Warblington family's ordeal over faulty Hotpoint dryer
Dr Allan Ryszka-Onions says he took advantage of a £99 offer to replace his faulty appliance with a new one, after it was discovered excessive fluff could accumulate on the heating elements and catch fire. Parent company Whirlpool announced a national safety recall in November 2015 covering millions of tumble dryers sold under the popular Hotpoint, Indesit, and Creda brands.
But he hit out at Hotpoint for not taking the issue seriously when his replacement machine stopped working.
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Hide AdAn engineer removed the heater assembly to reveal hazardous fluff accumulation on a heater element.
He told Hotpoint he wanted the dryer taken away and a full refund, but it refused. He said: ‘I took the time to examine the heater unit the engineer removed and after just two uses there was fluff collecting on the heater element. I told him it was a safety issue. ‘The machine appeared to be a greater safety risk than the one it replaced.
‘I’m concerned that Hotpoint is happy to ignore the risks this poses until someone loses their home and the proverbial hits the fan.’
A spokesperson said: ‘The safety of consumers is our number one priority which is why we work hard to resolve all customer matters as quickly and efficiently as we can.’