In the latest twist over the Hotpoint, Indesit and Creda tumble dryer saga it would now appear that some owners may well be able to get their money back if they have an affected tumble dryer which was bought on a credit or debit card.
A recent case of a tumble dryer bought on a Natioinwide Bank issued card was initially rejected by the bank but the claimant took the matter to the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) who in turn overruled the bank’s decision and said that it had to refund the claimant.
In what many will see as a win for consumer rights, the sensible among us will suss that someone is footing the bill and that’ll be the consumers, it appears now that owners might be able to claim back the purchase price under Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974.
This little gem of legislation makes it that the credit card company is jointly liable, along with the retailer for any problems down the road for purchases between £100 and £30,000.
So if you bought your dryer on a credit or debit card, this option might be available to you.
But. You knew it was coming.
It’s not a given and it seems that each case is being looked at individually so, there’s no guarantee that this will work and, don’t expect it to be a fast fix either as you’ll likely be getting involved with the card company in letters to and from.
This latest ruling from the FOS however may make things easier for people trying this to get a refund through a Section 75 claim should they wish to go down that road.
In the meantime, if you do think that you have an affected dryer we strongly urge you to register it for modification.
Do try to get Whirlpool to make some concession though as although the official line from Whirlpool is that it isn’t offering repairs or replacements, lots of people who’ve tried their luck have had success going down this road – particularly when using social media to complain.
Do realise though that Whirlpool are under no obligation to do so, you don’t have a right to it as such. However that is liable to prove to be a faster solution and, a lot easier for owners.
