Plc and heater sensor replaced on BHDW129 hotpoint washer/drier.
Only had the machine 18months, hotpoint engineer said this can happen anytime and couldnt say if this was a manufacturing default.
Could anyone tell me if this could be classed as a manufacturing default after such a short time of service?

caroline, December 2010

things should last a reasonable length of time.the definition of this is very sketchy.If you have the money to take them to court then do it as you have a good case HOWEVER this will cost you and thats what these manufacturers hide behind hoping people will not take them to task due to cost

Steph, December 2010

You mean a manufacturing fault rather than default - A manufacturing fault is when a piece or assembly is made not according to specification - something went wrong with a process.

In your instance you plainly do NOT have a manufacturing fault - the machine worked from new without error - some time later a component failed - if the machine is still covered by warranty you can have the vendor - the people who took your money - resolve the problem for you.

As for the component(s) that failed they may have been manufactured with a flaw in them that caused them to fail prematurely - but this is not a manufacturing fault. In a mass production environment some items will fail prematurely and others will go on seemingly forever. It costs money to provide greater reliability and many manufacturers buy their component parts on cost rather than reliability.

Hotpoint is not necessarily the most expensive brand - I doubt that you have a claim on anybody.

You seem to have had bad-luck - something failed prematurely but probably just outside the warranty period so you may not be covered.

I have a vague awareness of recent EU consumer protection legislation that gives up to three years's warranty - you may wish to look into it.

Good luck...

Peccavi, December 2010