Repair 3 year old faulty dishwasher or replace

Sounds like there is not alot wrong really.
Its not worth fixing anything of this price if you pay engineer call out and typically inflated part prices although would still be alot less than a new machine.
On the other hand if it needed a door lock or door lock adjusted and a new rotating arm, and you could do it yourself,
You could could have it like new for a small fraction of the cost of a new one.

relax carry on wrote: »

So I've a three year old SMEG dishwasher which has gone faulty over the last few weeks. Part of the lower rotating arm keeps coming off during cycles. But more importantly most cycles keep stopping with only the power button left on. If you open the door and close it really forcefully the options to continue the cycle come up. If you keep going with the cycle it will probably cut out again. The only way we can get it to work at all is to restart the cycle on the fastest and lowest temperature setting.

The dishwasher was 440 euro new. To replace would probably be about 400 euro again. Is it worth the expense of trying to repair or is it just as cost effective to replace? Help.

Contact the retailer you bought it from first, see if they will cover the replacement, repair or a refund of some of the cost. A dishwasher should be reasonably expected to last more than 3 years

If they tell you to contact manufacturers advise the contract is between you and the retailer.

If they still refuse a remedy lodge a case with the Small Claims, cost is 25e.

Rows Grower wrote: »

In fairness lads I don't think the OP has a hope of winning a small claims court case, Smeg are a great make but they don't give a 3 year warranty.
I have a few Smeg bits here in the kitchen and haven't had a bother from any of them but I wouldn't be thinking of the small claims court if anything did go wrong and they were out of warranty.
Plenty stuff on Youtube these days for anyone anyway handy to fix stuff themselves and most of the time it's a common fault that's fairly easy and cheap to fix.

Forget the word warranty, it has nothing to do with your consumer rights.

OP, while I would gladly suggest SCC like the others, just be mindful that any award will take account of the amount of use you've already had from the product. So say a washer is reasonably expected to last 6 years and cost €450, SCC judges tend to do a simple 450/6 = 1 year depreciation so after 3 years at best you'd get awarded half the value. That's then up to you whether it's worth it to pursue.

theteal wrote: »

Forget the word warranty, it has nothing to do with your consumer rights.

OP, while I would gladly suggest SCC like the others, just be mindful that any award will take account of the amount of use you've already had from the product. So say a washer is reasonably expected to last 6 years and cost €450, SCC judges tend to do a simple 450/6 = 1 year depreciation so after 3 years at best you'd get awarded half the value. That's then up to you whether it's worth it to pursue.

That's the only grounds a case like this could be brought before the Small Claims Court.

Where in the name of God are you getting your information from?

GIMP, I didn't say it was a fact.

I specifically mentioned it was my opinion.

How old was the electrical item, what was the fault, what percentage of the purchase price were you awarded, what brand was it, was the case contested?

GIMP wrote: »

It was contested, it was an LG tv and was repairable and I would have been happy with a repair. Tv was 2.5 years old and we got awarded roughly 80% of purchase price. It was a no brainer. Many retailers rely on customer inertia and this was completed during this pandemic.

Jesus, I'm shocked at that result to be honest.

So you got to keep a repairable TV that was well out of warranty and you got back nearly the full price?

Fair play to ya (and the Judge).

Everyday's a school day.

Rows Grower wrote: »

That's the only grounds a case like this could be brought before the Small Claims Court.

Where in the name of God are you getting your information from?

What grounds? A manufacturers warranty has zero to do with consumer rights and the sales of goods act. I'd go as far as to describe a warranty as merely a marketing tool.

Rows Grower wrote: »

Jesus, I'm shocked at that result to be honest.

So you got to keep a repairable TV that was well out of warranty and you got back nearly the full price?

Fair play to ya (and the Judge).

Everyday's a school day.

As others have said 'warranty' as described by manufacturer or retailer is irrelevant under Irish law.

The fact the tv was repairable or not was of no consequence to me, bottom line I was sold a product that did not fulfil its use for a reasonable period of time.

The Judgement was black and white, the retailer did not comply with the Sale of Goods Act and made zero attempt to do so and acted with arrogance in my opinion in the way they dealt with us.

Btw the tv has been recycled and a new one bought with the proceeds of the case.

relax carry on wrote: »

That's what I'm afraid of. The arm that's coming off in the cycle would just be a simple replacement but I literally haven't a clue what is causing the cycle to keep stopping. I've googled the make and model and still have the troubleshooting manual. There is nothing online that seems to cover the issue.

Is there anything that tells you to stop using the machine when the warning alarm sound is activated?

relax carry on wrote: »

Nope. The manual says I should see a sequence of flashing lights which I could then use to diagnose what it is. The beeping with no lights isn't mentioned anywhere so I've no idea what it could be.

Relax, carry on, would be my advice.

Terms and conditions apply.

GIMP wrote: »

Would you stop would you? I was LUCKY!! Read up on some consumer law, the Sale of Goods and Supply of Services act has been around since 1980. Judgement is based on plenty precetent and a tried and tested piece of legislation.

Okeydokey.

Small claims will generally side with the consumer - I worked for an electrical retailer for over 10 years and have seen this in action. In saying that, if the case is weak, they will throw it out.

That said, there are a multitude of variables to ascertain if the product was of merchantable quality. It depends on use, how it was cared for, was it properly installed, being used correctly, worn parts that weren't replaced etc - the onus is on the retailer to prove these however. They may ask to inspect the product in question.

There are no absolutes in the SCC and it really depends on whether a retailer is willing to fight it - most don't bother. My advice would be to contact the retailer, state your case and see what they offer. If they fob you off, then mention the SCC and why you feel this should be brought before it. Be reasonable in your expectations though. The dishwasher should last longer than 3 years but if you live in a hard water area, they may raise this as the reason for the lower product life.