Not happy with new washer-dryer. What are my rights?

[CharlieMouseWillDoIt]

I bought a Hotpoint washer-dryer in early January and it was installed on 9th January (so it is less than a month old).

I have since discovered several problems:

• In washing loads about 3/4 full (i.e. not overloading the machine) on 40 or 60 degree washes clothes are coming out grubby, especially around the collars, but there is also powder residue. The trouble-shooting guide says that if stains aren't being removed properly, try more detergent; it also says if there is a powder residue, try putting less in

• On more gentle programmes (i.e. synthetics/wool) water remains in the drum at the end of the cycle (enough to saturate whatever is in the bottom of the drum and to soak myself and the kitchen floor when clothes are taken out of the machine)

• The drying programme letting water into the machine - after a 90 minute drying cycle I did yesterday I opened the door to find about 3-4cm of water in the drum. I had to set it to spin again, then re-start the drying cycle.

The second and third problems clearly shouldn't be happening, but I'm concerned about Hotpoint fobbing me off about clothes coming out dirty/powder residue. If they can fix/replace the machine and everything works as it should, then that'll be fine, but if I'm still not happy with the way the machine works, am I entitled to my money back?

Your rights are against the retailer, not Hotpoint. Any guarantee they give is in addition to your rights.

As the washer-dryer is faulty you may have the right to reject it and have your money back from the retailer. However, you must do so within a "reasonable time". The law does not define what is meant by a reasonable time but you probably only have 3 or 4 weeks from purchase, so you may be running out of time if it hasn't run out already. If you want your money back you must stop using the machine immediately and tell the retailer that you want to reject it and have a refund.

Even if you are not entitled to a refund you are still entitled to a repair or replacement. The retailer can usually decide which. If they don't repair the machine in a reasonable time and without causing significant inconvenience you can claim either a reduction in the purchase price or a refund less an amount for the usage you've had.

Even though your rights are against the retailer you should check the terms of your guarantee carefully. Some guarantees offer a refund from the manufacturer in some situations. Even if the guarantee doesn't mention refunds it may be worth asking Hotpoint if they will give you a refund. They may be more willing to provide a refund than the retailer. If they refuse it does not affect your rights against the retailer.

Thank you - that is very useful.