Warning - Do not buy from Miele

[SandraJD]

We have a new top of the range Miele heat pump tumble dryer (Miele T1 Excellence - oh the irony). Stopped working with a fault a month ago. Engineer came and said it was because I had used fabric softener in my washing machine (I hadn't). Said he needed to fit a new drum and sensors. Parts never came and machine still not working. Every time we call Miele GB customer services they hang up on us. We now want a full refund. Have told them this in emails, calls and more. No call back, no emails, and we are left with a broken machine. Apparently they know there is a major fault with this appliance but are still selling them. Terrible for a £1200 appliance (especially in the pinch of a cost-of-living crisis). Unreliable and terrible service. Waiting for Miele to respond. They used to be so good. Not anymore it seems...

speak for yourself

LOVE them

all appliances from there

you’ll be in the minority op!

I have a hoover from them which I love and which has been going strong for over 7 years so far.

Having said that, your experience of customer service is awful. Could you contact one of the major newspapers who step in for a client when they have a problem with a major company?

Perhaps you’ve not bought any faulty appliances.
You wouldn’t love them if you couldn’t use the appliances.

I couldn’t justify the price - for over £1k I’d want the dryer to fold my washing too. Hotpoint customer service has always been great and their machines seem effective to me. Lots of people here seem to think Miele ups their social class but my friends don’t spend time in my utility room so I can’t imagine they know I have a 10 year old Samsung washer and a hotpoint dryer.

I know people who work at Miele’s German headquarters. They are genuinely obsessed with quality, it runs through the whole company culture. I’d wager they’d be very unimpressed hearing about that shoddy customer service. Perhaps send an email to the German HQ? (They’ll understand English)

We have never had any issue with ours so I guess OP has been unfortunate.

Who did you actually buy the machine from though? have you been back to whichever retailer supplied it?

One developed a fault (after years of daily use) and they repaired it quick smart under an agreement i had with domestic and general. brilliant!

You said they are waiting on a part?

what is wrong with waiting for it?

and how would using softener in your washing machine cause your dryer to stop working

Are you not supposed to use fabric softener with heat pumps. I have been for 3 years with my Samsung and it’s never given me any problems.

I’ve never her had a Miele, couldn’t justify the cost!

OP, I have had Míele induction hob, washing machine and dryer for over ten years now without any problems and would recommend the brand to friends. It's worrying though, that you are having problems with their customer services but that could be country related???

I know it's an old thread but my god Miele are crap. I have had ongoing issues with my washing machine (which cost well over a grand) since January. Still not fixed, and the customer service men are nice but ultimately unable to fix it.

Word of caution! TwinDos is rubbish! Even the Miele man said as much to me.

What I want to know is what on earth do I buy to replace it?

Rollingdownland · 21/04/2024 14:12

Just reading your Post as also looking to buy a washing machine. My children have left home so just need to wash my own clothes - silk blouses, wools and bedding, towels. I was going to buy the lowest priced Miele from John Lewis as thought the HoneyComb drum would be good. Read all the reviews on here and Miele still has by far the most love for reasons that sound common sense.
Not looking for a family workhorse or bells and whistles just a washing machine that can be gentle on delicate clothes including vintage items etc.

Would really appreciate hearing if you came up with any ideas or a machine you are happy with since?

Appalling Miele service and products from losing my appliance to issuing payment demands for a product that was two weeks old. The general consensus is that the appliances are not fit for purpose. There is no customer service to speak of. The whole show is a complete shambles. It is exhausting dealing with them. No one department seems to know what the other one is saying conflicting reports and when I threatened to report to ombudsman and other authorities I finally got some attention. 77% of review on trustpilot agree that Miele is officially the worst consumer product and service giver. Do not waste your time.

Trading standards?

Goods must be fit for the purpose fir which they are intended. You have consumer rights.

This is also a valid point. I am awaiting the outcome of the notice I served them, and will go from there. I have been refunded for the lost item and replaced that with a newer version, which works, it is just a lump to move around with. But it is what it is. As for the Triflex stick, I have a new battery hopefully that will sort it so use one and charge it whilst I use the other. The item is awful, apparently it is an eco mode that kicks in, and therefore they will argue net zero nonsense. Fortunately I am a paralegal, soon to be LLB HONS and then I shall take this to task.

I have had 3 Miele washing machines in various houses over the years. Never had any bother other than once and they came and fixed under warranty and no problems since.
I guess sometimes you're just unlucky and something goes wrong and customer service person is terrible. I've had good and bad for other appliances over the years.

I loathe my Twindos machine but it was the only one that could be delivered quickly in Lockdown. What a waste of money and so over engineered. I had my last machine for 25 years and it was fabulous and didn't keep telling me it needed a service wash and to use the bloody Twindos!!

We have Miele vacuum, fridge,freezer, drier and dishwasher as well as the washing machine and wasn't expecting to be underwhelmed withe the machine.

I'd be very pissed off with poor customer service.

Is that all heat pumps- cant use fabric softener? I didn’t know that, Good to know.
saying that, when I had my dryer serviced, there was a layer of purple on the floor of the machine, the guy said, it was melted fabric conditioner!

Will maybe use white vinegar, when I get round to buying a heat pump dryer

Completely agree with the title of this thread - see below my experience that I added on another thread.
I bought a whole kitchen of top end Miele appliances. I'd always heard about it's good service and build quality. However, I've learnt that's not the case.

They don't respond to emails and, when they do, they only do so after you print the emails and send them to them by registered post!!

The latest problem is with an oven. After 3 years of normal use the door lock failed and jammed the door. Technician said he thought it was caused by heat exposure (it's an oven) and replaced it with an upgraded part as they don't fit the old one anymore. Charged over £500 for this (over 25 % of the cost of the oven). When customer service finally bothered to respond, they explained, in summary, Miele can't guarantee it's products don't come with faults, it's usual for parts like this to fail so soon and, if it doesn't break in the first few months, the parts in the product must have been fine. The general attitude is just accept we're right and everything we sell is perfect.

Prior to this, the induction hob failed just after a year of use. Whilst Miele replaced it, this was through gritted teeth as it was over a year old.

I want to flag this to everyone so you don't fall for the sales pitch. The products may be nice, but the build quality has gone downhill (but the price keeps going up) and the customer service is horrendous. I won't buy anything from them again and will actively warn people about this. If you do buy from Miele, just get ready to key paying for expensive repairs until you get fed up and replace it. Also, if you get customer service to respond (but don't get your hopes up as they prefer to ignore emails) just be prepared for blunt responses that are designed to get rid of you.

Just to add, I get that an oven won't last forever but at this price point and with it's marketing blurb it has to last for more than 3 years of use without breaking.

I had a very expensive repair on a Miele fridge freezer and a few months later it died completely. Had to be scrapped at 3 years old. We all know Miele's reputation, but there is a risk in buying from them. A 2 year warranty on top of the range appliances is telling you something!

I had the same experience £1400 for a dishwasher that completely failed weeks after the 2 year warranty ended. No one could fix it, parts not available, had to buy a new one. My new Bosch is doing a much better job of cleaning the dishes and comes with a standard 5 year warranty, was half the price too. Will never buy Miele again, theyre great when youre lucky enough to get a good model, but its complete pot luck which is not good enough at their prices.

Did you buy it using a credit card? If so, approach them about the problems you are facing regarding getting a full refund.

I have just seen this post and can’t agree with you more. We have had several Miele products and always been happy but the Miele dryer air pump condenser has to be the worst product ever. It doesn’t dry fully, constantly stops with a fault and then will randomly start working . Have tried customer services who talked me through everything I had already done and then told me I need an engineer. Just outside the 2 year warranty! I will never buy Miele again and would strongly recommend other people not to.

I’ve got a Miele heat pump dryer - can someone explain the no fabric conditioner thing?

Why would you put conditioner in your dryer?

mine has a little scent thing from Miele in the door

I bought a Miele dishwasher 3 years ago and have had nothing but problems with it. It constantly breaks down and I wish I’d just gone for a cheaper brand!
I won’t be buying Miele products again.