I really really really REALLY hate HOTPOINT!!!

[pavlovthecat]

I am soooooo .

My piece of crap washer-dryer has broken, the drying element of it. It had an error, F11/F5 whatever the one is to say the heater/filter element has broken.

This happened last year, a week out of warranty, it just so happened that my HOTPOINT fridge freezer was also being fixed, in warranty for the third time, so the guy fixed the dryer whilst he was here.

He said 'this part is now under warranty. If it breaks again, you wont have to pay. It will most likely go again, as it has burnt out due to the fluff from clothing overheating it. There is no outlet to clean so there is now way of getting the fluff out' words to that effect (clearly my memory is not so great that I recall the exact words .

10 months later (well to be fair it was about a month ago, I just could not face calling them again, so technically it was 9 months later).

I am put on hold, because there are obviously many other people who desperately need to dry clothes in this shittywet weather. On hold for 30 mins, on an 0870 no.

Finally get to speak to a muppett young person who clearly does not want to be working today.

muppet : 'you will have to pay £89.50, and if the engineer report states that it is the same fault, we will refund you the money in 14 days'

customer pavlov: 'why cant you send some-one out to fix it, and if it is a different fault, you can charge me £89.50?'.

muppett: 'No Mrs Pavlov, this company has been done for thousands over the years by people not paying, so we have to charge first.'

customer pavlov: 'its not because your products continually break that has cost your company thousands of pounds then? I really dont think I should pay for a fault that has continued on a poorly made product that your engineers knew would fail'

-muppett--: 'you are entitled to your^ opinion Mrs pavlov. Thats up to you what you think' (in a hand bag kind of manner). We still charge first and you can either pay or not'

customer me: 'Well, really, in the last two years I have had three HOTPOINT products break down on numerous occasions, and every time I have encountered people with your attitude who clearly do not care that your products are shoddy, and have no customer service skills whatsoever. If this is the level of skill employed by HOTPOINT, no wonder they cannot make products which work!'

And I put the phone down in a huff.

I am sooooooooo angry!

They are so rude, they have always been rude, they wont ever do what they should.

Last time my fridge broke for the millionth time, engineer said he would condemn it, they said they would repair it again, as it was working when engineer left. It took me calling Coop where I bought it to get them to sort it for me!!! And the new one broke too!

Oh dear, I have just bought a hotpoint washing machine.

Hope you get it sorted soon.
Can you still use the washing machine part?
Even if you can, I bet you are so used to using the dryer that its hard to cope without it. But think of all the money you will save on the electricity bill.

i had 3 hotpoint wasing machines or washer dryers(you would think i learned!) in 8 years now moved on to bosch and 4 years in on the same one, no prob

Kid - I can use the washing machine part, but it washes in cold water? So I wonder if it is the same heating element?

I dont actually use it very often, but we live in a tiny apartment with outside space, so on days like this, its needed, especially when I have done so much washing because I wanted it out on our line yesterday but did not get it all out .

Even if it saves me money. I paid a lot of money for this heap of junk, and could have bought a much better for a little more only.

I cannot, simply cannot beleive that a company can have such appalling customer service attitudes. It just astounds me that people can get paid for being so effing rude!

they are part of indesit aren't they? Our w/d from them has been "fixed" 6 times in 5 years!
They are absolute wank.

Kid - I agree, get extended warranty. BUT you dont have to do it now. You can pay for it after the year is up.

And, if you have any problems at all. Dont go via hotpoint. The onus to sort it i actually on the seller, not the company, and you will have so much more chance of getting it sorted quickly if the seller sorts it. The less you have to deal with HOTPOINT themselves the better, it will just make you angry.

Meile or Bosch next for us.

Ambi - yes, Indesit, and some other shite co's.

God, how utterly crap. Isn't it true that most of the major names are made by the same company? I had a Zanussi wm once, my mum warned me against it 'They're Italian. You know what the Italians are like' (my dad was Italian).

Never again.

We have a Hotpoint tumbler, which has needed 3 thermostats in 4 years.

I would never buy Hotpoint again - when we had to replace our washing machine and dishwasher recently we went for John Lewis ones, which came out well in the Which? reports.

Would have loved Miele but couldn't afford it (we have a Miele vacuum cleaner though!).

2sugars - Hotpoint/Indesit/other crap are owned by an italian co.

I have had the machine for about 1 1/2 months now. I always mean to take out the extended warranty but always seem to forget!

My last 2 machines lasted for 5 years each. My fridges I don't seem to be as lucky with. I am on to my 3rd fridge in 4 years. Just checked, this one is a hotpoint one too!
The other ones that broke were Zanussi.

Pavlov - they are rubbish aren't they? my washer dryer packed up in warranty and they sent four engineers out each time with a new part. Each time I said can't you just give me a new machine seeing as I had a 4 week old baby the first time it broke down. No they said, we have to attempt to repair it first. Each engineer that came out said the machine needed replacing and each time their office insisted we try replacing another part. Finally they relented and sent me another machine (after three months of different engineers and parts) and the chap who came was so crap, he reinstalled it so badly it now sticks out massively and walks across the kitchen floor each time it's on spin (the previous one was bolted to the floor) He couldn't be bothered to fit it properly or do the bolts again. I was so desperate after three months of dragging giant bags of washing to the launderette in the pouring wintry rain with ds in his sling that I was too tired to fight. I get annoyed about them every time I look at it, and I resent the fact that I'm eventually going to have to pay a handyman to come and put it right.

I too hate hotpoint/indesit.

We bought a tumble dryer 3 years ago from indesit. After 8 months it broke down. We called them out...took 5 days to get here...bloke bought no tools and had to book a 2nd visit, this time he fitted whole new drum to tumbler, tumbler still not working so he came back after 14 days and fitted new back panel. 3 weeks later same problem so new guy comes out and changes drum again. Same problem so i complained and got a new tumble dryer. 9 months after new tumble dryer arrived we had same problem and called them out again. To cut a long story short we basically had 6 visits to attempt to fix, each one meaning a whole day at home waiting and 4 of the visits waste of time due to part ordering or no tools again! After 3 months they agreed to replace tumble dryer again and this time gave me 2 years insurance on tumble dryer.

4 weeks ago the tumble dryer which had lasted 16 months this time round broke again. I rang to get them out to be told it would be 14 days till someone could come out. I decided to do a 'pay and claim' thing and called out a local engineer who wanted to charge £80 to fix problem BUT indesit refused to pay, luckily i rang them before letting the man do the work. I have now got rid of the hotpoint/indesit machine and went and got a reconditioned one from a local dealer for £45.

I will NEVER buy hotpoint or Indesit again. the machines are rubbish and their customer service is horrendous!

When my washer dryer broke last time, they said I could take out extended warranty and then would not have to pay for call out charge. I was stubborn and told them to stick it as it was only like a week out of warranty. I was probably cutting my nose off to spite my face, but I was so annoyed, then the guy fixing the fridge sorted it for me - he put it down as a new job, with the purchase date a week later and said 'if they ask, I saw the proof of purchase'

I could have written this thread title had a hotpoint fridge freezer that broke 4 times in 6 months they took over a week each time to come and look and after 4th time I demanded a new fridge freezer, however, in the 3 years I had that it roke down god knows how many times. Gave up and bought a bosch one a few months ago (thankfully on offer at the time)

Same with washing machine 1st hotpoint I had was fine had it 5 years, 2nd one shredded my clothes as tehre were no fins inside it it was a week before we went to spain on holiday and most of the clothes were new (managed to get all the money back for them) however it repeatdley broke down over a 2YR PERIOD (the day after I got home from having dd2 and they couldnt come round for 9 days (although the engineer lives 2 roads away on the same estate as me ) PIL's bought us a haiena (sp?) was cheap £189 but is fab

We had so much trouble with a Hotpoint washer that was broken before we even installed it, yet still got charged 43.99 by Hotpoint for a call out fee despite Empire Direct collecting and refunding us for the washer.

Since bought a Bosch washer and have had no problems whatsoever.

I want a Bosch. Bought a Bosch dishwasher before christmas. Nice to have something not break down within a few months!

eandh - your post reminded me about the shredding of the clothes! Thats what one of mine did (aquarius i think). There was a big hoohah (sp?!) in the papers about this happening to those machines.

I never get the extended warranty, and sometimes the amount you have to pay for 5 years adds up to a new machine.

I also had the door fall off another (within first years warranty) but as soon as they go wrong, i replace them, rather than faff about making appointments and staying in all day for a call out charge which can be quite a bit, and then the part has to be ordered, its all too much agg for my liking, but as others say Hotpoint, never again.