On Monday (9th) the washer/dryer started making very unhappy noises during the drying cycle – five or ten seconds of nasty grinding sounds each time of pumping out water. I completed the load, which was only a light one of four shirts and a jumper, but didn’t risk doing the other needed one.
I’m on a contract for this machine, as washer/dryers have a reputation for unreliability. However, I’ve had it just over ten years, and this is only the second time that I’ve needed an engineer (January 2024 being the first). I went on line – engineer for Tuesday 10th only available in the 0715h slot, which was no good (not only because I’m not good at very early starts, but mainly because on-street parking is impossible at that time!). So, booked for Wednesday 10am-8pm. Tuesday evening was moving the kitchen table and other things to give a decent space for the engineer to work in, and then cleaning the grubby bits of floor that that exposed!
The engineer arrived about midday, which was great. It took a few tries for the machine to start making the noise, but eventually a faulty pump was diagnosed. He had a spare in the van, so it was quickly replaced – total visit time around half an hour, with which I was very satisfied. And then putting things back in the usual place in the kitchen …
I’m pleased to keep this elderly machine going. Most modern machines seem to be going “smart”, and I really do not want kitchen appliances that have buggy, hackable, and privacy-invading software on them – “Which?” has a longstanding campaign on the poor quality and safety of “connected” machines. And, although Indesit is not an expensive brand, my own experience is that longevity is OK … my Mum’s first fridge (Indes, before it became Indesit) did nearly 20 years, her first Indesit dishwasher did about 15, and this washer/dryer so far has clocked up a decade.
