Need to replace a washing machine!

Share your experiences of local businesses - recommend or discourage!
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seahermit
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Need to replace a washing machine!

Postby seahermit » Tue Mar 23, 2021 12:12 am

I have a very good AEG Lavamat which has lasted for so many years that I have long lost track of good repair (or retail) shops which exist locally. Does anyone have any recommendations?

The machine is leaking from the door seals, also very noisy when spinning (bearings?), so it is very much on the way out.

I have a couple of numbers for plumbers (both garnered from this forum!), but in the past shops have sometimes sold me a refurbished machine and taken the old one away (I don't have a vehicle for getting to the dump).

Adams and Jarrett in Norman Road, St Leonards have everything electrical - but at enormous prices. I have no idea why anyone walks in there.

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number9
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Re: Need to replace a washing machine!

Postby number9 » Tue Mar 23, 2021 11:50 am

seahermit wrote:Adams and Jarrett in Norman Road, I have no idea why anyone walks in there.


1) its good to support a local company like Adams & Jarrett
2) they have been in Norman Road for over 100 years ( family owned )
3) I have used them a few times for things like new cooker etc and received good advice
4) They do say they will price match or do better on new items with other local stores.
5) Free local delivery

I'm quite happy using Adams & Jarrett for some purchases

Now to get back to your washing machine...they don't last forever but some brands seem to have a better reputation than others..eg Meile ( hugely expensive but reliable ).
I have heard of Ben Smith ( 01424 400897 ) who specializes in repairs of washing machines & cookers but have no idea of prices or how good they are...you can look them up online.

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Richard
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Re: Need to replace a washing machine!

Postby Richard » Tue Mar 23, 2021 7:26 pm

I use AO.com for white goods, they offer some free delivery slots with short waiting times.
A&J seem pricey, may give them a try but they can't compete with 'internet' national chains.

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seahermit
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Re: Need to replace a washing machine!

Postby seahermit » Thu Mar 25, 2021 12:52 am

Thanks very much for the comments and sorry for my delay in replying.

The Ben Smith website at first sight looks very informative and they have a shop too on Sedlescombe Road South. I don't need a top-of-the-range machine costing £600 (which might outlive myself), so when the lockdown eases I will walk up there and look around at the new and re-conditioned machines. Maybe compare prices with Adams and Jarrett too.

I might have been granted a breathing space. My AEG machine seemed to be leaking significantly when operating, but the water-pressure taps beneath the combi-boiler were also leaking (slightly). The gas man has now replaced the boiler inlets - and it looks as if that was actually THE problem, vibration (and maybe some back-pressure) from the machine was merely making the leak much worse.

So I may not need to rush with this, even so the washine machine is getting old and rickety (I know the feeling), so I will replace it before another emergency.

Will report back on my experiences.

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Richard
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Re: Need to replace a washing machine!

Postby Richard » Thu Mar 25, 2021 9:42 am

seahermit - if you have had leeks then your water bill may be higher than normal.
If you let the water company know they can make an adjustment for a period.
I seem to remember you had leeks a long time ago too!

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number9
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Re: Need to replace a washing machine!

Postby number9 » Thu Mar 25, 2021 10:21 am

Richard wrote: I seem to remember you had leeks a long time ago too!


Richard, it's been a while since I had " leeks "
they were very tasty in my casseroles ;) :lol:

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seahermit
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Re: Need to replace a washing machine!

Postby seahermit » Thu Mar 25, 2021 3:51 pm

I doubt whether the leaks would add up to a lot of pounds when the water bill comes in. It looked bad but still not a flood, thank goodness!

I only vaguely remember previous leaks - think it was a joint somewhere.

Leeks in my stews, yes, delicious. Reminds me to dig out my old recipes again ..

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Richard
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Re: Need to replace a washing machine!

Postby Richard » Fri Mar 26, 2021 10:46 am

Radiator leeks are most unpleasant!

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seahermit
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Re: Need to replace a washing machine!

Postby seahermit » Mon Apr 11, 2022 2:34 pm

I finally got round to replacing my washing machine, so here are my recommendations.

I was put off initially by the higher prices of Adams and Jarrett but, to be fair, their prices are not so bad and they offer a number of "budget" machines. In addition, I did the research and it was very much an eye-opener! Beco tumble dryers which burst into flames and other cheap brands which might last a couple of years without going wrong ..

The staff at Adams and Jarrett were very helpful and informative (no callow youths who have learned how to operate a cash till!), told me a lot of stuff which I knew to be true from my own research, so I swallowed hard and bought a £500 Siemens machine. Really nice-looking, five-year guarantee and Siemens, Bosch and AEG all seem to have excellent reputations. (I used to buy German car tools from the time of my first old banger).

It was delivered and connected by them in a few days, no fuss at all, so that's where I would point anybody!


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