Indesit WIDL126W - faulty programme

[Ala]

I have a new Indesit which will do everything when selected manually, but won't move through the programme automatically from wash, to empty, to rinse and spin. The engineer has been twice, tested it and said each time "Everything is working okay" but it isn't. It will wash for hours unless i stop it. He says there is nothing to repair because nothing is broken.

I confess that when I plumbed it in I forgot to remove the holding screws initially. Could this have caused the programme to malfunction?

Can it be fixed? It's driving me crazy. So are the repair people. This was a replacement for my last machine, except the delivery guys and the insurers argued so much about who was responsible for plumbing it in that I did myself.......bad move.

 

[breezer]

as its new call them out again

 

[Ala]

Thanks Breezer,

It does sound like the sensible thing, but it's cyclical, the engineer carries out diagnostic checks and it passes. Meantime it doesn't work properly. If there is some kind of programmable chip which can be replaced I'd ring them up and demand they do it - but I don't know if that is the case.

At this stage I'd be happy to get someone else out pivately to fix it, but I don't want to do that if it's not fixable. I wish they'd given me money towards a machine of my choice instead of this..........a warning to anyone who takes out insurance cover.

I went through all this with a non-heating dishwasher, which the engineer couldn't repair. I'm having a bad appliance year and it's only March!

 

[IanDB]

but won't move through the programme automatically from wash, to empty, to rinse and spin

Get the engineer back, make him a mug of tea and sit him down to watch it.

the engineer carries out diagnostic checks and it passes

Don't understand! The machine does not do what it is meant to do. If his "diagnostic check" does not detect a fault then it is a load of old b*ll*cks. Demonstrate the fault while he is drinking his tea and then maybe he will be convinced! It will only take 10 mins to go through a rinse and spin cycle.

I confess that when I plumbed it in I forgot to remove the holding screws initially. Could this have caused the programme to malfunction?

Highly unlikely and I wouldn't tell them anyway.

 

[towman]

That would be an "engineer" then! Good advice though - get 'em to sit down and actually watch the machine! Don't expect them to fix it though. Even when given a complete breakdown of fault conditions and concluding that a problem we had was with either a heating element or a thermostat the "engineer" turned up with only a heating element - and did't have a spare thermostat for the machine in question - which was what the fault was!
Would seriously consider rejecting the appliance as a lemon and telling the supplier to sort it.

 

[Ala]

Ha! Thanks folks - I feel I could write a book on Washing Machine repairmen and manufacturers. The problem is excerbated by the fact it's my husband who waits in, because he is based at home. It's tough using up holiday for this, when I have precious little and the problem doesn't seem to want to go away. Hubby has had enough.

I think you are right about going back to the manufacturers, if it hadn't been an insurance replacement I'd have demanded another by now. I have since cancelled my insurance, partly because they gave me such a hard time over getting this machine in the first place (when it was their engineers reluctance to fix the old one - which was pretty reliable) and partly because you lose control of the situation.

.....as for the thermostat story, washingmachine repairman never seem to have spares, it always requires extra visits. Is this a policy of madness?

My dishwasher heating element failed (poor after 18 months) it cost £100 to get someone out to fix it (2 trips, no spare). It worked for 3 days then stopped heating, so he came back and got it working, for another 2 days, so I got him back and he said "It isn't heating, can't be the element again, don't know, I'll put you down for a new one." .....you guessed it, same guy who didn't want to fix my washing machine. Except this machine wasn't insured, it was a separate repair cost. I didn't believe him, was pricing up a new one when I got a message to say they wanted to arrange delivery of the new machine. When I returned the call they told me they just needed to check I'd paid the engineer for the first call out - and I never heard again. I tried calling, emailing (email was returned) and writing. I didn't want their damn machine in the first place, they albut called me a liar on the phone when I said they'd rung me about a replacement. They also denied they sent anyone out to repair it in the first place. Can I name names, or is that libel???

Not only that, but they only use one engineer for my area, so no chance of a second opinion (he told me, you ring 'em you get me).

 

[breezer]

I used to work for hotpoint, the most any one waited (that i knew of) for a spare part was 3 days, but it wasnt often we never had the part. (hotpoint got the hump if you couldnt 1st time fix) i did hear a lot of stories about independant company engineers, never having spares for anything, but that was the company fault, since they looked after so many brands of appliance, so by the time you had a manual for each one, you dont have a lot of room for parts

 

[fido]

Now Merloni own Hotpoint perhaps the Hotpoint engineers also have to repair Indesits?

 

[breezer]

no idea, i used to work for hotoint

 

[Ala]

It wasn't Hotpoint. In was an insurance company. Generally the makers are good - but the insurance guys don't always use them. Everything is outsourced these days. The manufacturers give it to a company who take the dosh but pass all work on to another company.

I had a great repairman for about 5 years, which is why I continued insurance. I suggest Breezer you might make a killing by setting up an AA or RAC style washing machine breakdown service!!!

I'm going to give it one more shot with the manufacturers, my mother has volunteered to meet and greet the engineer (God help him!).