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'We lost nearly everything'- your stories of broken appliances 'We lost nearly everything'- your stories of broken appliances
(2 days later)
According to consumer group Which?, nearly 12,000 fires in the past three years in Britain have been the fault of defective white goods and kitchen equipment.According to consumer group Which?, nearly 12,000 fires in the past three years in Britain have been the fault of defective white goods and kitchen equipment.
BBC News website users have shared their experiences of electrical home goods gone wrong, sometimes causing life-changing damage to their home.BBC News website users have shared their experiences of electrical home goods gone wrong, sometimes causing life-changing damage to their home.
Grant Hollis, Arlesey, Bedfordshire
We used to programme our dishwasher to start during the night to save on our electricity bills.
I was woken one night by our fire alarm sounding. When opening our bedroom door the hallway of our flat was filled with smoke. Down the hallway I could see an amber glow from the kitchen, as I entered the kitchen I could see the front of the dishwasher was alight.
I quickly shouted to my partner to leave the house with our three-year-old son and call 999. I switched off the electricity and attempted to put the fire out. I was unsuccessful and the smoke was too much, so I had to leave. The Fire Brigade arrived quickly after and put the fire out.
They explained that the appliance most likely had an electrical fault. The front of the machine was charred and the electrical panel was no longer present.
All this happened a week after our son's third birthday, all of his toys from his birthday were covered in soot and had to be replaced. Our insurance claim went through with Hotpoint admitting it was their appliance which was at fault.
It was a very harrowing experience and we no longer use a dishwasher and can safely say never will again.
Tim Kent, Tower Bridge, London
In February 2015 my three-year-old Indesit washer-drier malfunctioned sending out lots of smoke and a horrible smell of burning. Luckily, I was at home at the time as I live on a houseboat.
Everything surrounding the machine is made of wood. In fact, the entire inside of the boat is wood, all very flammable.
It happened without any warning. There was a smell of smoke and smoke pouring out from behind the machine. It was a surprise to me. I presumed EU health and safety standards meant these things would be safe.
I never registered the product as I did not want to be constantly pestered by call centres. I have now learned I might also have been able to get it repaired had I registered it, or if I still had the receipt.
I went on eBay for the parts to repair it myself and found if I'd registered it, it would be fixed for free.
I shall register the next one, but always make sure I am in when these things are on. Statistically, are these machines becoming more dangerous I wonder? Mine went wrong because of a printed circuit board, presumably a cheap component.
John Gardner, Tranent, ScotlandJohn Gardner, Tranent, Scotland
We had a house fire in August 2013 caused by a faulty Bosch dishwasher.We had a house fire in August 2013 caused by a faulty Bosch dishwasher.
We had a notice of a potential fault with the front panel. A third-party engineer arranged by Bosch came to the house to check it and change the board on the machine.We had a notice of a potential fault with the front panel. A third-party engineer arranged by Bosch came to the house to check it and change the board on the machine.
We could not get the machine was pushed into a gap a little too small for it. It had become stuck in between the kitchen units. The engineer refused to work on it as he could not get the plug out of the wall, which was located behind the machine, to ensure it was not live. We even suggested turning off the power to the whole house at the main in box. No! The plug had to come out. We could not get the machine out, it was pushed into a gap a little too small for it. It had become stuck in between the kitchen units. The engineer refused to work on it as he could not get the plug out of the wall, which was located behind the machine, to ensure it was not live. We even suggested turning off the power to the whole house at the main in box. No! The plug had to come out.
Instead, he said if it's never got warm on the front panel then it will be ok. The rest is history.Instead, he said if it's never got warm on the front panel then it will be ok. The rest is history.
Our insurance company are still pursing them and Bosch accepted 50% liability. We were out of our house for six months and lost nearly everything. The effect on us and the children is still there today.Our insurance company are still pursing them and Bosch accepted 50% liability. We were out of our house for six months and lost nearly everything. The effect on us and the children is still there today.
It doesn't matter how much warranty you have, things go wrong. I put the machine on, went to work and an hour later the house was on fire.It doesn't matter how much warranty you have, things go wrong. I put the machine on, went to work and an hour later the house was on fire.
The firemen told us they were seeing more fires caused by washing machines left on by people while they are out.The firemen told us they were seeing more fires caused by washing machines left on by people while they are out.
Tim Kent, Tower Bridge, London
In February 2015 my three-year-old Indesit washer-drier malfunctioned sending out lots of smoke and a horrible smell of burning. Luckily, I was at home at the time as I live on a houseboat.
Everything surrounding the machine is made of wood. In fact, the entire inside of the boat is wood, all very flammable.
It happened without any warning. There was a smell of smoke and smoke pouring out from behind the machine. It was a surprise to me. I presumed EU health and safety standards meant these things would be safe.
I never registered the product as I did not want to be constantly pestered by call centres. I have now learned I might also have been able to get it repaired had I registered it, or if I still had the receipt.
I went on eBay for the parts to repair it myself and found if I'd registered it, it would be fixed for free.
I shall register the next one, but always make sure I am in when these things are on. Statistically, are these machines becoming more dangerous I wonder? Mine went wrong because of a printed circuit board, presumably a cheap component.