A moan about modern white goods!

[Seahorse]

About 18 months ago I bought a new Bosch washing machine and dishwasher. They weren't cheap! I had to have the dishwasher repaired a couple of months ago and today the washer has gone kaput. I accept that with four kids I'm probably a heavier than average user but is it really too much to expect that expensive goods like these will last a good few years without problems? (obviously it is!). Thankfully I'd negotiated an extended guarantee, so I won't be paying for call out or repair but it's going to be a right pain until it's fixed!

It really riles me that there's an inbuilt low life expectancy to all this stuff, not just because of the £££ but also because of the amount of white goods that end up in landfill (or worse, fly tipped)

Anyone know if there are any companies out there still making stuff that's built to last?!

Claire

[Madasafish]

Our Bosch washing machine is used around 20 times a week. It is now 10 years old and touch wood still trouble free.

[bubblewrap]

My Hoover washing machine is 5 & a half years old, microwave(whirlpool)9 years old,fridge & freezer(Iceland own label)8 years old
I know not white goods but Television (Panasonic) 13 years old Hi Fi (Technics) 23 years old & is still better than most modern stuff.

P.S. I don't like replacing things if the old one works

[Digger-07]

You must have got a bad one seahorse, our Bosch dishwasher is over 10 years old and apart from a switch button which the dog managed to knock off (two spares sent by Scottish Power shop) we have had no problems with it.

[Seahorse]

I think they wre probably better made even just ten years ago. The Bosch dishwasher I had before that ran for about 30 years (I got it second hand).

[rustylady]

I agree that things are not made as well as they used to be (known as "built in obsolescence" so you buy new ones), but I always thought Bosch was a good make. Maybe you got a "Friday afternoon" one. Faults should be covered by manufacturer's guarantee.

[smallblueplanet]

New Bosch washers come with a two year guarentee, suppose thats something. Its still cr@p if they do break though.

[Seahorse]

Have to add that despite being very disgruntled about it breaking, Bosch customer service is very good - I got straight through to a real life person on the phone (and on a sunday morning too!) and the engineer is coming on tuesday.

[NOG]

Anyone know if there are any companies out there still making stuff that's built to last?!

Claire

Miele there stuff is great. Costs a bomb but it lasts. It German and a lot of the Gemans have utility rooms or put the washers in the garage. So they are made to withstand the cold and damp. The panneling is about twice the thickness of the others.

[Two_Sheds]

If I were you, if you can be bothered, I would write a stern letter of complaint to Bosch. You never know, you may get something out of them, if they care about their reputation.
here's a little template if you're interested:
http://www.howtocomplain.com/info/cl-template.shtml

[lainey lou]

My creda washing machine died 2 weeks ago after just 2 years. Put it on, went out, hubby came in and found it in the middle of the kitchen floor with the bottom fallen out!

[Nicos]

I'd complain loudly too.
18 months is simply not good enough for a Bosch washing machine- Tell them you simply want a new one to replace this one. ( depends of what the guy says tomorrow really! - have a cup of coffee and some chockie bikkies waiting for him when he arrives!!! ..How 'charming' and 'needy' can you look Seahorse????)
It'd be his report initially which could get it replaced!

My Bosch washing machine is 8 yrs old and been used about 20 times a week too (horse and lottie and kids) and it's never been a problem ( well other than a gunked up soap dispenser!)

...now I've gone and done it!!!

[moggssue]

My old Zanussi lasted over ten years, the replacement lasted 18months! Definitely agree that there seems to be a lot of built in obsolescence going on these days.

[The Doctor]

If something goes wrong outside of a gaurentee period, you may still have a legal right to get it fixed free. The responsibility with this lies with the retailer, though, not the manufacturer, so you should have contacted them first. Easy to say, I know, when consumer rights are not communicated as well as they should be.

The period for which you can expect free repairs is also dependant on other things such as the purchase price, too. A washing machine or TV that costs £600 should be expected to last longer than one that only costs £150 for example.

All this info is available on the consumer rights and trading standards websites.

[HeyWayne]

Our Hotpoint washing machine we've been willing to die for a while now, so that we can replace it with a modern energy efficient one (ours only spins to about 600 rpm). We've paid £100 a year for the past 4 years which covers any form of breakdown, and we've used the cover on a couple of occasions, they simply replace/mend the broken part. When we replace stuff we get the most energy efficient models we can afford, and they are often not cheap!

The price you pay I guess!