I telephoned Domestic & General Insurance today with regards to my policies
for the white goods in my home.

Not getting anywhere with the jobsworth I was speaking to, I asked to speak
to a Supervisor. I was told that no one could answer my questions and that I
should write in. I asked for a telephone number or a department that could
help me. Same answer.

I told him that I thought he was being obstructive and it was pathetic that
a company as large as DomGen forced customers to write instead of speaking
to them on the phone.

I was told that I was being rude and offensive.

I just hungup......

If I could find a different company to insure my goods I would leave them
like a shot.

Jim G

On Nov 3, 8:51 pm, "the_constructor"
wrote:
I telephoned Domestic & General Insurance today with regards to my policies
for the white goods in my home.

Not getting anywhere with the jobsworth I was speaking to, I asked to speak
to a Supervisor. I was told that no one could answer my questions and that I
should write in. I asked for a telephone number or a department that could
help me. Same answer.

I told him that I thought he was being obstructive and it was pathetic that
a company as large as DomGen forced customers to write instead of speaking
to them on the phone.

I was told that I was being rude and offensive.

I just hungup......

If I could find a different company to insure my goods I would leave them
like a shot.

Jim G

are you sweetheart?

Jim K

On Nov 3, 8:51*pm, "the_constructor"
wrote:
I telephoned Domestic & General Insurance today with regards to my policies
for the white goods in my home.

You may want to consider Self Insurance...

#1 - Accidental damage is available on your house insurance policy, a
very good idea for laptops re liquid & drop damage both in the house
and elsewhere (but not in a car under most household policies). This
is true for spectacles, false teeth, mobile phones etc. Check the
small print, because policies vary quite considerably.

#2 - £100 for 5yr policy on a £300 TV is quite a lot. Buy a 2yr policy
if at the £25-30 level just to cover the 23 month failure when paying
out £300 again would sting.

#3 - Nothing else requires D&G cover. For a washing machine or dryer
you buy carefully re free 3yr warranty on John Lewis specials or free
5yr warranty when on offer (AEG, Siemens etc).

#4 - Put the money you would have spent on D&G cover into a separate
account, by direct debit. For example £38/month to cover several items
soon adds up even over 1yr. I would buy a fund such as BNY Mellon
Global Higher Income which is a 20 global stock fund with dividends
over 4% and solid growth history, companies such as Roche. That way
when you do need the money it a) has had a chance to actually grow and
b) the 5%+ dividends help considerably since the bulk of returns going
forward may well be dividends unless you time a crash.

Customer Service staff can be extremely arrogant egotistical people,
from financial services to clothing to electrical. Best solution is
keep the costly human out of the loop where you do not need them, but
choose carefully so you do not buy junk but also buy wisely. To that
end free warranty or very cheap warranty (£35 for 5yr) is worth
having.

The joke used to be IT Seller companies failed once they recruited the
same customer service people as the last bunch; was a good predictor
through 1990s when they moved in and the customers moved out :-)

Note, Self Insurance only works when you DO actually save the
money :-) How many people really do quietly put £100-200/yr aside for
"Ooops" so when a bill of £400 appears it suddenly becomes £100 or £0?
D&G Insurance preys on people's fears and management want to be pig
arrogant isolated so isolate them some more - *financially*.

In message ,
the_constructor writes

I telephoned Domestic & General Insurance today with regards to my policies
for the white goods in my home.

Not getting anywhere with the jobsworth I was speaking to, I asked to speak
to a Supervisor. I was told that no one could answer my questions and that I
should write in. I asked for a telephone number or a department that could
help me. Same answer.

I told him that I thought he was being obstructive and it was pathetic that
a company as large as DomGen forced customers to write instead of speaking
to them on the phone.

I was told that I was being rude and offensive.

I just hungup......

I'm sure Adam or myself could show them what the above term really means
if you want


--
geoff

On Nov 3, 8:51*pm, "the_constructor"
wrote:
I telephoned Domestic & General Insurance today with regards to my policies
for the white goods in my home.

Not getting anywhere with the jobsworth I was speaking to, I asked to speak
to a Supervisor. I was told that no one could answer my questions and that I
should write in. I asked for a telephone number or a department that could
help me. Same answer.

I told him that I thought he was being obstructive and it was pathetic that
a company as large as DomGen forced customers to write instead of speaking
to them on the phone.

I was told that I was being rude and offensive.

I just hungup......

If I could find a different company to insure my goods I would leave them
like a shot.

Jim G

I think financial products like this are little more than a game. If
you compare what you get when you pay the premiums versus what you get
when you put the same amount of money into a savings account, the
latter works out far far better over time. If you can afford to
replace one white good, the odds of needing them insured are very low.
If you cant afford to, you cant afford insurance. That leaves the
insurance as useful as a paper teapot.


NT

In article ,
the_constructor wrote:
If I could find a different company to insure my goods I would leave
them like a shot.

Why do you insure such goods? Have you extremely bad luck with them in
general?

--
*Why do we say something is out of whack? What is a whack?

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

"Tim Streater" wrote in message
...
In article
,
NT wrote:

On Nov 3, 8:51 pm, "the_constructor"
wrote:
I telephoned Domestic & General Insurance today with regards to my
policies
for the white goods in my home.

Not getting anywhere with the jobsworth I was speaking to, I asked to
speak
to a Supervisor. I was told that no one could answer my questions and
that I
should write in. I asked for a telephone number or a department that
could
help me. Same answer.

I told him that I thought he was being obstructive and it was pathetic
that
a company as large as DomGen forced customers to write instead of
speaking
to them on the phone.

I was told that I was being rude and offensive.

I just hungup......

If I could find a different company to insure my goods I would leave
them
like a shot.

I think financial products like this are little more than a game. If
you compare what you get when you pay the premiums versus what you get
when you put the same amount of money into a savings account, the
latter works out far far better over time. If you can afford to
replace one white good, the odds of needing them insured are very low.
If you cant afford to, you cant afford insurance. That leaves the
insurance as useful as a paper teapot.

Which is what prompted my posts about legal warranty after a repair (I
never did follow up on a legal ng).

Last year when our hob went, we paid £159 to DomGen to (a) get it fixed
(b) free repairs for any issue with it for a year. When they wanted us to
renew after a year, we cancelled. Their renewal premium was about £80. So,
in effect they were charging £80 for a repair with no warranty, and then
£80/year for repair insurance thereafter.

This time we paid £120 to get the cooker fixed (as had been suggested by
various bods here, it was the element). We get 3 months warranty.

I can't decide if this is a racket or not. Of course I could presumably
buy the part and attempt it myself, but I imagine that's when I discover
that all parts cost at least £100.


and of course if you can get the parts in the first place. Presumably not
all manufacturers have an agent only policy and the agents are not allowed
to sell them on

"Dave Plowman (News)" wrote in message
...
In article ,
the_constructor wrote:
If I could find a different company to insure my goods I would leave
them like a shot.

Why do you insure such goods? Have you extremely bad luck with them in
general?

--

We purchased a washing machine 6 years ago now and during the first year, it
had had 2 new half drums, a new motor, 3 display panels and a cpu panel. Not
wishing to purchase another machine because at the time we coulod not afford
it, we just got the insurrance

In article ,
the_constructor wrote:
Why do you insure such goods? Have you extremely bad luck with them in
general?

--

We purchased a washing machine 6 years ago now and during the first
year, it had had 2 new half drums, a new motor, 3 display panels and a
cpu panel. Not wishing to purchase another machine because at the time
we coulod not afford it, we just got the insurrance

That is very bad luck. Or possibly poor repairs by the service people?

--
*Geeks shall inherit the earth *

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

"the_constructor" wrote in message
news

"Dave Plowman (News)" wrote in message
...
In article ,
the_constructor wrote:
If I could find a different company to insure my goods I would leave
them like a shot.

Why do you insure such goods? Have you extremely bad luck with them in
general?

--

We purchased a washing machine 6 years ago now and during the first year,
it had had 2 new half drums, a new motor, 3 display panels and a cpu
panel. Not wishing to purchase another machine because at the time we
coulod not afford it, we just got the insurrance

Blimey, ours is used so infrequently that it forgets what to do
Come to think of it, so does the wife

On 04/11/2011 00:04, Dave Plowman (News) wrote:
In ,
wrote:
Why do you insure such goods? Have you extremely bad luck with them in
general?

--

We purchased a washing machine 6 years ago now and during the first
year, it had had 2 new half drums, a new motor, 3 display panels and a
cpu panel. Not wishing to purchase another machine because at the time
we coulod not afford it, we just got the insurrance

That is very bad luck. Or possibly poor repairs by the service people?

Interesting that all the repairs were in the first year and presumably
under guarantee, but the insurance kept up for the next five.

Jim K wrote:
On Nov 3, 8:51 pm, "the_constructor"
wrote:
I telephoned Domestic & General Insurance today with regards to my
policies for the white goods in my home.

Not getting anywhere with the jobsworth I was speaking to, I asked
to speak to a Supervisor. I was told that no one could answer my
questions and that I should write in. I asked for a telephone number
or a department that could help me. Same answer.

I told him that I thought he was being obstructive and it was
pathetic that a company as large as DomGen forced customers to write
instead of speaking to them on the phone.

I was told that I was being rude and offensive.

I just hungup......

If I could find a different company to insure my goods I would leave
them like a shot.

Jim G

are you sweetheart?

If so than next week we can await the message telling us that the new
insurer has screwed her, the washing maching has packed in and that her OH
has refused to let the repair guy in. Under no circumstances can I imgine
the mention of an inheritance though.

--
Adam

On 4 Nov, 00:04, "Dave Plowman (News)" wrote:
In article ,
* *the_constructor wrote:

Why do you insure such goods? Have you extremely bad luck with them in
general?

--
We purchased a washing machine 6 years ago now and during the first
year, it had had 2 new half drums, a new motor, 3 display panels and a
cpu panel. Not wishing to purchase another machine because at the time
we coulod not afford it, we just got the insurrance

That is very bad luck. Or possibly poor repairs by the service people?

--
*Geeks shall inherit the earth *

* * Dave Plowman * * * * * * * * London SW
* * * * * * * * * To e-mail, change noise into sound.

Possibly it wasn't a Miele.

Cheers
Richard

On Nov 4, 3:49 am, "ARWadsworth"
wrote:
Jim K wrote:
On Nov 3, 8:51 pm, "the_constructor"
wrote:
I telephoned Domestic & General Insurance today with regards to my
policies for the white goods in my home.

Not getting anywhere with the jobsworth I was speaking to, I asked
to speak to a Supervisor. I was told that no one could answer my
questions and that I should write in. I asked for a telephone number
or a department that could help me. Same answer.

I told him that I thought he was being obstructive and it was
pathetic that a company as large as DomGen forced customers to write
instead of speaking to them on the phone.

I was told that I was being rude and offensive.

I just hungup......

If I could find a different company to insure my goods I would leave
them like a shot.

Jim G

are you sweetheart?

If so than next week we can await the message telling us that the new
insurer has screwed her,

shurely that should sort the main issue out for a wee while.....

the washing maching has packed in and that her OH
has refused to let the repair guy in. Under no circumstances can I imgine
the mention of an inheritance though.

;))

Jim K

On Nov 4, 12:15*am, "brass monkey" wrote:
"the_constructor" wrote in message

news










"Dave Plowman (News)" wrote in message
...
In article ,
* the_constructor wrote:
If I could find a different company to insure my goods I would leave
them like a shot.

Why do you insure such goods? Have you extremely bad luck with them in
general?

--

We purchased a washing machine 6 years ago now and during the first year,
it had had 2 new half drums, a new motor, 3 display panels and a cpu
panel. Not wishing to purchase another machine because at the time we
coulod not afford it, we just got the insurrance

Blimey, ours is used so infrequently that it forgets what to do
Come to think of it, so does the wife

Is that because Brass Monkeys don't need clothes ? :) :)

but I imagine that's when I discover
that all parts cost at least £100.

Last time I bought an oven element it was about £30 delivered.

I suspect they want it in writing for legal reasons. It saves unfortunate
disputes over the phone when untrained wallies at the company agree to stuff
that is not in the small print!

Brian

--
Brian Gaff -
Note:- In order to reduce spam, any email without 'Brian Gaff'
in the display name may be lost.
Blind user, so no pictures please!
"the_constructor" wrote in message
.. .

I telephoned Domestic & General Insurance today with regards to my
policies for the white goods in my home.

Not getting anywhere with the jobsworth I was speaking to, I asked to
speak to a Supervisor. I was told that no one could answer my questions
and that I should write in. I asked for a telephone number or a department
that could help me. Same answer.

I told him that I thought he was being obstructive and it was pathetic
that a company as large as DomGen forced customers to write instead of
speaking to them on the phone.

I was told that I was being rude and offensive.

I just hungup......

If I could find a different company to insure my goods I would leave them
like a shot.

Jim G

AlanD wrote:
but I imagine that's when I discover
that all parts cost at least £100.

Last time I bought an oven element it was about £30 delivered.

£24 and a ten mile round trip. And the instruction video on YouTube was
free :-)

"the_constructor" wrote in message
news

"Dave Plowman (News)" wrote in message
...
In article ,
the_constructor wrote:
If I could find a different company to insure my goods I would leave
them like a shot.

Why do you insure such goods? Have you extremely bad luck with them in
general?

--

We purchased a washing machine 6 years ago now and during the first year,
it had had 2 new half drums, a new motor, 3 display panels and a cpu
panel. Not wishing to purchase another machine because at the time we
coulod not afford it, we just got the insurrance

Perhaps do alittle research and buy a better quality product in the first
place?

As someone said, several of the manurfacturers and retailers offer 3, 5 or
even 7 year warranties for little or £0 with certain models.

Tim..

In article
,
geraldthehamster wrote:
We purchased a washing machine 6 years ago now and during the first
year, it had had 2 new half drums, a new motor, 3 display panels and
a cpu panel. Not wishing to purchase another machine because at the
time we coulod not afford it, we just got the insurrance

That is very bad luck. Or possibly poor repairs by the service people?

Possibly it wasn't a Miele.

Makes no sense for any maker to sell such a badly designed or made
machine, given all those repairs would have cost them.

I had an el cheapo Indesit until it rusted to the point of being
unsightly. Only needed a couple of repairs in 10 years or so - once when
the mains filter (on the electrical mains) blew up, and a new drive belt
and door seal. Although the heater had long since packed up but I didn't
replace it as it was hot and cold fill.

But I don't have kids so the machine wasn't used every day.

--
*Many people quit looking for work when they find a job *

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

Did the w/machine manufacturer use its own service staff?

Some manufacturers outsource repairs.
Service staff deliberately initiate future repair callouts to boost
revenue from the manufacturer, this caught out IBM in the USA with
machines claiming "water damage" to screw the customer or "new
mainboard" to screw IBM, together with mint machine outer case
returned with "angle grinder marks".

Some manufacturers have lemons.
That used to be common in the 1980s, almost as though designed to
create an army of Homeserve men in brown overalls. Since so many
machines use common parts this problem has reduced - but statistically
a machine will come out where everything will fail :-) I recall it was
one Servis model in the 1980s which my parents had was either "perfect
or a lemon".

The warranty my parents had was £8/month or £300 over 3yrs. I went and
bought a Bosch which was heavily dented on the front from another
machine on a sack cart being set down against it. It was £487 after
£220-260 discount and despite horrendous use still works.

On Fri, 4 Nov 2011 10:09:50 -0000, "Tim.."
wrote:


"the_constructor" wrote in message
news

"Dave Plowman (News)" wrote in message
...
In article ,
the_constructor wrote:
If I could find a different company to insure my goods I would leave
them like a shot.

Why do you insure such goods? Have you extremely bad luck with them in
general?

--

We purchased a washing machine 6 years ago now and during the first year,
it had had 2 new half drums, a new motor, 3 display panels and a cpu
panel. Not wishing to purchase another machine because at the time we
coulod not afford it, we just got the insurrance

Perhaps do alittle research and buy a better quality product in the first
place?

As someone said, several of the manurfacturers and retailers offer 3, 5 or
even 7 year warranties for little or £0 with certain models.

And the Sale of Goods Act covers you for longer than a year, despite
what the retailers tell you.

You should never have to pay anything to repair an appliance less than
two years old, usually longer.
--
(\__/) M.
(='.'=) Due to the amount of spam posted via googlegroups and
(")_(") their inaction to the problem. I am blocking some articles
posted from there. If you wish your postings to be seen by
everyone you will need use a different method of posting.

On Thu, 03 Nov 2011 23:37:20 +0000, the_constructor wrote:
We purchased a washing machine 6 years ago now and during the first
year, it had had 2 new half drums, a new motor, 3 display panels and a
cpu panel. Not wishing to purchase another machine because at the time
we coulod not afford it, we just got the insurrance

Ours is 25 years old. It washes clothes well (at least one load a day) -
with no display or CPU or other crud to worry about going wrong.
Sometimes simplicity is good :-)

cheers

Jules

In article ,
Jules Richardson wrote:
On Thu, 03 Nov 2011 23:37:20 +0000, the_constructor wrote:
We purchased a washing machine 6 years ago now and during the first
year, it had had 2 new half drums, a new motor, 3 display panels and a
cpu panel. Not wishing to purchase another machine because at the time
we coulod not afford it, we just got the insurrance

Ours is 25 years old. It washes clothes well (at least one load a day) -
with no display or CPU or other crud to worry about going wrong.
Sometimes simplicity is good :-)

The US market seems to favour top loaders which use vast amounts of both
water and detergent compared to the normal UK front loader. That would
make the running costs excessive over here.

--
*Change is inevitable, except from a vending machine*

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

On Nov 4, 9:38*am, AlanD wrote:
* but I imagine that's when I discover that all parts cost at least £100.

Last time I bought an oven element it was about £30 delivered.

About £80 - which was a shock when we had bought the cooker for £100.

OTOH, that £100 from Gumtree and the original owner had probably paid
more like £2000

On Nov 3, 8:51*pm, "the_constructor"
wrote:
I telephoned Domestic & General Insurance today with regards to my policies
for the white goods in my home.

Not getting anywhere with the jobsworth I was speaking to, I asked to speak
to a Supervisor. I was told that no one could answer my questions and that I
should write in. I asked for a telephone number or a department that could
help me. Same answer.

I told him that I thought he was being obstructive and it was pathetic that
a company as large as DomGen forced customers to write instead of speaking
to them on the phone.

iNTERESTING. I've just been on the phone to Domestic & General. I had
paid £120 for a repair to a Liebherr freezer. The Technician came 3
weeks ago, broke some bits on the back of the freezer trying to get
access to the PCB and left, telling me he'd ring back. He didn't.

I dismantled the front of it (there is no access through the back),
measured the resistance of the thermistor temperature sensors, got a
replacement for one from Liebherr (£30!!!!! Next day delivery.) fitted
it, fixed freezer. And no bits broken on the front access to the PCB

I asked Domestic and General to replace the bits that were broken and
a call-centre chap rang me today to tell me I'd have to ring their sub-
contractors/service agents. I wouldn't do that, I said, my contract is
with Domestic and General, so you arrange it, you recover your costs
from whoever you sub-contracted the work to. He refused to ring them.
I refused as well. This went on for half-an hour, like the Dead Parrot
sketch.

Can I speak to the Customer Service Manager? No, he doesn't answer
phone calls. Can you put that in writing to confirm what you've said.
Yes, but then I have to close the complaint.

They rang back some time later. They've been told my freezer is
beyond economic repair, but the repairers have also ordered a
replacement fan and thermistor and the repair is still in progress
After 3 weeks? And they didn't tell me that?

Besdides which, the visit was arranged for a Tuesday, Technician
rang on Tuesday morning, said he wasn't coming and re-arranged it for
Thursday. I'd also rang Domestic and General 2 weeks ago to tell them
I was making other arrangements and that their man had broken some
parts; they said they'd ring me back; they didn't. The worst customer
service I've ever had the misfortune to be messed about by, awesomely
bad.

On Fri, 04 Nov 2011 13:17:18 +0000, Dave Plowman (News) wrote:
Ours is 25 years old. It washes clothes well (at least one load a day)
- with no display or CPU or other crud to worry about going wrong.
Sometimes simplicity is good :-)

The US market seems to favour top loaders which use vast amounts of both
water and detergent compared to the normal UK front loader. That would
make the running costs excessive over here.

I'm not certain on the detergent as I always had power in the UK and
liquid stuff over here, but it normally takes approx 30ml of the liquid
for a single full load (I just checked the detergent container - 2830ml
and around $9, so it's roughly 9.5 cents per load, or 6p)

Water consumption is definitely quite a bit more, granted - although
personally it's really not an issue because our house is fed from a
private well out back (houses in the nearby town are metered, but I'm out
of touch with what the rates are like). I just ran a quick back-of-
envelope calc on the electricity to run the well pump during a wash
cycle, and it's somewhere around 4 cents - i.e. about 2.5p. Working out
the "true cost" for the well is more tricky, of course, because simple
age seems to play as much of a part in their demise as silting up does.

I've got no idea what the washing machine itself draws during running I'm
afraid - the motor in it is pretty heavy-duty.

But it's more about simple technology than it is about top vs. front-
loading anyway, I think; yes there's more sealing to worry about in a
front-loader, but I don't see why the drums and motors can't be built to
do 25 years too, or why it *has* to have a CPU and an electronic display.

cheers

Jules

"Jules Richardson" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 03 Nov 2011 23:37:20 +0000, the_constructor wrote:
We purchased a washing machine 6 years ago now and during the first
year, it had had 2 new half drums, a new motor, 3 display panels and a
cpu panel. Not wishing to purchase another machine because at the time
we coulod not afford it, we just got the insurrance

Ours is 25 years old. It washes clothes well (at least one load a day) -
with no display or CPU or other crud to worry about going wrong.
Sometimes simplicity is good :-)

cheers

Jules

The type of washing machine I would dearly love, but unfortunately, I may be
wrong, but I don't think they make them like that now. Nowadays it is all
bells & whistles a repairs money machine.

Jim G

"Onetap" wrote in message
...
On Nov 3, 8:51 pm, "the_constructor"
wrote:
I telephoned Domestic & General Insurance today with regards to my
policies
for the white goods in my home.

Not getting anywhere with the jobsworth I was speaking to, I asked to
speak
to a Supervisor. I was told that no one could answer my questions and that
I
should write in. I asked for a telephone number or a department that could
help me. Same answer.

I told him that I thought he was being obstructive and it was pathetic
that
a company as large as DomGen forced customers to write instead of speaking
to them on the phone.

iNTERESTING. I've just been on the phone to Domestic & General. I had
paid £120 for a repair to a Liebherr freezer. The Technician came 3
weeks ago, broke some bits on the back of the freezer trying to get
access to the PCB and left, telling me he'd ring back. He didn't.

I dismantled the front of it (there is no access through the back),
measured the resistance of the thermistor temperature sensors, got a
replacement for one from Liebherr (£30!!!!! Next day delivery.) fitted
it, fixed freezer. And no bits broken on the front access to the PCB

I asked Domestic and General to replace the bits that were broken and
a call-centre chap rang me today to tell me I'd have to ring their sub-
contractors/service agents. I wouldn't do that, I said, my contract is
with Domestic and General, so you arrange it, you recover your costs
from whoever you sub-contracted the work to. He refused to ring them.
I refused as well. This went on for half-an hour, like the Dead Parrot
sketch.

Can I speak to the Customer Service Manager? No, he doesn't answer
phone calls. Can you put that in writing to confirm what you've said.
Yes, but then I have to close the complaint.

They rang back some time later. They've been told my freezer is
beyond economic repair, but the repairers have also ordered a
replacement fan and thermistor and the repair is still in progress
After 3 weeks? And they didn't tell me that?

Besdides which, the visit was arranged for a Tuesday, Technician
rang on Tuesday morning, said he wasn't coming and re-arranged it for
Thursday. I'd also rang Domestic and General 2 weeks ago to tell them
I was making other arrangements and that their man had broken some
parts; they said they'd ring me back; they didn't. The worst customer
service I've ever had the misfortune to be messed about by, awesomely
bad.

As the original poster of this thread, although it saddens me to hear of
your plight, I am happy to hear that it is not just me who thinks this
company is a pile of doo doo and it confirms what I posted

Jim G

In article ,
Jules Richardson wrote:
But it's more about simple technology than it is about top vs. front-
loading anyway, I think; yes there's more sealing to worry about in a
front-loader, but I don't see why the drums and motors can't be built to
do 25 years too, or why it *has* to have a CPU and an electronic display.

A well designed ECU and electronic display should be not only more
reliable than a click round timer switch, but cheaper to make too.

--
*Virtual reality is its own reward *

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

On Fri, 04 Nov 2011 13:17:18 +0000 (GMT) Dave Plowman (News) wrote :
The US market seems to favour top loaders which use vast amounts of
both water and detergent compared to the normal UK front loader.
That would make the running costs excessive over here.

Same here. And Australians are horrified by the British habit of
mixing food and dirty clothes in the same space so even a modest unit
(bungalow) will have a separate laundry with deep sink and w/m
plumbing.

--
Tony Bryer, Greentram: 'Software to build on',
Melbourne, Australia www.greentram.com

On Fri, 04 Nov 2011 23:47:38 +0000 Tim Streater wrote :
Same here. And Australians are horrified by the British habit of
mixing food and dirty clothes in the same space so even a modest
unit (bungalow) will have a separate laundry with deep sink and
w/m plumbing.

Well, no shortage of space, is there.

Not all Australian homes are McMansions. The unit I was looking at
this week as a potential investment property is a 2-bed bungalow,
76m2 internally, with the laundry taking 2.8x1.8 = 5m2 of this. Not
only does it take a significant area, but its door off the kitchen
area makes a decent kitchen plan hard to achieve.

--
Tony Bryer, Greentram: 'Software to build on',
Melbourne, Australia www.greentram.com

On Sat, 05 Nov 2011 10:32:30 +1100, Tony Bryer wrote:

On Fri, 04 Nov 2011 13:17:18 +0000 (GMT) Dave Plowman (News) wrote :
The US market seems to favour top loaders which use vast amounts of
both water and detergent compared to the normal UK front loader.
That would make the running costs excessive over here.

Same here. And Australians are horrified by the British habit of
mixing food and dirty clothes in the same space so even a modest unit
(bungalow) will have a separate laundry with deep sink and w/m
plumbing.

Do Aussies cook when they're naked then? If not, it would seem that the
clothes that they're wearing are present whilst handling food.
--
Peter.
The gods will stay away
whilst religions hold sway

Onetap wrote:

... Can you put that in writing to confirm what you've said. Yes,
but then I have to close the complaint.

Companies can 'close the complaint' if they want, but that doesn't mean that
your right to complain stops.

I pursued a complaint (with easyJet) for a period of about 18 months. Quite
early on their customer services people 'closed' it. Not once did their
successively more senior representatives say either to me or Consumer Direct
or Trading Standards or the CAA/ATUC (as it was progressively escalated)
that the complaint, being 'closed', could not be re-opened.

--
Jeremy C B Nicoll - my opinions are my own.

Email sent to my from-address will be deleted. Instead, please reply
to replacing "aaa" by "284".

On Fri, 04 Nov 2011 23:21:43 +0000, Dave Plowman (News) wrote:
In article ,
Jules Richardson wrote:
But it's more about simple technology than it is about top vs. front-
loading anyway, I think; yes there's more sealing to worry about in a
front-loader, but I don't see why the drums and motors can't be built
to do 25 years too, or why it *has* to have a CPU and an electronic
display.

A well designed ECU and electronic display should be not only more
reliable than a click round timer switch, but cheaper to make too.

I agree completely that it *should* be, but in practice they often don't
seem to hold up that well; I don't know if it's the environment
(vibration, potential for moisture ingress etc.) or the build quality
(PCBs made from poppadoms, solder joints done by a five year old, and sub-
standard components).

Sadly machine reviews seem to concentrate on features alone and don't
involve someone pulling the thing apart to see if it's reasonably well
made under the covers :-(

cheers

Jules

In article ,
Jules Richardson wrote:
A well designed ECU and electronic display should be not only more
reliable than a click round timer switch, but cheaper to make too.

I agree completely that it *should* be, but in practice they often don't
seem to hold up that well; I don't know if it's the environment
(vibration, potential for moisture ingress etc.) or the build quality
(PCBs made from poppadoms, solder joints done by a five year old, and
sub- standard components).

And a modern motor driven rotary switch is just as likely to be made from
toffee. On a cheap machine.

Sadly machine reviews seem to concentrate on features alone and don't
involve someone pulling the thing apart to see if it's reasonably well
made under the covers :-(

Indeed.

--
*Just remember...if the world didn't suck, we'd all fall off*

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

On Sat, 05 Nov 2011 10:32:30 +1100, Tony Bryer
wrote:

On Fri, 04 Nov 2011 13:17:18 +0000 (GMT) Dave Plowman (News) wrote :
The US market seems to favour top loaders which use vast amounts of
both water and detergent compared to the normal UK front loader.
That would make the running costs excessive over here.

Same here. And Australians are horrified by the British habit of
mixing food and dirty clothes in the same space so even a modest unit
(bungalow) will have a separate laundry with deep sink and w/m
plumbing.

It might have changed a bit now but in the past that was due to the
Australians buying huge (think the width of an American Fridge and a
metre and a bit high) twin tub washing machines decades after
everyone in the UK had switched to front loaders.

While there were an odd few front loaders in the shops in the mid 90's
(they were silly prices), the first I saw in use in Oz was in 2005.

--

On Sat, 5 Nov 2011 22:49:04 +0000, Jeremy Nicoll - news posts
wrote:

Onetap wrote:

... Can you put that in writing to confirm what you've said. Yes,
but then I have to close the complaint.

Companies can 'close the complaint' if they want, but that doesn't mean that
your right to complain stops.

Quite. It's one of the many "fobbing-off" tactics that companies use
to try to get you to give up. Another one is that they pretend they
have no record of your case and you have to explain it all again every
time you call. They will also make sure that you can never speak to
the same person twice too.

--
(\__/) M.
(='.'=) Due to the amount of spam posted via googlegroups and
(")_(") their inaction to the problem. I am blocking some articles
posted from there. If you wish your postings to be seen by
everyone you will need use a different method of posting.

On Nov 7, 11:00*am, Mark
wrote:
On Sat, 5 Nov 2011 22:49:04 +0000, Jeremy Nicoll - news posts

wrote:
Onetap wrote:

... Can you put that in writing to confirm what you've said. Yes,
but then I have to close the complaint.

Companies can 'close the complaint' if they want, but that doesn't mean that
your right to complain stops.

I know. I don't think complaining to Domestic and General will get me
anywhere, so I'm planning to just go down the County Court route after
a very little more messing about. *I just want them to sort it out.

They've managed to waste a huge amount of my time, even before this
had even become a complaint.

Quite. *It's one of the many "fobbing-off" tactics that companies use
to try to get you to give up. *Another one is that they pretend they
have no record of your case and you have to explain it all again every
time you call. *They will also make sure that you can never speak to
the same person twice too.

They haven't done that, to be fair. They have a reference number and
have some idea (albeit a rather confused one) of what has happened
before.