Dishwasher nightmare- John Lewis

[Vslightlystressy]

Hello - I was wondering whether the hive minds from Mumsnet can help.

I bought a Miele dishwasher through John Lewis - it ended up being the display one as it was the last they had.

It was delivered in “demo” mode - meaning it could look pretty but not much else. The engineer tried for twenty minutes to resolve it but couldn’t get it to work and promised an engineer who had spoken to to Miele would come out and could fix it.

The new engineer came out. He hadn’t read the notes and definitely hadn’t spoken to Miele. Him and his mate pressed random buttons whilst googling what to do. This resulted in the mechanical door opening mechanism kicking in and the door being stuck about two inches open.

So I have a dishwasher in demo mode with the door stuck partially open and blocking the cupboard with all my pans and baking trays in (so can’t cook).

Tried to contact John Lewis. They are saying:

• Miele need to confirm it is broken
• I should call Miele
• if I don’t want to call Miele they need the product number (which you can’t see due to how the door is stuck)
• I should go to the John Lewis shop and get the details from them as they sold it
• they don’t want the hassle of calling Miele so I should

I don’t think this is right - what should I be doing? I just want a working dishwasher and to be able to cook!

Your rights are against John Lewis, not Miele. You are entitled to reject the dishwasher and receive a full refund if you have had it less than 30 days. If you've had it more than 30 days but less than 6 months you must give John Lewis an opportunity to repair or replace it. If the repair or replacement fails, you are entitled to a refund.

However, if the problem is simply that it is stuck in demo mode, it is worth checking the manual and the internet. A quick look on the internet suggests pressing and holding the start/stop button until the start/stop LED lights up steadily, releasing the button then pressing it again until the start/stop LED goes out. That appears to be the process for a number of Miele models.

Thank you so much for your response- I thought my case was with them, not Miele - the online/phone team are now saying they can’t see proof of purchase (even thought they delivered it...) so need to go to the store...

I had tried that hack to get the demo mode off but it didn’t work unfortunately:(

JL customer service not at all what it was. I suggest you email their CEO, you should be able to find the email address online. When we last had a problem it was Sharon White. Then a customer service team will pick it up and contact you (eventually….)

If it helps I had a very similar experience with Costco and a washing machine (they usually have amazing customer service but let us down this time. Same as you, after two failed repair attempts they said my issue was with the repair company, not them). In the end I went straight to their complaints line rather than customer service and what hadn't been resolved in six months of back and forth with customer services was fixed within two emails and we got a full refund. Good luck OP!

Go back to the shop you bought it in

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I would turn up in JL with your order confirmation in hand and a list of shite you've had to endure from them. Speak to somebody in person and ask what they're going to do about it, you want it resolving now and you're product that you paid for simply doesn't work.

Ask to speak to the store manager if necessary. If feasible, I would also hire a trolley to cart it in with and stand there with it .

@Vslightlystressy you legally need to deal with JL but Miele customer service is very very good - they might be willing to send someone out regardless. The other option is i have found JL customer service better in store than on the phone. Massive PITA but might be worth it if it gets fixed sooner (then write a complaint letter and ask for a discount / vouchers due to the hassle?).

Another option if you are happy with ex display is that Miele sell their ex display stuff directly at a massive discount - that's how we got our washing machine, and they were a delight to deal with. I think you can just call up their outlet and ask. Send the washing machine back to JL for a refund and get one from Miele if they have one?

Link here: www.miele.co.uk/c/miele-outlet-abingdon-1409.htm

Agree with sunshine1066 I know legally it is John Lewis to fix but you may get a much quicker response by contacting miele yourself.

When our 1 year old dishwasher broke they fixed it within 96 hours and that was over a weekend with a special part they didn't carry having gone.

Repair dude was so knowledgeable and really got customer service.

Then I would pursue JL for compensation after. Their customer service is shit. I used to work for their supermarket side and dealt with SO many issues for customers over this.

JL are absolutely horrific to deal with. I would insist they came and took it away tbh OP, and buy direct from Miele. JL don't give a shit and one of the workmen became very aggressive with me when he had trouble fitting the dishwasher.