Worst appliance purchase?

[JamesIS220]

When we lived in Porthleven Cornwal in 1998 we bought a detatched bungalow with a Worcester heatslave oil combi boiler already installed years prior. Needed a new photo cell and water pump and a service. A few months later failed again. Engineer said change the control box. Went to a heating spares place in Helston and bought an updated control box and adapter plate as old one updated. Fitted it myself and it worked great. Heating and hot water worked better than ever.

Sold bungalow 11 months later in 1998 to a retired lady. Must of Died around 4 years ago and in property listings listed Worcester heatslave oil combi boiler! So was still working. It was 25 years old when we had it. Best of all around £120 at the time for 1000litres of heating oil!

James. 

[Texas]

For those ( like me ) who like to fix things and keep them working for a bit longer you may be pleased to know it should be possible, gone should be the days of ditching a functioning washing machine because of a £5 bearing that you cannot remove because the tub has been ultra-sonically welded for ease of production! And if you could get said bearing out it is 30% smaller than bearings of machines of 10-20 years ago so I suspect has got a much smaller MTBF! I wonder why?

https://apple.news/AQ0jkDJRdQKqyCswC5mhgEQ

[The-Acre]

1 hour ago, Texas said:

For those ( like me ) who like to fix things and keep them working for a bit longer you may be pleased to know it should be possible, gone should be the days of ditching a functioning washing machine because of a £5 bearing that you cannot remove because the tub has been ultra-sonically welded for ease of production! And if you could get said bearing out it is 30% smaller than bearings of machines of 10-20 years ago so I suspect has got a much smaller MTBF! I wonder why?

https://apple.news/AQ0jkDJRdQKqyCswC5mhgEQ

The same with me, I never dispose of anything until I've tried a repair, it gives me great satisfaction to beat the system if I can!

[ALAW]

Few reports on Neff good and bad. I bought a massive Neff top of the range double oven about 17 years in our last house cost  a fortune it did everything i asked. Changed bulb once. Put a Neff single oven and gas hob in this house. The oven packed in out of warranty so got shut. The hob every now and again an ignition spark sounds no idea why. I dont think i will purchase a Neff again.  

[Grumps]

We had a new kitchen about 14 years ago and had fitted mainly Neff appliances. A few months ago the start button on the combi oven/microwave became faulty. Checked out the cost of calling out Neff to repair and decided it was not worth it. Found a local Microwave specialist nearby. Removed unit from housing and took it to them late one afternoon. The following morning was advised that it needed a new board and the cost of the board was £323, or if we didn't mind losing the '90' button, they could fix it for £85. Told them to do the £85 repair and was able to collect it after lunch that very same day.

Had we replaced the unit then we would have had to have a matching oven as well, so well pleased with the outcome.

[OldTrout]

I have a Bosch built-in single oven. After about 5 years the numbers around the temperature knob were wearing off (just printed on the brushed steel). I contacted Bosch. An engineer could call but that would be £50. If it needed a new panel that would be another £50. I said the letters should never have worn off and panel should be replaced free. They did not agree.

I also have a little folding knife that uses replaceable blades. It came from B&Q for about £5 and has B&Q printed on the side. After many years in my toolbox banging about with other tools or in my pocket with keys the B&Q logo is almost unmarked. If B&Q can do labelling which last many years, why not Bosch?

I looked for a sheet of Lettraset but that seems to have gone long ago. In the end I found some a set of labels  on eBay which were ridiculously expensive at £10 and I only needed the one dial. They are still fine.

John

[LenT]

6 hours ago, OldTrout said:

I have a Bosch built-in single oven. After about 5 years the numbers around the temperature knob were wearing off (just printed on the brushed steel). I contacted Bosch. An engineer could call but that would be £50. If it needed a new panel that would be another £50. I said the letters should never have worn off and panel should be replaced free. They did not agree.

I think I see something of a trend here.

We too have a Bosch - a dishwasher.  It had an attractive selection of wash programs printed on the top of the door edge.  Above it was a handy sticker describing those programs.  Well, that was the first to peel off.

I contacted Bosch in MK, supplying photos, and they eventually sourced a replacement sticker from Germany.  Naturally that didn’t last much longer than the original.  But by then another problem had surfaced.

The printed programs on the top edge, which related to the touch sensitive buttons under the metal, were also fast disappearing.  So apart from already knowing where the On, Rinse and Start buttons were, the other 11 program buttons had become a kind of lucky dip.

So back to Bosch who, after more pictures, offered to send an engineer round with a replacement door frame, FOC.

Engineer duly arrived and left having fitted new frame, resplendent with fresh, printed programs.  Unfortunately he’d left his mark in other ways.  The combination of his work boots and heavy metal tool box had left a lattice work of scratches on our polished laminate oak floor.

So back to Bosch.  They immediately sent someone round to assess the damage - which turned out to be the same engineer who’d caused it.  But credit to him, he accepted liability and Bosch then contacted me to arrange repair.  

Four months later, after several companies had turned down the challenge, a French Polisher (not a Polisher who was French, you  understand) sourced by me, turned up and removed the scratches.

To prevent the problem recurring I fashioned some strips out of screen protectors and stuck them over the printed lettering.  Now, six years on, some of the lettering is showing signs of giving up again.

I should add that throughout this saga, everyone at Bosch was helpful and concerned.  But really, how hard can it be to devise a method of marking  stainless steel that steam won’t remove?  Or to train engineers to wear soft overshoes and put their tool boxes on protective mats - as other visiting tradesfolk usually did.

 

[Cotswold Pete]

Have had a AEG double oven for 23years, now showing signs of going AWOL (mainly the seals around the triple glazed panels), so we have condensation dripping off the door.  Have tried a quick fix with JB Weld (used to repair cast iron fireplace no problems), but not worked.

So been looking at modern replacement, and to be frank none of them look like they are going to last 23 years (though not sure I will either).

Bosch is okay, though does depend on whether Turkey or Spain is where the products made.

Would love to have had the money to buy a ieile washing machine, but now on 3rd machine in 40 years (so not too bad), current one is AEG.  Whenever I have taken about noisy end of life Washing machines it is seems to me that the dampers failing causes the whole shebang to start shaking itself to death, which knackers the bearings quick as you like.  I always like the lack of noise a new washer makes.

All this talk about a law to force repairable machines will be a little useless (IMHO) as the parts will be so expensive, as I cannot see manufactures being charitable when they cannot sell us new toys.

Still as least I have a man cave littered with bits and bobs ripped out of dead appliances that might come in handy to repair who knows what in the future.  Even managed to repair the ironing board so that with its new stainless steel (simple) bearing, will last way longer than John Lewis ever envisioned.

 

[ColinBarber]

1 hour ago, Cotswold Pete said:

Have had a AEG double oven for 23years

AEG was good back then. For the last 15 years they have been part of Electrolux, and most models are no longer built in Germany.

[ALAW]

3 hours ago, ColinBarber said:

AEG was good back then. For the last 15 years they have been part of Electrolux, and most models are no longer built in Germany.

It's surprising nowadays how many of the white goods manufacturers are actually owned by one company.

[First_Lexus]

6 hours ago, ALAW said:

It's surprising nowadays how many of the white goods manufacturers are actually owned by one company.

^^ Indeed. My understanding is that Electrolux/Zanussi/AEG are essentially the same with different badging and features. As has already been noted, Bosch/Siemens/NEFF are the same, and I think Hotpoint/Hoover/Candy are another group. Not sure about Beko, but know they also make a brand called Baumatic and possibly Indesit.

[Mr Vlad]

Interesting thread. One of my jobs was I worked for Hotpoint for about 18 years. 9 years in the warehouse and 9 years as a home delivery driver/installer. In my time as a driver I delivered countless thousands of appliances. 99% were new machines with collection of old machines. You name a brand and I took one away faulty. There wasn't a brand which I hadn't taken away. However one brand which did stand out for quality was Mielei (forget how to spell it). 

As for a gas hob. All gas hobs are good. They have to pass gas safety checks. The o lying difference is the number of rings and if it has a wok type burner, if its white black or stainless there's no difference. 

As for fridge freezers actually Hotpoint were the best. 

Because of how I left Hotpoint and being stubborn I won't have their products. 

As for a combination boiler oh yes Vailant for sure ( however save some cash and buy last year's model. Heatline. Rebadged Vailant).

At the end of the day there is snobbery with brands. Fair enough. If you can afford it then get it. If not then read reviews on Argos for appliances and go from there.

[Malc]

having had many fitted kitchens over the decades and been generally satisfied with them all I bought privately a secondhand electric cooker about 15 years ago when we moved to a rather " odd " rented house for a while

Still have that cooker and in everyday use in our present, also rather odd, 400 ? year old cottage in Kent

sadly the eye level grill is out of action and I know it's going to cost some to have it fixed, if indeed it can be ...... a Creda Trimline Four electric cooker, probably about 50 years old now ........ owned it maybe some 15 years or so as I say

Doesn't seem possible to buy a new stand alone eye level grill electric cooker these days ... wonder why not !

I don't want to " fit " out my kitchen tbh ......  we enjoy it the rustic higgledy piggledy way it is

( maybe that's why I have a 25 y/o Ls400 too )

Malc

 

[LenT]

16 minutes ago, Malc said:

Doesn't seem possible to buy a new stand alone eye level grill electric cooker these days...

I share your pain, as they say these days...

For our very first house we bought a newly launched Canon gas cooker with the eye-level grill and rotisserie.  So for some years we enjoyed the luxury of spit-roasted legs of lamb, chickens and assorted kebabs.

Then we moved and we’ve been all-electric ever since and despite being reasonable appliances, they never seemed to have a similar facility.  I think free-standing, counter-top rotisseries are available, but such an addition may exceed my permitted quota of kitchen toys.

[Shahpor]

Well, after a bit of a faff, we finally decided on a Smeg, specifically this one:

https://www.smeg.com/products/PV375CN

I was actually happy with just a 4 burner, but the previous owners of the house had cut the granite worktop too big, so a standard 60cm hob would no longer fit without leaving gaps 🙄

Bought a smeg oven a while back that we are pleased with, so hopefully it will be the same for the hob.

[royoftherovers]

4 minutes ago, Shahpor said:

Well, after a bit of a faff, we finally decided on a Smeg, specifically this one:

https://www.smeg.com/products/PV375CN

I was actually happy with just a 4 burner, but the previous owners of the house had cut the granite worktop too big, so a standard 60cm hob would no longer fit without leaving gaps 🙄

Bought a smeg oven a while back that we are pleased with, so hopefully it will be the same for the hob.

That is exactly like our Neff 5 ring.

I do hope that it is not a Fiat Shapor !😊

[Arnett]

On 3/27/2021 at 8:31 AM, First_Lexus said:

Doing some housework this morning and, as usual, frustrated by the Miele vacuum cleaner I bought a few years ago. The reviews - including from Which magazine - were excellent, so I spent more than I would normally to buy a ‘great’ product. A few years later, I still find it incredibly badly designed, expensive, cumbersome to use, and with poor pick up. It was a dreadful buy, and easily the worst purchase I’ve made in recent years. 

Not a purchase as such, but I moved into my current house a few years ago. The kitchen has integrated NEFF appliances. Quality, right? WRONG! They’ve been dreadful, and I’m currently replacing them as they go wrong...one of the repair men told me that in the trade they’re known as NEEDS EVERYTHING FIXED FREQUENTLY 😆

So, what are your worst purchases, or the ones you regret most? And do you ‘get what you pay for’ with such things any more, or are you wiser to buy cheap but more often?

 
 

 

Honestly "Which?" Is pretty crap, I wouldn't ever recommend the recommended buys selected by them and they are also known for being paid to hype up certain products. 

 

 

My regret is whenever I bought cheap, understanding quality is something I never thought I would need in appliances but when my previous job was a branch manager for a large UK mixed electrical retailer that doesn't sell vindaloo I learnt what not to buy quite swiftly. 

[royoftherovers]

13 minutes ago, Arnett said:

Honestly "Which?" Is pretty crap, I wouldn't ever recommend the recommended buys selected by them and they are also known for being paid to hype up certain products. 

 

 

My regret is whenever I bought cheap, understanding quality is something I never thought I would need in appliances but when my previous job was a branch manager for a large UK mixed electrical retailer that doesn't sell vindaloo I learnt what not to buy quite swiftly. 

So, can you give us some advice Arnett, based upon your retail experience. What should we avoid and what should we consider ?

[Arnett]

29 minutes ago, royoftherovers said:

So, can you give us some advice Arnett, based upon your retail experience. What should we avoid and what should we consider ?

Toasters - Buy a dualit, or one to match your kettle. 

Kettle - Buy any that looks nice the waters going to kill it and it'll get changed within two years anyway. 

Iron - Not Tefal. Similar to kettle it's going to be killed by the water, Tefals are unreliable and always get sent off for repair. Not in store exchange. 

 

Pressure cooker / air fryer - Shark Ninja Foodi

Microwave - Kenwood 100% -  Panasonic and Samsung frequently faulty & are sent for repair if fault develops. 

Vacuum - Shark are the new kings, Dyson are very expensive but are very focused on personal care products and there cordless isn't worth twice the price of a shark. 

Oven - freestanding : Range master / leisure/ AEG/ Neff. Built in : Neff/AEG

Washer dryer - Avoid in general they are all crap and the drying element will die and only has half the life expectancy of the washer. 

Washing machine : Miele IF spending 1100+ anything around 300-700 buy LG or Samsung (many of these will also give you 5 years parts and labour, and the Koreans coat the heating elements in ceramic to give it longer life spans ) 

Tumble dryer : Grundig heat pump 

 FF's - LG / Samsung / Hairer 

🤷 There ya go.

[First_Lexus]

9 hours ago, Arnett said:

Toasters - Buy a dualit, or one to match your kettle. 

Kettle - Buy any that looks nice the waters going to kill it and it'll get changed within two years anyway. 

Iron - Not Tefal. Similar to kettle it's going to be killed by the water, Tefals are unreliable and always get sent off for repair. Not in store exchange. 

 

Pressure cooker / air fryer - Shark Ninja Foodi

Microwave - Kenwood 100% -  Panasonic and Samsung frequently faulty & are sent for repair if fault develops. 

Vacuum - Shark are the new kings, Dyson are very expensive but are very focused on personal care products and there cordless isn't worth twice the price of a shark. 

Oven - freestanding : Range master / leisure/ AEG/ Neff. Built in : Neff/AEG

Washer dryer - Avoid in general they are all crap and the drying element will die and only has half the life expectancy of the washer. 

Washing machine : Miele IF spending 1100+ anything around 300-700 buy LG or Samsung (many of these will also give you 5 years parts and labour, and the Koreans coat the heating elements in ceramic to give it longer life spans ) 

Tumble dryer : Grundig heat pump 

 FF's - LG / Samsung / Hairer 

🤷 There ya go.

^^ I’m getting the distinct impression that this whole thread is simply pointing to the fact that ‘they don’t make ‘em like they used to.’

My Panasonic microwave is almost twenty years old, used regularly and has never missed a beat. Similarly my Dualit toaster (coming up for thirty years), Dualit kettle (ten years) and Philips iron (ten years). However, newer appliances go wrong after only two-three years. That doesn’t fill me with confidence when I do start to have to replace the old faithfuls!

Unfortunately since I started this thread, and utterly predictably, I now have an issue with my NEFF built-in double oven. Spoke to an independent engineer yesterday who’ll come and look next week. He won’t charge a call out fee to diagnose (excellent) but his comment was along the lines of “...if it’s five years old you’ve done pretty well, so it may be simpler just to replace it unless it is something VERY straightforward.” Five years? Really? For an item costing almost £750? Good grief.

[Phil xxkr]

Ever since Ralph Nader in the 1970's coined the term "planned obsolescence" some people have eloquently argued that, it's simply not true! Perhaps they should spend more time with ordinary people with everyday products 🤔

[Malc]

14 hours ago, Malc said:

sadly the eye level grill is out of action and I know it's going to cost some to have it fixed, if indeed it can be ...... a Creda Trimline Four electric cooker, probably about 50 years old now ........ owned it maybe some 15 years or so as I say

ok all you so called experts ......  have I got to write this off now ?  Cat N maybe 

OR is there some life saving repair guy out there who's as old as Methusula that can Credit a Creda with some more extended lifespan ??

You wouldn't write a Ls400 off after only 50 years surely 😲

Malc

[First_Lexus]

Reviving an older thread, but I moved house in August to another new build (West Berkshire replacing Wiltshire). My new property is fitted with - somewhat surprisingly - Indesit appliances. I was quite shocked that a new detached house would come with ‘value’ brand appliances, but the site sales advisor noted that the builder has a national contract with Indesit and fit them to all new properties regardless of whether there’re a £1m house or a £250k house. They told me that they’re fine, and they have very few issues with them. I was sceptical…

Having now used them for three months, I can confirm that they work just fine. They don’t have all the features of more expensive brands, but I find I never used most of those anyway. Looking online the integrated dishwasher is less than £250 new, and the electric double oven even cheaper. Indesit/Hotpoint/Whirlpool are all the same group, and are essentially the same with additional features as you move ‘up’ the brands. The dishwasher only has four programmes. My previous NEFF had about ten. Guess what? I usually use the same 50degree ECO cycle in any case…

Clearly I don’t know if they’ll be reliable long-term, but at such cheap prices I can now see the logic of simply replacing them with similar when they break (if they do break!). Fingers crossed, but so far, so good.

[Sixty]

We had Indesit Appliances (cooker, hob and fan) installed in our new build in 1999, the hob extractor fan gave up the ghost last year but the oven is still going strong.

[VFR]

On 3/27/2021 at 5:49 PM, First_Lexus said:

@rich1068if I was in the market for a cordless vacuum, which brands would you recommend? Are any of them any good?

Had one of these in daily use for a good 2 years now and can certainly recommend it (check online for deals though)

Dyson are and have always been (IMO) plastic tat and it is beyond me why they are so loved ?