Having read your articles about the potential fire risk of Whirlpool tumble dryers, I contacted the firm to see if my Hotpoint machine was part of the recall. I had been told previously it was not, but decided to double-check. It said it had made a mistake and that it did require a fix – in itself not impressive.
When I booked an engineer, however, I was told I would have to cover the parking costs at my flat, which I think adds insult to injury. It’s not a huge amount but I objected on principle.
This is appalling customer service and may put off people from organising an essential modification for a potentially serious fire risk. Also, why should I have to pay for something that is a fault in Hotpoint’s manufacturing process? I would have thought Whirlpool would be trying to repair its reputation rather than passing on costs to customers. CE, Edinburgh
The irony is that if you had taken up the offer of a new machine for £99 you would not have had to pay parking for the delivery van. We have been following this situation closely for the past year and also question the way Whirlpool is treating customers whose machines could burst into flames.
We contacted the company, which has agreed to waive the parking charge. It said in a statement: “The safety of consumers is our number one priority, which is why we work hard to resolve all customer matters as quickly as we can. Our customer services team has contacted CE and can confirm that her concerns have been addressed.”
What about everyone else though? There must be numerous customers whose machines have to be modified but who live in built-up centres and don’t necessarily have free parking outside their homes.
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