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“Never Buy This Appliance”

written by Lizochka on 24/06/2012

Here is the letter we wrote to DD detailing our terrible experiences. Their response? A letter from Helen Purbrick (Senior Customer Support Executive) basically saying it wasn't their problem and refusing any refund whatsoever.

To: Chief Executive Officer
De Dietrich Kitchen Appliances Ltd
INTEC 4
Wade Rd
Basingstoke
HANTS
RG24 8NE


9 April 2012


Dear Sir/Madam

De Dietrich Induction Hob DT1704V

Service Plan Number DD000272

I am afraid I am writing to express our extreme disappointment with the above hob and the after sales service we have received.

We purchased the hob in September 2009 for £399 as part of a complete refurbishment of our kitchen by Klassy Kitchens Ltd of Swindon. Within 6 months of installation, the hob completely failed and had to be repaired under the Manufacturer’s Warranty.

The hob then failed again in September 2011. We purchased a warranty from you on 23 September 2011 for £177. The hob was repaired by your service engineer on 5th October 2011. It then failed again at the end of January 2012. There was a delay of a few weeks before your engineer could visit on 14 February 2012. It then continued to fail again within about 48 hours of each visit, necessitating further visits from your engineer on 28 February, 29 February, 13 March and 19 March 2012.

Our impression was that the service engineer, who was very helpful and courteous, was doing the best he could for us in the context of poor back up from De Dietrich. On at least two occasions, parts that he had ordered from you arrived in their factory packaging in a non-working condition. As someone who has worked for some years in high tech innovation and technology transfer, this suggested to me that you are not enforcing sufficiently rigorous quality standards with your supply chain manufacturers.

I should also note that the housing for the hob has been checked on several occasions by your service engineer and the also by the original installation company, and has been judged to give good ventilation. The hob’s problems have therefore arisen from issues integral to itself, not from its installation. We have also been very careful to keep it dry throughout our ownership of it.

On several occasions, I asked your Customer Services staff what could be done to remedy this after several failed repairs, only to be told that it is De Dietrich policy not to replace defective hobs under any circumstances. So after not having a working hob for the best part of two months, my husband and I decided when the hob failed again on 21 March 2012, that we could not take any further days off work for any more repair attempts.

We therefore regretfully decided to scrap your hob, even though it was still in warranty, and replace it with an Indesit induction hob that had been recommended by Which? Magazine. This cost us £279.

We regret having bought one of your induction hobs as it has put us to considerable expense and inconvenience. We think that the least you could now do is to refund the cost of the warranty and the cost of the replacement hob.


Yours faithfully


Dr Elizabeth Bell