Kitchen appliances - 3/4 broken

Rockin

Hi Guys

Just wanted to hear the boards view on this one,

I got a kitchen installed in 2013, 1 year parts/labour warranty.

2014, 2015 (x2) dishwasher broke. 2017 - still not working 100%
2015 oven broke. Never heats fully (checked with a thermometer)

Now I've returned home from holiday and the fridge has turned off with a red temperature alert light. All that's left working is the hob.

Is 4/5 years really the expected lifespan for these whitegoods ? I'm at the end of my tether paying for call outs from the company. I'm shocked at the poor quality.

Is there really any room for redress ?

Thanks guys

(appliance-less) Rockin

coylemj

You obviously bought the appliances from the kitchen company - what brands are we talking about?

Did you not consider shopping around and buying them yourself? Built-in appliances are all more or less the same size - 60cm wide and deep enough for any kitchen so there is no issue about buying them yourself. The kitchen company is all about shifting white goods on which they get good commission, I can't see how they can undercut DID, Harvey Norman etc. on mainstream brands like Neff, Bosch, Siemens etc. unless they sell inferior brands which I suspect is what happened to you

Rockin

coylemj wrote: »

You obviously bought the appliances from the kitchen company - what brands are we talking about?

Did you not consider shopping around and buying them yourself? Built-in appliances are all more or less the same size - 60cm wide and deep enough for any kitchen so there is no issue about buying them yourself. The kitchen company is all about shifting white goods on which they get good commission, I can't see how they can undercut DID, Harvey Norman etc. on mainstream brands like Neff, Bosch, Siemens etc. unless they sell inferior brands which I suspect is what happened to you

Every single one - Nordmende.

I considered it at the time, but guess I'm left dealing with the poor quality years later!

happywithlife

I would think they are lesser quality products and you'll unfortunately learn a hard lesson. At the very best I'd hazard a guess you might get a partial refund but it'd certainly cost more in time effort patience and tears than its monetary value and even at that it'd be a very slim chance. I'd cut my losses and start replacing items rather than repairing- saving up in between times and keeping an eye out for sales

L1011

Nordemende sell rebranded Turkish equipment - its not the brand it was in the 80s.

I would absolutely go through small claims for this if the retailer is not forthcoming with assistance (which it seems they aren't). The total is likely to be around or over the 2k limit though, but as these are seperate items and you would likely not get full value anyway, you could legitimately get the claim value under 2k easily enough.

Rockin

L1011 wrote: »

Nordemende sell rebranded Turkish equipment - its not the brand it was in the 80s.

I would absolutely go through small claims for this if the retailer is not forthcoming with assistance (which it seems they aren't). The total is likely to be around or over the 2k limit though, but as these are seperate items and you would likely not get full value anyway, you could legitimately get the claim value under 2k easily enough.

I agree, however, not sure how SCC works. Is it a cash award ?
Does one serve the retailer or the service provider ?

L1011

Award depends on the judge. Full replacement units could be awarded also but I'd expect cash to a depreciated amount of the cost.

Its always the retailer

Rockin

L1011 wrote: »

Award depends on the judge. Full replacement units could be awarded also but I'd expect cash to a depreciated amount of the cost.

Its always the retailer

Thanks L1011, I've been dealing with the service agent/ nordmende since the beginning (after purchase). Is it really right that the retailer takes the hit ?

njs030

Rockin wrote: »

Thanks L1011, I've been dealing with the service agent/ nordmende since the beginning (after purchase). Is it really right that the retailer takes the hit ?

Your contract is between you and the retailer so that's who you should have been dealing with all along. Have you contacted them at all?

Rockin

notjustsweet wrote: »

Your contract is between you and the retailer so that's who you should have been dealing with all along. Have you contacted them at all?

I've put everything to them originally, but they referred my letters etc to the manufacturer / their service provider in Ireland.

ssmith6287

id imagine your contract is with who you bought them from. If you bought froma retailer then go through them. If you bought from a kitchen company then go through them

L1011

Rockin wrote: »

Thanks L1011, I've been dealing with the service agent/ nordmende since the beginning (after purchase). Is it really right that the retailer takes the hit ?

Its the law - contract is with the retailer.

Rockin

L1011 wrote: »

Its the law - contract is with the retailer.

Thanks Everyone ! Let's hope there's some success out of this.

Word of warning for anyone ever buying Nordmende products (or searching Boards). Steer Clear!!!

Outkast_IRE

Nordmende stuff is a heap of crap. Its grand till it stops working and then when it does its impossible to get parts. My parents got nordmende stuff with the kitchen they were fitting and had the dishwasher replaced still in warranty, washing machine lasted less than 5 years, hob less than 5 years, Oven less than 5 years.

Well worth spending a few extra quid on decent kitchen equipment with a longer warranty.

Rockin

Outkast_IRE wrote: »

Nordmende stuff is a heap of crap. Its grand till it stops working and then when it does its impossible to get parts. My parents got nordmende stuff with the kitchen they were fitting and had the dishwasher replaced still in warranty, washing machine lasted less than 5 years, hob less than 5 years, Oven less than 5 years.

Well worth spending a few extra quid on decent kitchen equipment with a longer warranty.

100% true.

njs030

Rockin wrote: »

I've put everything to them originally, but they referred my letters etc to the manufacturer / their service provider in Ireland.

They shouldn't have done that and you didn't know but you should have insisted they deal with it. Too many retailers try this stunt and get away with it.
You can go back to them now and let them know you want them to sort it out within a reasonable amount of time or you'll take a case to the account.

CeilingFly

Nordmende is just a brand name - the original and excellent NordMende group that made superb TV's was closed many years ago.

KAL http://www.kal.ie/ a company based in Citywest bought the rights to use the name Nordmende and they simply stick it on any cheap kitchen goods and pass it off as a "brand".

KAL are part of the Gowan Group - so fairly big operation http://www.gowangroup.ie/

Its also acceptable for a retailer to ask you to deal direct with the manufacturer/distributor directly, but this does not affect your statutory rights to hold the retailer responsible - it just shortens the communication line and in most cases makes the solution a lot easier and quicker.

So I'd continue dealing with KAL, but if no success after a final try, inform the company you paid for the the goods that you have not had a satisfactory outcome and under statutory consumer legislation you wish for that company to rectify the issue within 14 days or you will loo at taking a small claims procedure.

Rockin

CeilingFly wrote: »

Nordmende is just a brand name - the original and excellent NordMende group that made superb TV's was closed many years ago.

KAL http://www.kal.ie/ a company based in Citywest bought the rights to use the name Nordmende and they simply stick it on any cheap kitchen goods and pass it off as a "brand".

KAL are part of the Gowan Group - so fairly big operation http://www.gowangroup.ie/

Its also acceptable for a retailer to ask you to deal direct with the manufacturer/distributor directly, but this does not affect your statutory rights to hold the retailer responsible - it just shortens the communication line and in most cases makes the solution a lot easier and quicker.

So I'd continue dealing with KAL, but if no success after a final try, inform the company you paid for the the goods that you have not had a satisfactory outcome and under statutory consumer legislation you wish for that company to rectify the issue within 14 days or you will loo at taking a small claims procedure.

Thanks everyone for all the help.

Appreciate it.

coylemj

CeilingFly wrote: »

KAL http://www.kal.ie/ a company based in Citywest bought the rights to use the name Nordmende and they simply stick it on any cheap kitchen goods and pass it off as a "brand".

+1 this is common practice and has been so for many years - resurrecting 'heritage' brands to fool inspire confidence in consumers.

Argos bought the 'Bush' brand name which you will now find mainly on TVs made in China.

Beko's parent Arcelik has been snapping up old reliable brand names for the past few years to get around the suspicion that people have about the Beko brand so they're now able to stick labels like Blomberg and Grundig on some of their premium products. And of course if you lookup those brands' websites, they will brag about how many years they have been manufacturing while conveniently omitting to mention the several years that the brand names spent in the bottom drawer of the receivers who liquidated the original companies.

Markcheese

What's the reasonable life expectancy of kitchen appliances..?
They're 4 years old now.. Can you reasonably expect them to be under warranty?
. . I assume if the importer can offer to fix the items. But at who's expense?

L1011

Markcheese wrote: »

What's the reasonable life expectancy of kitchen appliances..?
They're 4 years old now.. Can you reasonably expect them to be under warranty?
. . I assume if the importer can offer to fix the items. But at who's expense?

Significantly more than 4 years for this type of appliance. Warranties are different to consumer rights.

davo10

Just to clarify op, did you buy the appliances from the retailer direct, or did the kitchen company supply them and you paid the kitchen company?

davo10

L1011 wrote: »

Significantly more than 4 years for this type of appliance. Warranties are different to consumer rights.

It's a common misconception that electrical appliances are supposed to last a minimum 6 years, just because you have 6 years from purchase to make a claim. White goods these days are a heck of a lot cheaper than they used to be, they are nearly not worth fixing as it's not that much more expensive to buy a replacement. Cheap/crappy brands like Nordmende are not going to last a long time, there are better brands, more reliable, but consequently more expensive.

After 4 years, SCC could go either way.

Melendez

This post has been deleted.

L1011

davo10 wrote: »

It's a common misconception that electrical appliances are supposed to last a minimum 6 years, just because you have 6 years from purchase to make a claim. White goods these days are a heck of a lot cheaper than they used to be, they are nearly not worth fixing as it's not that much more expensive to buy a replacement. Cheap/crappy brands like Nordmende are not going to last a long time, there are better brands, more reliable, but consequently more expensive.

After 4 years, SCC could go either way.

I'm fully aware of that.

The OP has history of sequential failures and repairs going back to significantly earlier in the life of the appliances.

If you are unable to make white goods that last 5+ years under normal use, you should not be making (or rebadging in this case) them at all.

davo10

L1011 wrote: »

If you are unable to make white goods that last 5+ years under normal use, you should not be making (or rebadging in this case) them at all.

I'm sure they would argue that to make them more reliable and long lasting, more expensive materials and parts would need to be used significantly increasing the cost per unit. But you go ahead and tell them they shouldn't be in business.

The J Stands for Jay

coylemj wrote: »

Beko's parent Arcelik has been snapping up old reliable brand names for the past few years to get around the suspicion that people have about the Beko brand so they're now able to stick labels like Blomberg and Grundig on some of their premium products. And of course if you lookup those brands' websites, they will brag about how many years they have been manufacturing while conveniently omitting to mention the several years that the brand names spent in the bottom drawer of the receivers who liquidated the original companies.

What's the quality of the Beko goods like? I've somehow picked up the notion that they're good quality but cheap as they're trying to establish their brand (no idea why I think that).

L1011

davo10 wrote: »

But you go ahead and tell them they shouldn't be in business.

From an environmental perspective, they shouldn't be.

coylemj

McGaggs wrote: »

What's the quality of the Beko goods like? I've somehow picked up the notion that they're good quality but cheap as they're trying to establish their brand (no idea why I think that).

Mixed reviews and then there's the self-igniting dryers. My sister bought a Beko oven from one of the major electrical chains, she must have looked a bit sceptical and needed reassurance so the salesman told her that it was made in Germany which was a blatant lie.

coylemj

davo10 wrote: »

Just to clarify op, did you buy the appliances from the retailer direct, or did the kitchen company supply them and you paid the kitchen company?

OP hasn't stated it explicitly but if you follow his posts you will gather that there was no electrical store involved, all the appliances were supplied by the kitchen company so legally they are the 'retailer'.

Rockin

Thanks for all the input guys. Still waiting on a reply.

Does anyone know if I have to accept a repair etc ? (Does this preclude a small claim?)

I'd much prefer to put some money to it and get proper appliances (lesson learned!)

whiterebel

Rockin wrote: »

Thanks for all the input guys. Still waiting on a reply.

Does anyone know if I have to accept a repair etc ? (Does this preclude a small claim?)

I'd much prefer to put some money to it and get proper appliances (lesson learned!)

They can offer you either of the 3 Rs - Repair, replace or refund. You don't have to accept what they offer, but take into account how it might look to a judge in the SCC.

L1011

Rockin wrote: »

Thanks for all the input guys. Still waiting on a reply.

Does anyone know if I have to accept a repair etc ? (Does this preclude a small claim?)

I'd much prefer to put some money to it and get proper appliances (lesson learned!)

Repair has to be effective/permanent, which it most likely won't be here going on experience.

Rockin

Quick update. They've offered replacement appliances at a big discount. Caveat - they're all Nordmende - eeek

Anyone think SCC and use the cash to put towards a proper brand might be a better idea ?

I don't fancy coming back to this whole thing again when they break in 3 years, just after the warranty ends.

filbert the fox

My washing machine went bang yesterday.

Thought I'd check out the date of purchase in case I'd registered for an extended guarantee.


The yoke is 10 years old! Bosch. cost €357 then. Just replaced with another Bosch - €299.95 yehhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!