[email protected] wrote:
[snip]
>
> One thing that you can deduce from the Consumer Affairs complaint
bureau is that there is no misery greater than an appliance that is a
lemon from the day you get it, and that if you are unlucky enough to
get one of these, you will be shunned by the manufacturer and lied to
by repairmen who tell you you have misused the appliance by having your
water too hot. too cold, or too hard, the wrong kind of detergent, or
dishes that are not sufficiently dirty. All repairs will cost as much
as a new dishwasher. Meanwhile, other people will be deliriously happy
with the same appliance.
I'm horrified at the thought of finding myself in this position. The
way we get round it is to buy through a retailer who has the strength to
stand up to the manufacturers and the repairers, and the motivation to
maintain their own reputation for quality service by doing so. After
all, you might only buy a limited number of items from any manufacturer
in your lifetime, while a national retailer could buy thousands over
many years. In our case, we go to John Lewis, from whom we have bought
all the domestic machines I mentioned in my earlier post, as well as our
fridge/freezer and gas cooker, (and television and my laptop, among
other gadgets).
The only thing that has ever given us a problem was the fridge, which
went wrong in the first weeks. It also had an alarm that went off
whenever the internal temperature of the fridge or the freezer
compartment was too warm. This alarm would go off at any time of the
day or night, and we had to leave it sounding because the only way to
stop it was to turn off the whole thing, thus ruining the food stored in
the compartment that was still working at the right temperature, but
leavin it on ruined our sleep. Since the fridge freezer was still well
inside the shop's (legally required, I think - not paid for by us), two
year guarantee period, they sent round repair people at once and without
charge. On the third time this happened, they simply offered to replace
it. We accepted their offer, and received a bigger, better
fridge/freezer the next day, with no extra charges at all. Last year,
when a part in the fridge's works wore out, we went back to the repair
company used by John Lewis, since they had proved themselves honest and
reliable. They found the problem and fixed it on the spot, and we have
had no further trouble.
This kind of service is not reflected in the price we paid for the
goods. John Lewis have always used their famous slogan, "never
knowingly undersold". If you find the same thing for sale more cheaply
anywhere else, they will match the price: I've tested this, and it's
true. "Value for money" is not the same as "cheapest". By the way,
this is not the same as the "never knowingly undersold" sevice offered
by retailers such as Curry's. I was told, (by a senior person with the
Citizen's Advice Bureau, but some time ago - so the policy may have
changed), that you have to prove that the price you've found elsewhere
is for exactly the same model. The trick is that the retailers have a
deal with the manufacturers to produce models especially for them,
(usually a very basic model), with its own exclusive model number. My
C.A.B. friend also warned me that they had more complaints about the
service received from Curry's than about any other - again, it was quite
a while ago, so this may have changed. (But I doubt it.)
So - my message is: get the power of a bigger, stronger outfit to help
you, and reward them by buying your goods through them. When we wanted
to add more insulation to our home, I was desperate to avoid the
situation of my neighbour. When she had cavity wall insulation and loft
insulation put in, the clumsy installers damaged her outside wall and
fell through her bedroom ceiling - and she had to argue for months
before they would do any repairs. So I went to Marks and Spencer's.
After all, any company with a contract with M&S has a lot more
motivation to do a good job and correct problems quickly than a company
with a contract with me alone!
Wishing you all the very best of luck with all your household buys,
Linda Walton,
(in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, U.K, where it's a calm morning and
the sky the delightful pale blue of a hen's egg, {the Old Cotswold
Legbar egg I'm boiling for my breakfast}. But although we're promised
"heavy rain and severe gales" next week, I'm tucked up safe with a cosy
lace pillow - hope you are too!).
To unsubscribe send email to [email protected] containing the line:
unsubscribe lace-chat [email protected]. For help, write to
[email protected].
