We have a brand new tumbledryer that does not dry. It’s a Siemens WT46W381 and we bought it because the man in the shop said it was fantastic and really efficient (it has A++ rating). We hang up most of our laundry but I wanted a tumbledryer for when someone’s ill and you have heaps of laundry or when you get back from holiday, and for when you’ve had washing hanging in the garden all day and just want to blast it for a few minutes so you can put it away. So when we were doing up our house I thought we’d splash out and bought this fancy one which the man in the shop recommended.
It does not dry things.
At first I thought I was doing something wrong so I read the manual and tried different programmes, put in different stuff, just a few pairs of socks or one duvet cover. Even on the “Cupboard Dry Extra” cycle it dries until things are a bit damp and then it turns itself off, occasionally giving things a little spin so they don’t crease but not drying any more. You can’t override it by selecting a different programme or trick it by turning things inside out, it just won’t dry any more.
I rang the shop and they said that wasn’t right and I had to call an engineer so he came yesterday, tested the machine, and said nothing was wrong but that they’ve had LOADS of complaints about this model (including some people who’ve insisted it’s sent back to the factory but each time it’s tested it’s fine) because, “It’s not designed to dry things completely. It’s designed to leave things a little bit damp.”
????!!??
So I rang the shop back and they refused to believe me, then they said the engineer must be wrong, then they took all the details including the visit reference and said they’d investigate and ring me back but they haven’t. I tried again this morning and asked to speak to the manager but he wasn’t working today.
I also rang Siemens customer services who said I had to email Customer Liaison because it’s not a fault with the machine—it does what it’s supposed to do, it’s just designed to be useless.
I feel like a complete mug because when you read about this machine online it has this review on the JL website:
“If you want a dryer which dries your clothes, etc, then this is NOT the product for you. It takes 3 hours to 'cupboard dry' a load and when it is finished the laundry is still damp. You then have to put the laundry in an airing cupboard or hang it on radiators to finish the drying. Siemens says this is being 'energy efficient' - actually the only reason it does not use mega amounts of electricity is because it only does half the job. DO NOT BUY THIS PRODUCT OR YOU WILL BE DISAPPOINTED TOO.”
I can’t really put it better than that. If I have to hang up the stuff anyway then using the machine actually means I spend more time doing laundry, and it’s taking up the space where we could have a tumbledryer that actually works. Not to mention it was really expensive even though it was on special offer!
I’ve looked up trading standards and they say
“Goods should be … fit for any purpose that is made known to the trader - goods must be fit for their general purpose and any particular purpose that a consumer makes known to the trader at the time of buying the item For example if you buy a sleeping bag it must work as a sleeping bag. You are legally entitled to a refund, replacement or repair if goods do not conform to the contract.”
I did not say when I bought the dryer that I wanted it to actually dry things because I thought that was obvious.
What do you think I should do? The shop I bought it from is a local independent and I quite like them so I don’t want to cause trouble, but I do want a tumbledryer that works!
Dear mumsnet what shall I do?