You CANNOT rely on DEFY

Item: Defy Appliances
Rating: 1
Author: Dieter S

In November 2015 I purchased quite a few household appliances at Tafelberg Furnishers, Parklands and despite my issue with DEFY they really do go the extra mile for their customers. Amongst these items I purchased a DEFY DDW171 Dishwasher. Every month I clean the outlets in the laundry area so obviously I pull the washing machine and dishwasher forward. Although the unit had been working well I noticed the rear of the machine had started to melt and also found this on the inlet pipe. (I also took photographs as proof) We were smelling some sort of burning smell on occasion, but could never find the source. Just to be clear. None of my laundry items are pushed up against the inlet area as this could compromise flow of water to the said appliance. Tafelberg Furnishers followed up on this and spoke to a lady at DEFY customer care who basically said this could be normal when the machine is operated using the intensive cycle which is a 70 degree cycle. This only tells me Defy is aware of this issue and as this being a function on the dishwasher why has it not been resolved if it does this on the intensive cycle? When the Defy technician came to my home to inspect the unit his words were " This is NOT normal. I have never seen this before". I have purchased a different brand which is serving me well and my issue with this whole situation is that DEFY DID NOT ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY for something on one of their products which is not operating normally....unless they regard it normal that it "will" do this if the Intensive 70 degree cycle is used? Does this make any sense?? Apart from this it was also stated that the inlet pipe caused the damage. (See the explanation below supp**** by their After Sales Regional Service Manager) If so, my geyser is set at 60 degrees. This is colder than the 70 degree cycle and therefore a ridiculous statement. I do not want to gain anything here personally. I just feel that DEFY is lining their pockets with the profits and are more concerned about sales figures and somewhere along the line they forgot that the consumers/customers got them to where they are today. I do not care that they are trying to "sweep" my issue under the rug, but what about the units already sold? Maybe it is a bad batch? Maybe they work fine and as the intensive cycle uses more water and power many may use the more economical cycle and this may only happen way down the line. This may just lead to serious damage or at worst cause your home to burn down. Below statement was made by Theunis Veldschoen (Defy After Sales Regional Service Manager) : "This is a DDW171, where the machine was pushed too close to the wall, causing the inlet pipe to touch the back of the machine. During the hot water cycle, the heat generated from the water in the inlet pipe, caused the back insulation to be melted. This melted area is confined to the area where the pipe touched the back section of the machine." I don't know who Mr Jason Crowther is, but he too was copied in on this mail where this ridiculous explanation was given. I also purchased a second entry level Defy fridge a while back. After receiving 3 different ones with defects and damage noticed after the delivery guys unboxed it and sent straight back I eventually purchased a different brand (a unit in the same price range) and the quality on this made the Defy product look pathetic. DEFY...Your slogan is "YOU CAN RELY ON DEFY". Rely on you for what? Disregarding an obvious fire hazard by uttering idiotic excuses. Recall these dishwashers, place a public notice to recall these models and put your customers first. After all...don't you value your customers? Maybe you, DEFY, only value the money they spend and have little to regard as to distributing an item which is an obvious hazard. If you are a customer who purchsed a DEFY DDW171 Dishwasher do not stand by whilst your money is taken whilst your safety is at risk.

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