HOTPOINT !!

[chas2008]

hotpoint dishwasher lasted 2.5 years (previous Zanussi 12 years) , fridge freezer 4 years (previous electrolux 14 years) !! a combined waste of £650 , just me or is this normal for Hotpoint ??

[B00]

I'd say its normal for electrical stuff period.

I remember when things like TV's would last for 20+ years, now if they last 5 you're lucky.

[bednobs]

me too. I have a kettle and electric whisk thing that my parents had for an engagement present which are still working fine (they have been married for 43 years)

however, my sister has just had to replace her kettle AGAIN after six months (after having the previous one for about 18 months)

[bednobs]

And i have spent about £300 on washing machine repairs in the last 3 years, and when the repair man left this time he said "see you soon"!

[ummmm]

I thought that electrical items are expected to last 5 years.

[theshedman]

Hi chas, Hotpoint is now part of Indesit and the stuff doesn't seem to last as long. I have Hotpoint fridge freezer and am now on 3rd lot of therostats and it still isn't that great and very noisy. I had a Cannon gas cooker which worked fine for over 10 years with no problems at all. Bought new Cannon stove this year thinking last one was really good quality so should be ok. Cannon is now owned by Indesit and I have had nothing but trouble with this one. Had Hotpoint engineers out at least 10 times and am now on the 3rd cooker. Even when they replaced things it was the same things going wrong with it. Unless things start to improve with them I will look elsewhere the next time I have to buy kitchen equipment. Ps this cooker is working fine so far touch wood lol.

[Misky]

I think these things are generally made now to be replaced, as opposed to being made to last. It probably all boils down to money, if we didn't have to replace things every few years, they wouldn't sell as many. It took me three washing machines, two fridge-freezers and countless irons and kettles to decide this is how it is.

[chas2008]

im led to believe all there products are now made in Poland...that may be part of the problem.

[theshedman]

Yes my Cannon cooker is made in Poland. The engineers said all the Indesit, Hotpoint and Cannon cookers are made there. The build quality of the new stuff isn't as good as it was when I purchased the last one.

[secsee1]

Don't know anything about dishwashers but I work for a company that makes the white plastic insides for fridges & freezers and can tell you that the plastic they are thermoformed from nowadays has a life of only 3 years before it starts to biodegrade
and break down eventually loosing all of it's insulating properties.

[chas2008]

cheers for that secsee1, nice avatar !

having googled both products it appears there are no end of serious issues with Hotpoint/Indesit and my 2 were no isolated cases.

[Old_Geezer]

Price is so important these days. Customers can not really judge quality at the time of purchase, they need to have used the product for years first, so although many would value quality if they had faith in a constant quality/price ratio, they go for what appears to be value (i.e. low price) instead.

This encourages companies to cut corners qualitywise to compete on price, so all we tend to get is stuff made to last the guarantee period only. Result: a throw away society at a time we are all supposed to be encouraged to be "greener" for the sake of the planet. Oh, and jobs being exported to low wage/low cost societies, with consequential loss of jobs/wealth for the higher wage countries.

Not sure what can break the viscous circle; until we find a company brave enough to use local labour and materials where they can, and charge a premium, and get a reputation for their product. And not then decide to cash in on their rep by dropping the quality after a few years. I'm not holding my breath.

[LoftyLottie]

Just another sign of the times and our throw away society. We don't expect things to last any more and just expect to replace them. Even if things are OK we replace them when fashions changes, and we throw away our partners just as easily too. I would love the stability of the 50's and 60's back again where things lasted, homes stayed the same and families stuck together.

Sorry I needed a rant.

[Hawkwalk]

I have a hotpoint washing machine that is 3 years old and made in the UK so not all from Poland. I dont think where it is made is the problem, just the components it is made from. I too have problems with Hotpoint and they are all too quick to offer extended cover. I wont be buying Hotpoint again.

[WILLWONKER]

And then they wonder why we are running out of land fill sites.

[grasscarp]

I managed to win a Zanussi washing machine and it still going strong after more than 10 years, a change of house, and much usage (including a lodger who used to use it several times a day). My mother had one Hotpoint that lasted many many years.

[buildersmate]

Miele don't provide a 5 year warranty in the belief they are going to lose money from it.

[theshedman]

Hi Old_Geezer, I know a lot of the time these days people buy stuff because they get a good price but in my case I purchased Hotpoint and Cannon because I have used them before and been happy with the quality of the equipment I purchased. They always used to have a good name but I think that is changing now. As for price the cooker was around £600 plus fitting and the fridge freezer around £500 so not that cheap so I expected them to last a while. As Halkwalk says it is the quality of the parts they use that is no good not neccessarily the country they have been made in. Also as Halkwalk says they are more interested in selling the extended warranty than listening to what the problem is that you called about.

[Old_Geezer]

In that case I'd suspect new management cashing in on the reputation of the brand, probably. Short term profit, i.e high price still but cheaper build; longer term loss of goodwill of their customers. But by that time they've moved on with an apparent wonderful record on their CV, and new management are there.

[theshedman]

You probably got it right there Old_Geezer. It's the way of things these days I'm afraid.