take us around 2hrs. A 60C cottons wash? Almost 3hrs! You end up paying in the long run! Try to have a good look at Which? too as they have some good guides to washing machines.

This is a great time to buy a washing machine as all suppliers are phasing out old stock for the new ones in September, so I'd go in and ask the shops what they have on offer.

The local indeoendent electrical shop has some good deals and is just round the corner, so have sent DH out now. Thanks.

We got a new tumble dryer from comet yesterday as they have a decent sale on so they maybe worth checking out

You might want to tell your dh to check out the 8kg Bosch Exxcel VarioPerfect (WAQ28461GB). This is more expensive, but Bosch are doing a £100 cashback on selected appliances. Also you might be able to haggle down the price a little...

We claimed for our own washing machine (they had an earlier action), and all you need to do is save your sales and delivery receipts and send these in. They then send you a cashback card for £100 which you can use anywhere you like.

And our washing machine is excellent! Even manages to wash clean ds1 and ds2's muddy white football socks!

Have you checked the belt?

Ours stopped spinning because the belt had come off. Very easy to fix, take the back of the machine off and have a look.

We have an indesit, its generally reliable. They are also cheap to buy.

Our belt came off due to overloading