Smeg

We purchased a Smeg kettle at Hirschs just over 2 years ago and were disappointed when it developed a leak given the price paid and the quality expectation of the brand. The staff at Hirschs were not very helpful, saying they could not do anything since the guarantee period of 2 years was over. They admitted that customers were entitled to expect more from Smeg products as their selling point was reliability and lasting quality - but they refused to get involved except to direct us to the Smeg repair centre in Umhlanga, although they were not optimistic about getting a replacement and expected a quote for repair. We went in to Smeg expecting them to point to the guarantee period as well but were pleasantly surprised when, after testing the kettle, they agreed to have it replaced at no further cost to us. They agreed that their products created an expectation of enduring quality by customers and were prepared to stand by their marketing claims. A few days later, we collected a new kettle and were even more pleased when it was confirmed that the new unit was covered by the same 2 year guarantee as the original one. Congratulations to Smeg on standing by their product.