Miele over the top

[Laird]

Bought a new Miele under-the counter kitchen freezer, just over 2 years ago.
The very complicated door hinge stopped closing as it should and the 2 year warranty finished a few months ago.
Freezers with doors that don't close properly have to be fixed, so I get the local agent out.
The damage...
2x door hinges - 51.20 each
Service visit - 90+ - we live a bit rural - + time on job (20 minutes) etc
+ VAT
Total bill 280.

I x-checked with the main Miele office and they confirmed the prices.

And the hinges weren't made of precious metal.

[Someone-Else]

That's why you often see old freezers dumped, cheaper to buy a new one. Our under the counter one has packed up, its just sits there collecting dust. I never wanted on like that in the first place, but S.W.M.B.O. wanted one.

[Inky Pete]

Even though the 2 year warranty has just expired I'd still be writing to Miele insisting that they reimburse you for this bill.

Quote Sale of Goods Act which requires products to be "fit for purpose" which includes reasonable durability. An expensive, top end brand freezer should definitely NOT suffer failed door hinges after only a couple of years!

[Razor]

I'm with Stinky

See if you can find your freezer on the John Lewis site:

As with all Miele products, it’s built to stand the test of time, having been tested extensively to last for up to 20 years. This freezer has a right hand hinge. The F9212I can stand alone or be paired up with its matching fridge, the K 9212 i.

http://www.johnlewis.com/miele-f9212i-i ... de/p813351

Taking the pish if they say it's engineered for twenty years and it only lasts two

[ultimatehandyman]

You should also write a review of the item.

Make sure that when you write the review you title it "Miele (exact model number) review" and post it in the forum.

That way people will find the post and can read the review before making a decision to purchase it

[happy handyman]

We had our freezer break down a couple of months out of warranty , several phone call did the trick.....re-imbursed us for food lost , allowed us to buy a smaller fridge while ours was being diagnosed, then replaced it with a new one......we did some research on the net and apparently there had been a problem with thus model ......so don't give in, it's a good company and will honour their promises.......once you get them on the back foot !

Chez is correct in you writing a review as might help others .......without someone leaving reviews and telling us about the problems they had with their fridge......we wouldn't have known !

[Laird]

Good advice. Thanks.
I am going to chase them.

[wine~o]

The freezer probably will last 20+ years..the Hinges ??

[BillyGoat]

The freezer probably will last 20+ years..the Hinges ??

Can the appliance function without a working door? No, so it's part and parcel of the claim.

If they were consumable hinges, which they are not, then that might be different.

If the hinges are not included, where does their responsibility stop?

Electonics break - replace
Hinges break - replace
compressor goes - replace
Seals go - replace

Is that not a new freezer almost?

BG

[wine~o]

The freezer probably will last 20+ years..the Hinges ??

Can the appliance function without a working door? No, so it's part and parcel of the claim.

If they were consumable hinges, which they are not, then that might be different.

If the hinges are not included, where does their responsibility stop?

Electonics break - replace
Hinges break - replace
compressor goes - replace
Seals go - replace

Is that not a new freezer almost?BG

I've really got to start reading posts more carefully............


I read it as an integrated freezer...not a n under counter jobbie...and assumed that the hinges were seperate to the freezer...

[moderator6]

Perhaps they test them for twenty years but never open the door

[Laird]

I have written a letter to the General Manager Miele, which I'll post today.
It includes the '20 years trouble free operation' statement which I quoted from the John Lewis site.
A freezer with a door that doesn't close is useless. There's no question about it.
I expect that Miele's quality control procedures are at fault. I have suggested that he should review them. The routine procedures probably focus on every other 'important/critical' part of the freezer and pay only scant attention to something as mundane as the door hinge, which I guess is bought in from an external supplier, who does little routine quality control. Under ISO QC procedures, if you buy in components to use in your own manufacturing process, it is sufficient to request from your supplier a copy of his ISO certification, and in that way you are covered. He does the QC. Of course, when you receive a delivery to your own plant, you should inspect a sample of the component yourself against your own specifications for acceptance/rejection. My guess is that Miele scarcely bother to look at these hinges when they arrive in the factory.
Let's see what they decide to do, and I hope it includes a refund...

[Blakey]

Only just read this thread if you get no joy from miele, get in touch with the supplier and ask about the sale of goods act, The Sale of Goods Act gives us 6 years to claim for faulty appliances.
Worth a google, too much stuff to cut and paste, but worked for me with a fridge freezer from John Lewis that packed up after 3 years

[Laird]

Blakey - Thanks. I didn't know about the Sale of Goods Act.
I just looked at it on the Which site, and it looks like a viable Plan B.
Since I wrote to Miele only a week ago, and am waiting for a response, should I wait before contacting the retailer I bought the freezer from, with a Sale of Goods claim, or should I go ahead with it before hearing from Miele, and claim on both channels in parallel?
It is possible that Miele might keep me waiting weeks before they respond, so perhaps I should start to put in a claim with the retailer.
No doubt they will pass it on to Miele anyway, so the two channels will eventually meet up on someone's desk. I don't want to be compensated twice, just the once is all I am looking for.

[BillyGoat]

I thought the claim was with the entity that sold the goods - John Lewis? They often say 'it's the manufacturers fault' when YOUR contract is with the person from whom you purchased the goods.

You wouldn't buy a TV from JL and then call up Sony to complain about it?