Over a year ago, Whirlpool informed my parents-in-law that their tumble dryer was a potential fire hazard and required a safety modification. Since then they have been waiting for a technician. They are both in their late 90s and were frightened to use it in the meantime, so this has caused considerable inconvenience.
When an appointment was finally made, the technician said the machine needed to be replaced but we could take advantage of a special offer of £49.99 for a new one. We subsequently heard nothing. When I rang days later I was told that the £49.99 offer had been withdrawn and it would now cost £99.99.
I refused to pay and arranged another engineer’s appointment to complete the modification. This means that a full 13 months on, two very vulnerable nonagenarians remain at risk.
JT, Durham
Whirlpool’s woeful response to the fault suspected of causing some tumble dryers to burst into flames made headlines again last month, when after months of pressure from the London fire brigade it finally instructed owners of the affected models to not use them. Previously, customers were merely told not to leave them on unattended until the modification was carried out.
It is a disgrace that your vulnerable parents-in-law were obliged to live with a potentially dangerous dryer for what eventually became 14 months. It’s equally worse that when you arranged a second appointment to carry out the modification, the technician failed to turn up.
Whirlpool says: “The safety of consumers is our number one priority which is why we work hard to resolve all customer matters as quickly and efficiently as we can. We looked into these customers’ case and have addressed their concerns.”
It declines to answer why they were kept waiting so long or why the discount was withdrawn.
However, a fortnight after I contacted the press office, your parents-in-law were sent a cheque for £50 and a reference number to order a £99.99 dryer, which means they will effectively have the replacement at the initially promised price.
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