Meridian Unplugged - Powered by MrTechGuy.co.uk Forums Discussion Off Topic Coffee Machine Suggestions

It's a shame John Lewis aren't what they used to be.

We bought a £1300 Samsung fridge two years ago that started making unusual noises just before the two year warranty expired, but we weren't able to record the (intermittent) noise it was making until after the warranty had expired. When I spoke to them last weekend, John Lewis weren't in the slightest bit interested and when I mentioned consumer rights, their answer was 'well, if you want to take the legal route, send us a letter'.

Might as well have saved the money and gone to Currys That would have paid for most of the repair or paid for an extended warranty!

PS Apparently, a failed fan unit is a known fault with R68 and R69 fridges and Samsung have since redesigned the part.

The cottage we often stay at has a Samsung Fridge/Freezer: it ‘sings’ tunes at varying volume levels throughout every day we stay there.

By comparison, our 11+ year-old Miele freezer remains whisper quiet - even on the hottest day.

I'm a huge fan of Miele, they just keep working.

Ha! Miele are supposedly designed to last 20 years. I don’t think so.

* Pump on our Miele B2C machine failed twice in 4 years. Covered under warranty.
* Our first Miele Oven failed after 6 months. Replacement electronics costing £1,500 (under warranty).
* A £200 component then failed on the same Oven after 8 years. It was deemed ‘uneconomic to repair’ by our extended warranty company (DomGen), who then paid £2,200 to replace the Oven.
* The tub on our Miele dishwasher failed/leaked after 8 years. 100% replacement DomGen policy gave us a £2,000 replacement.
* The bushes wore on our Miele Heat Pump Tumble Dryer. Replacement cost: £8.00, under warranty.

So, why buy Miele. The direct Miele repair guys actually give a damn. We used to buy Bosch white goods, but they all literally fell apart. The exchange value on our DomGen policy was 30% (not 100%, as with Miele) - and when the third-party Bosch repair guys did show up they typically exhibited a belligerent attitude.

That 100% Miele replacement extended warranty cover is worth its weight in Gold.

I wonder whether I've been very lucky, or you have been very unlucky!

I ran a Miele washing machine for 15 years before I passed it on when moving house (and bought another, which has been faultless for five years so far), a fridge for five years without fault (but early days compared to how long I expect it to last) and same for the tumble dryer and dishwasher. My father's washing machine got to 20 years and outlived him!

The only thing from them I bought that ever broke was a vacuum cleaner that got to 17 years before a temp cleaner came in and managed to rip the live wires out of the head/brush unit (this was the same cleaner that managed to knock a heavy, glass shower door off its hinges the same day and left as if nothing had happened!).

I never thought to take out an extended warranty, but I might in future...

When visiting the newly opened Miele experience centre in Solihull, the German Miele representative informed me that due to recent changes in UK law Miele (and other manufacturers) were no longer permitted to offer anything longer than an initial 12 month warranty on their goods.

My Miele Freezer was supplied with a 10 year warranty, and my Miele B2C machine had a 5 year warranty, for example. Now, the only way to protect yourself is to buy an annual D+G insurance/repair protection for each appliance. Or, you can take out their ‘kitchen cover’ for up to 5 appliances. From experience, if buying Miele, and an item becomes ‘uneconomic to repair’, D+G will offer a 100% replacement cost for the latest equivalent item, so long as you choose to annually renew the policy.

This is more favourable than Centrica’s Kitchen Cover, that, irrespective of the brand, only offers a 30% replacement contribution within 3 years of original purchase..

Very useful to know, thanks.

On the topic of being 'no longer permitted to offer anything longer than an initial 12 month warranty', I have to say this sounds odd. I've never known UK law to restrict warranty periods and I suspect someone got the wrong end of the stick when Miele decided that they no longer needed to adhere to the longer 24 month warranty they had to when we were in the EU.

Buy from John Lewis if you want a 2 year warranty as standard.

Miele have a 2 yr standard warranty.

And, as I recently learnt, don't buy from John Lewis if you expect them to adhere to consumer rights laws without a fight

I purchased my last batch of discounted Miele appliances (Fridge, integrated Microwave/Oven, and Warming Drawer) from Marks Electrical in Leicester.

A, B, and C graded appliances can be purchased from the Miele Outlet in Abingdon. Prices change/update almost daily. Discounts on the A grade appliances compared to retail can be substantial.

Cant go wrong with any of the sage machines