Hotpoint, Creda and Indesit tumble dryer recalls (Update)
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Credit: Chelsea Garnham
A family was left homeless after an Indesit tumble dryer fire earlier this month it is of the same type that were reported faulty by product-recalls.org nearly four months ago.
In light of this anew scheme is being launched to ensure people who buy faulty electrical goods receive automatic alerts by email, post or telephone to let them know they have the faulty goods in their home
It comes after hundreds of reports of fires thought to have been caused by faulty Whirlpool tumble dryers including one in Guildford that left a family homeless earlier this month.
Last year, it was claimed that a man lost his life to a similar fire and it may have been caused by the same fault.
Back in November the manufacturer revealed a fault affecting more than one hundred of its Hotpoint, Indesit and Creda models sold as reported by product-recalls.org which was caused by fluff touching the heating element.
5.3m affected Hotpoint, Indesit and Creda tumble dryers
750 fires caused by faulty Hotpoint, Indesit and Credia tumble dryers since 2004 (source: Which?)
The tumble dryer recalls mean that more than five million machines sold could pose a potential fire hazard, only around 135,000 cases have so far been resolved.
The companies machines that were affected have contacted 3.8 million customers so far over the fault.
The propoed new laws will make it up to the companies to contact the consumer who has brought their product before the onus has often been on consumers to check whether their models are affected in the event of recalls though websites like product-recalls.org.
UK’s Retail Ombudsman with new powers will see members of the public give their contact details at the point of sale – with those details then put on a central register.
In the event of a recall, the buyer will then be automatically notified by text or email if they need to act about their faulty appliance.
The ombudsman believes the register – due to be launched later this month – will speed up the process by which product issues are dealt with, potentially reducing the risk of accidents.
Which claims the dryers are still safe but the company’s advice to owners of the products is:
- Clean the lint filter after every use
- Ensure proper venting
- Don’t leave dryers on when out of the house or asleep
However, Which? and the Electrical Safety First charity both recommend that owners do not use the dryers until they have been checked and modified by Whirlpool.
Wirlpool, Creda, Hotpoint and Indesit charge £99 for dryer replacement Product Recalls forum
says:[…] Product-recalls.org has already reported twice about dangerous and faulty machines here. […]