No refunds offered as Whirlpool recalls faulty washing machines

WHIRLPOOL yesterday recalled more than half a million washing machines over concerns they posed a fire risk – but did not offer customers a refund.

The owners of as many as 519,000 washing machines sold under the Hotpoint and Indesit brands were urged to unplug their appliances after a flaw in the door-locking system was found.

It is feared the defect, present on machines sold between October 2014 and February 2018, could lead to overheating and potentially spark a fire.

Owners were urged to check immediately if their machines were affected, with the firm acknowledging the timing could cause “inconvenience and concern” over Christmas.

It was reported last night that the company was not offering refunds for at-risk machines. Instead, it is offering customers free repairs and replacements, but not until after Christmas.

Whirlpool said the issue was identified by its safety team, adding that “no serious injuries have been reported”.

Jeff Noel, the Whirlpool Corporation vice president, said: “We sincerely apologise for the inconvenience and concern this may cause to our customers, particularly over the Christmas period, but we hope people will understand that we are taking action because people’s safety is our top priority.

‘This safety alert ... leaves Whirlpool’s reputation as a company that can be trusted on product safety in tatters’

Preparing for a recall of this scale is a complex operation and we are working tirelessly to ensure we are ready to start offering replacements or repairs to our customers from early January.”

The latest recall comes after the company finally launched a full recall involving 500,000 dryers in July. It acted after being criticised for resisting demands for a full recall and instead carried out a lengthy “safety campaign” that saw 1.7million products modified.

Sue Davies, the strategic policy adviser at consumer group Which?, said: “This safety alert will cause huge disruption for millions of people who will have no washing machine over Christmas, and following the tumble dryer scandal, leaves Whirlpool’s reputation as a company that can be trusted on product safety in tatters.

“People will rightly be asking what Whirlpool knew about these fire-risk machines and when, so there must now be a thorough investigation into this public safety issue.

“We know the company has a track record for appearing to put corporate reputation ahead of public safety in its disgraceful handling of the unsafe tumble dryer crisis.”

Consumers can check online if their machines are affected at washing machinerecall.whirlpool.co.uk