Hotpoint w/machine WMA 22

In July 2004 I bought a Hotpoint WMA 22 washing machine from Argos.

After 7 months or so the machine began to bang violently when on its spin cycle. I arranged for an engineer to come out and he informed me that he’d seen a few of these problems. It turned out that the concrete block that is bolted to the top of the machine was not tightened to the correct torque and had rattled loose and was crashing against the back of the machine.
About a month later the noise began again, but worse. It even woke our neighbours up! I again arranged for an engineer to visit. The engineer told me that the machine was fine and it was noisy because I wasn’t puttting enough in it, and I wasn’t spreading the load. I asked him to double check but he insisted the machine was fine.
Last week (July 1st), I returned home to carnage. The machine had shook itself about 10 inches across the kitchen floor. The plastic casing that snaps onto the bottom of the front of the machine had popped off. The rubber seal that surrounds the inside of the door had become completely warped. The inside of the glass was covered in deep gouges where the drum had crashed against it. Worst of all the kitchen floor was covered in small lumps of concrete where I presume the block has shaken so violently that it has obliterated.

I phoned Hotpoint and told them I required an engineers visit. I specified that I wouldn’t be home from work until 3 o’clock. The lady I spoke to assured me she would leave a note with the engineer explaining this. Today (July 5th), I returned home from work to find a card from Hotpoint telling me that the engineer called at 1 o’clock but nobody was home.
I again phoned Hotpoint and explained about the card. The lady I spoke to phoned the engineer who told her that he couldn’t return to my house because he was out of the area. He also told the lady that he had received no instruction that I would not be home until after 3 o’clock.

Now Hotpoint tell me that I will have to wait until July 18th for another visit.

I would love to hear from anyone with similar stories regarding Hotpoint. Also if anyone in the trade reads this, do they know if Hotpoint will repair the machine at my house or take it away?