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Manufacturer’s Own Service
Do you have an appliance under a year old that has broken down and is serviced by the manufacturer themselves and not an independent agent? (If you’re not sure feel free to ask.)
We have been receiving quite a few complaints about the level of service on offer by some manufacturers from customers being quoted long lead times for an initial visit, have you been affected? 🙁 Can you please share your story with us here and the impression your experience has left you of the manufacturer and their product?
We may not be able to do much to help, but many of the major manufacturers avidly read these pages, so you never know, maybe they will do something about it!
Please can we ask you quote both the Make and Model number to your posting 😉
Many thanks 🙂
Martin
Re: Domestic Appliance Horror Stories ?
Hotpoint Dishwasher, Model Number DF55P. Circ motor broken. Service from Merloni UK’s Peterborough Service Centre particulary poor. Highlights include:
Machine still broken four months after Service Centre first alerted and having taken days off work for five booked engineer visits, two of which no shows;
Engineers turning up without the right spare parts;
Engineer telling us that Service Centre would contact us for new appointment, and hearing nothing for 3 weeks, before following up ourselves;
Referred to as ‘Mrs’ in latest Service Centre correspondence despite being irrefutably male.I can live with the last problem, but indicative of extremely poor service at Merloni. Would not buy Hotpoint goods again or other Merloni products because after sales service so poor.
Re: Domestic Appliance Horror Stories ?
Hotpoint cannot come out to fix my washing machine for 2 weeks. The machine is only 3 months old and Currys don’t want to know either 👿
GeorgeT
Re: Domestic Appliance Horror Stories ?
My washing machine is about 3 years old and requested for Merloni UK to come and provide a service repair.
Initial visit took 14 days before the so-called engineer could come and had to wait from 8am till 6pm. So-called engineer arrived at 5:55pm spent 5 minutes without looking where the fault was or explaining the fault and charged full amount. The worrying thing was the engineer could not even spell “emergency”. This should have been a warning sign, thinking back
Called for so called engineer to come back and fix the problem properly this time and waited another 14 days but did not show up. After waiting the entire day as before.
2 months later managed to book an early call, new engineer spent about 20 minutes looking at the machine but still not able to fix the problem. Left and said will come back to fix it, still have not come back.
The worst part of the experience is the call centre, only having to call after work; I get put through to their switchboard for about 30min to 45 minutes only to be informed that the call centre is already closed and to call back again. This happened about 3-4 times and extremely frustrating.
Have written a number of complaint email and when speaking to call centre about the complaint, to date still have not received a single apology.
Would also not buy Hotpoint or other Merloni product due to such poor after sales service. Incredible this company has not had more complaint.
Re: Domestic Appliance Horror Stories ?
And another Merloni horror story. We had a Hotpoint freezer and dishwasher go wrong at the same time. Merloni engineer came and said he would have to order a new part for the freezer and could not repair the dishwasher so we would get a replacement as the washer was still under guarantee. He assured me that both would be dealt with at the same time. Engineer No. 2 knew turned up without either the spare part or the replacement dishwasher, but did manage to repair the freezer. Which meant that Merloni should have refunded the first call out fee but of course we are still waiting. Engineer No. 3 turned up without a replacement dishwasher. Every time, of course, I had to phone to chase up what was happening, and every time it took at least 40 minutes to get through to their Customer Couldn’t Care Less Department. After I created hell they phoned before Christmas to say a new dishwasher was on order but wasn’t in stock – this was one advertised as being in their current range. A month later I got a card on a Friday saying the new one would be installed the following Monday. I phoned to rearrange this but, of course, the following Monday got home to find a card from Merloni saying they had called and I wasn’t in. Finally they did turn up with the washer but, surprise surprise, the delivery men said they had no instructions to install it. When I phoned yet again, they agreed reluctantly to arrange installation, but only after a five delay delay, and yet again they couldn’t arrange a delivery time. They couldn’t give any good reason why they couldn’t ensure a time by putting us first on the list; nor, of course, would they contemplate subcontracting to someone local who might be more efficient. After being heavily pressurised they have offered the princely sum of – wait for it – £10 as compensation.
I have asked them if they can offer any good reason why I or anyone else should ever buy Hotpoint or Indesit again. I don’t expect a response.
Re: Domestic Appliance Horror Stories ?
I recently bought a Hotpoint “ULTIMA” EW86X cooker, In the space of two weeks Im now on my 5th one, 1st 2nd 3rd and 4th came with serious damage (despite undamaged outer packaging!) on the 4th cooker the electrical connector unit on the rear came away in the electricians hand (240V connection unit held to cooker by 2 flimsy plastic clips!!!!) So all in all, it took 5 deliveries to get ONE that was perfect. Makes me wonder if they are leaving the Hotpoint factory in that condition, no wonder there are so many complaints and horror stories about Hotpoint/Indesit or any other Merloni owned brand. In my humble consumer opinion, Hotpoint design, construction and after sales care are ALL utterly ABYSMAL and pathetic. Their motto is “DESIGNED FOR THE REAL WORLD” what a joke…..Hotpoint don’t have a clue what a real world actually is, if they did they would sort their business practices out and stop claiming to be something they most definetely are not!
I will never again purchase a product manufactured by Merloni/Indesit Company
I advise anyone else to stay clear of any of the following brands HOTPOINT, CREDA, INDESIT, ARISTON, SCHOLTE’S they are all owned by Merloni and they are basically all the same appliances with different badges which equals the same horrendous levels of after sales care and non existent service…think twice before you buy!
I have had good service over the years from Zanussi and AEG (Electrolux group) and I found Whirlpool to be fine when I needed them.
If you would like to see for yourself…..
Compare things like build quality….for example, I was looking at condenser dryers recently ….Zanussi dryers appeared solid, knobs, clips door etc all pretty solid….Hotpoint dryers in comparison, cheap plasticy wobbly bits, flimsy door etc…speaks volumes doesn’t it!
Re: Domestic Appliance Horror Stories ?
Thank you for that submission, but in order to reinforce your claim, and whilst I acknowledge ones need for anonimity, perhaps if you could at least “edit” your submission with your name or ‘initial’ to add a certain credence to the posting?
Martin
Re: Domestic Appliance Horror Stories ?
In 2001, I purchased a Washer/Dryer, which I believe was a WD64. Ten months after purchase I had a problem with the dryer not heating up. You sent an engineer to fix it. After he left I put a load in to dry. The dryer got hotter and hotter and we could then smell burning. When I checked the machine I found that it had burnt up £160 worth of clothing and nearly resulted in a kitchen fire. Despite having an extended warranty with you and Domestic and General nobody wanted to take responsibility. The machine was replaced at this time but the clothing was not. Within the year the same problem occurred and the machine was replaced. Within 9 months of receiving machine number 2 the same problem occurred and it was agreed that a replacement machine would delivered. Once again I had problems with the Dryer and Hotpoint said they would replace it. I then received Washer/Dryer number 3 a WD640. Machine 3 was in my home for 20 minutes before the next problem occurred. Which led to Machine number 4? Machine number 4 lasted 2 weeks before I encountered another problem with the Dryer and immediately got on the phone to Indesit.
Yesterday you delivered Machine number 5. Machine number 5 was a WD440, totally the wrong machine !! I am now awaiting Machine number 6 which I am told is now out of stock and I will be advised when you will be able to deliver. This level of service is totally unacceptable.During all this time, I have taken at least 10 days off work to await delivery, 3 of those days you didn’t even turn up and nobody had the decency to even call and advise me that no machine would be coming. Two of those delivery dates I have waited in all day and then received a call to say that the machine was out of stock and not coming.
Your customer service has been pitiful. I have spent countless hours on the phone to your company going round your automated service which is very frustrating in itself. When I manage to get through to a human voice it has been very patronizing. I have asked to speak to someone in authority and told I cannot be put through. I have continually asked to be called back by a supervisor or manager, no one ever calls back and therefore has resulted in me chasing you all the time. There have also been many occasions when I have called in only to be cut off !!
I have had so much time off work at £80 per day just waiting for delivery from Indesit which no one seems too concerned about. Not too mention the clothing that we lost initially. The floor in my kitchen has been destroyed and I am currently having to have that replaced which I understand you will be paying for.
The people I have spoken to don’t seem to have the authority to deal with any kind of compensation and at one point a gentleman in your customer service named Ben Brown refused to put me through to anyone higher. He actually had the audacity to tell me that he was not prepared to put me through to anyone higher than himself. Either I dealt with him or he would hang up on me !Quite frankly the level of service I have received from your company is absolutely disgusting. No one cares at all. I also understand that I am not the only person who has received bad customer care from yourselves. I am quite frustrated with the service I have received. You seem to have no problem taking the £450 for the machine !
So far I have received two lots of £20 compensation and another £30 is on its way but I really feel this is a spit in the ocean in comparison to the amount of money I have lost in earnings not to mention my phone bill.
I have now lodged a complaint with Consumer Direct, a division of the Trading Standards, ID number LR-CC-12089 and if I do not receive some kind of satisfaction from your company I will be pursuing this. I have also written to BBC Watchdog and the National Newspapers a copy of all this has been forwarded to my solicitor. I am sure that this kind of exposure is not good for your company.
I am very very unhappy with the service I have received from you and if this is not resolved to my satisfaction I will be taking this matter further.
I await your immediate response on this.Sincerely
Mrs. M Johnstone
Hi Michelle,
Sorry but we’re not Hotpoint this is UK Whitegoods, I’d suggest that you print that and send it to them. 😉
K.
Re: Domestic Appliance Horror Stories ?
Anonymous wrote:I recently bought a Hotpoint “ULTIMA” EW86X cooker, In the space of two weeks Im now on my 5th one, 1st 2nd 3rd and 4th came with serious damage (despite undamaged outer packaging!) on the 4th cooker the electrical connector unit on the rear came away in the electricians hand (240V connection unit held to cooker by 2 flimsy plastic clips!!!!) So all in all, it took 5 deliveries to get ONE that was perfect. Makes me wonder if they are leaving the Hotpoint factory in that condition, no wonder there are so many complaints and horror stories about Hotpoint/Indesit or any other Merloni owned brand. In my humble consumer opinion, Hotpoint design, construction and after sales care are ALL utterly ABYSMAL and pathetic. Their motto is “DESIGNED FOR THE REAL WORLD” what a joke…..Hotpoint don’t have a clue what a real world actually is, if they did they would sort their business practices out and stop claiming to be something they most definetely are not!
I will never again purchase a product manufactured by Merloni/Indesit Company
I advise anyone else to stay clear of any of the following brands HOTPOINT, CREDA, INDESIT, ARISTON, SCHOLTE’S they are all owned by Merloni and they are basically all the same appliances with different badges which equals the same horrendous levels of after sales care and non existent service…think twice before you buy!
I have had good service over the years from Zanussi and AEG (Electrolux group) and I found Whirlpool to be fine when I needed them.
If you would like to see for yourself…..
Compare things like build quality….for example, I was looking at condenser dryers recently ….Zanussi dryers appeared solid, knobs, clips door etc all pretty solid….Hotpoint dryers in comparison, cheap plasticy wobbly bits, flimsy door etc…speaks volumes doesn’t it!
sorry, could not edit original post…thought I was logged in when I wrote this. I wrote it!
Beware Hotpoint washing machine model WF000P
the Start/Cancel & On/Off buttons jammed the first time they were used and the machine is now unusable. Hotpoint service have given us a reference number which, they say, will authorise Curry’s to uplift our machine and replace it with another. This happened today 31/5/05. So far we are favourably impressed with their intentions we await the actuality. Watch this space. Does anyone out know better?Re: Domestic Appliance Horror Stories ?
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?
Dishwasher Nightmare
In 1999 I bought a Zanussi Dishwasher, Washing Machine and Cooker.
Since then, I have had 5 dishwashers. On all the Zanussi dishwashers (various mid-range models), it was the water management system that failed, time after time after time. It is a large plastic component with narrow channels in it that become blocked.
I have had to call Zanussi/Electrolux ‘Service Force’ out on average 3 times a year. On average, it would take them 3 weeks to fix the dishwasher. Once I was without a dishwasher for 2 months.
In the end Zanussi replaced my dishwasher with an AEG. They said it was in recognition of the bad experience I’d had with the Zanussi dishwashers. The AEG has broken down twice in its first year – it is now 9 months old and it has just had its heating element replaced. A ‘known issue’ with these dishwashers, according to the engineer. When I asked whether the new heating element was also likely to fail, all I got was a shrug.
I do not have the dishwasher on constantly – it is used once or twice a day. Neither is my water peculiar in any way – average hardness, clean Severn Trent from a Welsh reservoir.
My bad experience is down to a combination of factors. Firstly, the water management system problem is common with Zanussi dishwashers, apparently. Bearing in mind that the Service Force engineers knew of the problem in 2000 you would have thought that Zanussi would have remodelled their system by 2004, when I had the most recent failure involving this component.
Secondly, my husband dubbed Service Force ‘Service Farce’. They are an independent outfit contracted to Zanussi/Electrolux/AEG, but my complaints about their slow and inefficient service to Zanussi Customer Care seem to have fallen on deaf ears. The service has deteriorated in fact, due to the local Service Farce depot clocking me as a ‘troublesome customer’ i.e. one that is forced to phone up frequently to find out what the heck is going on as they never, ever phone when they say they will. Yesterday, for example, I was treated to a phone call from an engineer to my workplace (10 miles from home) saying that he would be at my house in one minute’s time. No prior arrangement whatsoever. This was to replace a part that we’d been waitning for for a fortnight, and I’d been told the day before would not arrive for at least another two weeks!
I added up and costed out all the hours I’ve spent dealing with dishwasher problems, waiting around for engineers and washing up by hand. All in all, my dishwasher hell has cost 3,700 pounds worth of my time. Goodness knows what it has cost Zanussi.
The main bearing on my Zanussi washing machine went after five years, a year after its motor was replaced. What a surprise. I replaced it with a Miele. I am now planning to sell the just-repaired AEG and replace that with a Miele or a Siemens with a five year guarantee.
When the Zanussi cooker goes for a burton – as no doubt it will very soon, as parts have been failing on it since it was new – it will also be replaced with whatever is deemed best made on the market, and darn the expense. If my kids have to forego a holiday, so be it.
I thought I could not afford top-of-the-range appliances, but this experience has shown me that buying something inferior can be extremely uneconomical.
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