Extremely boring washing machine question

[SueEllen]

Hi all. Thanks for all the suggestions.

Other than miele, who seem to sell direct only, does it actually matter where you buy these things from? If there's a problem in the warranty period does the seller have any involvement or would you be dealing with the manufacturer direct? One model we're looking at is as cheap on John Lewis as anywhere else but others are significantly cheaper online with discount white good sellers.
I can get 10% cashback on ao.com but I never heard of them before...

The only reason to use John Lewis is that you can often get a longer warranty on white goods.

Yes you still have to deal with the manufacturer but it's likely you will never have to deal with them as John Lewis are particular about the brands they stock.

I've used Appliances online. I was ordering 3 items where 2 had to be a particular colour and they were the only supplier who had them all in stock. They weren't significantly cheaper than anywhere else at the time but they could deliver 3 items in one delivery. The items were all delivered in good order and on the date stated. There as the complaints I've heard about Currys is that the items are often delivered with dents in them.

[OwlHoot]

I have got all my white goods from John Lewis as if any goes wrong they are much better to deal with than most other companies.

I'm sure I bought my former Miele from John Lewis, although that was over ten years ago.

[d000hg]

Darn, the one I wanted is now not available at ao. JL have it at the same price for delivery "within 5 weeks"

I am not seeing JL offer any different warranty than other places - 2 years even on Miele I think. You can pay for a 5 year warranty but I haven't checked if that's any good or not yet.

So if a JL-bought product goes wrong, you contact JL and they sort it out for you? More like buying from Amazon?

[Scruff]

I have bought 4 appliances from AO and their pricing and delivery were amazing.

[SueEllen]

I have bought 4 appliances from AO and their pricing and delivery were amazing.

No they weren't amazing they were as expected from an online retailer who doesn't use Yodel or some other tulip random courier.

Customer service and delivery is so bad with retailers that getting a retailer who does what is expected of them feels amazing.

[OwlHoot]

I have bought 4 appliances from AO and their pricing and delivery were amazing.

Was going to ask for a link, on the grounds that trying a search on "AO" will probably return millions of results.

But the first Google result returned by "AO home" is Appliances Online

[SueEllen]

Was going to ask for a link, on the grounds that trying a search on "AO" will probably return millions of results.

But the first Google result returned by "AO home" is Appliances Online

If your washing machine breaks down it's your fault for choosing a tulip brand.

[OwlHoot]

If your washing machine breaks down it's your fault for choosing a tulip brand.

Couldn't agree more - That's why I'm buying a Miele in a week or two!

[d000hg]

If your washing machine breaks down it's your fault for choosing a tulip brand.

And where oh great one are published reliability indexes? You can easily find the same company make two models, one which is amazing and one which is crap. Reviews typically are written within a few weeks/months, not 3 years after purchase... and you're unlikely to be able to find a model to buy which was on sale further back than the warranty period, which means it's virtually impossible to buy a model based on proven reliability.

It seems Bosch and Miele are the most respected brands but brand image and actual reliability aren't the same.

Even Mieles will break down sometimes