On 30th December 1999, the day before the millennium eve, I went into labour and my son Liam was born. .
Couldn’t wait to bring him home that afternoon, which I did. I had many visitors as soon as I touched base; one of them was a local engineer trying to repair my machine.
With all the joy of bringing home my newborn, I couldn’t quite take it in when the engineer said my machine was irreparable! I loved my Zanussi and had it for many years without any trouble until today. I was in shock.
The last thing you want to break down (apart from the car) is your washing machine, especially as it’s nearing the big holiday season.
My husband went out that afternoon and after countless searches, found a dealer that had a washer drier in stock that he could bring home that day in the back of our MPV. Basically he had to take potluck and
was grateful for what we could have.
He plumbed in our Indesit washerdryer and I was up and running with the dirty laundry that night. Pheewwww!
Basically as beggars couldn’t be choosers, I was just grateful for anything that washed my clothes.
At first it didn’t bother me that even using the same amount of wash powder as in my previous machine, the stains were still present. I would have to do the washing twice and sometimes add Vanish. Something I never did before. The WD91295 Omega machine wouldn’t spin the water out. I would have to add an extra spin after every wash. The only wash that didn’t need extra spinning was a 60-degree wash, not very practical when you are washing woollens.
The tumble drier would make my clothes smell of metal even though I used Bounce sheets. Worse still, the vests that belong to my 6 year old would come out fitting my 3 year old. My baby’s socks would shrink to the size of cotton woolballs.
It wasn’t because I had the heat setting on too high, its automatic and you just select the timer. I decided to stop using the tumble function completely and dried all the clothes over the radiator. It might have made my house look untidy but it smelt like passionflowers were growing all over the place. So much for paying the extra for this function!
It is a grade D energy efficiency rated machine (which I now know isn’t very good) and its expensive to run.
Apart from its poor performance I have had countless breakdowns. When the guarantee expired after 12 months, I decided to extend it. Hoover became responsible for all repairs. This was money well spent as they were always coming out to me, three maybe four times in 12 months. It wasn’t little parts that broke down; it was the motor or the memory chip (the brain of the machine). So I had my money’s worth in the first three years of paying the warranty.
I have noticed that over the past year, the repair waiting time is getting longer and longer. It used to be the same week for an engineer to arrive, now its anything up to four weeks.
Now that my machine is irreparable (it started smoking and I don’t mean Panatela’s). Once again the engineer came out and replaced another motor. That same evening I went to use it and it blew again. The engineer couldn’t have got to the end of the road before it stopped working. I’m just grateful the house electrics are on a trip junction box and this kicked in, turning off all power. I dread to think what would have happened if I had been out and left the machine on.
After countless calls today to the Hoover service centre and being cut off endlessly or passed from pillar to post, I have now been told I have to wait a further three weeks for the same engineer to return and confirm my machine has now deceased or should that be diseased.
I even tried to log a call out on the web site but after entering all my details, I was told the Hotpoint server was down! Hotpoint’s website looks very professional until you try and book a call out and it goes pear shaped. Even the competition online has expired, yet it’s not been updated.
After that I will have to wait longer for the claim to be processed and for them to decide with Domestic and General (these hold the insurance policy for the warranty) if they think I am eligible for a replacement machine. This could take months I was told.
I explained to the man at Hotpoint that I have a family of five and even a day without my machine is unbearable. All he said was “we are sorry”. I could tell by his attitude he couldn’t care less, probably didn’t have to worry about his smalls being washed. Bet his mum still does them.
I told him this repair service at Hotpoint was unacceptable and I wasn’t prepared to wait. He said he would process my claim as soon as poss, which means what I ask???
In a nutshell, if you are about to buy an Indesit, think over my review and decide if this is the right brand for you. Also think long and hard about purchasing an extended warranty if Hoover are your deemed repairer. Hoover covers Indesit, Creda and Hotpoint machines.
The warranty cost me £88 this year and each year it rises like the council tax. They are very slow to come out, the waiting time is ludicrous. Domestic and general appear to not like paying out for replacement machines and will stall at every corner. They are quick enough to remind you your warrantee has expired though.
I have decided to go out and buy a Zanussi or Miele tomorrow and basically Hotpoint and Domestic and General can go spin in their own boil wash.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
One of my friends has a 5 year old 1200rpm Indesit washer dryer, and he's had nothing but trouble with it. I must admit it is a quiet machine, however it has been a nightmare fro repairs. And his burns the clothes too... Another good choice for next time would be Bosch, you can get a good model with an LCD time left display and 1200 spin for about £280 online. Alternatively... nowadays you can even get an equivalent AEG model for £330... £340 with a 1400rpm spin. Anyhow, good opinion - would be nice if there was a desciption of the controls/options etc, but overall a good one :-D Take care now, Jon xxx
morgjgriff 28.04.2004 20:34
Gosh, what a terrible time you've had with that appliance! Indesit aren't a brand I'd choose these days, every other op about them seems to say they have a terrible performance rating. In the latest Which report, Tricity Bendix's 1200rpm model came out the best, being most reliable and the quietest of the models tested. Tricity Bendix machines are exactly the same as Zanussi, both being made by the Electrolux group. If your funds will allow, a Miele would be my first choice though, along with a seperate dryer if you have the room. Good op! Ciao for now - J
emilyo 28.04.2004 13:16
you poor thing, all that trouble with it with a new born baby in the house. What a nightmare, bliming con on the extended guarantee too. Thanks for the warning, Em XX
Apr 27th, 2004
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