Russell Hobbs made me regret achieving a life goal

I was a teenager when Russell Hobbs brought out the first black kettle in this country - and I was smitten. Instantly, I promised myself that I would one day have Russell Hobbs kitchen appliances and that was a little dream I held close to my heart until I finally bought my beautiful black Russell Hobbs kettle and toaster two years ago. A goal achievement that I now regret to the very core of the soul that was so excited to fulfill it.

I had difficulty tracking down the specific models I was looking for and stubbornly refused to acknowledge the absolute MASSES of online complaints I saw about the now-poor quality of the products and the absolute horror that masquerades as after-sales service. Complaint after complaint and negative review after negative review about how the products and service no longer come anywhere close to meeting the promises of the brand - or the luxury price tags. I closed my eyes to the truth and went with my heart and now I so very much wish that I hadn't.

I did my part as the consumer and registered my warranty on the RH site, as instructed. I take extremely good care of everything I own because my life has not been an easy one and I have so much gratitude and appreciation for everything that my hard work has earned me. I am the only one who uses the products and they are used far less than they would be in a family home, so overuse or misuse are definitely not factors. I crossed my fingers and hoped for the best - that I'd be one of the lucky few who had no troubles.

But then, mere months before my warranty ended, the trouble started. The paint started flaking off the kettle from all the edges, the water started leaking out along the gauge line, and both outer elements of the toaster stopped working (the inner elements still work).

I immediately tried to access my RH profile to retrieve my warranty information so that the issues could be attended to before time ran out. I couldn't access my account and none of the "Password Reset" emails were arriving in my inbox. I tried for days and eventually sent a technical support request via the online contact form for assistance. I received the automated email reply stating that my request had been logged - proving that the RH system could communicate with my email address and making it even more worrying that I hadn't received the password reset emails.

I received no response after an entire week. I sent another request via the online contact form. Nothing. Silence. I sent a third request. Still nothing but silence.

I then sent a manual request directly to the email address on the site. Nothing... I did this twice more before anyone responded - with nothing but a generic copy/paste list of the service centres around the country. Nothing about my specific problem, no assistance in resetting my password, no advice on how to retrieve my warranty information, no actual help at all, and no communication or feedback about any of it. I responded with a desperate plea for assistance - including the information about my more remote location and the fact that there are no service centres anywhere near my area. I even explained that going to the nearest one would require travelling almost 3 hours and thus, cost far more than just buying a replacement product myself. Something I was not willing to do when it should be covered by the warranty and I still had no feedback at all on whether I would even be assisted if I made that long journey to the city. The last thing I wanted to do was throw tons more good money after bad.

Several more weeks passed of me begging for help and receiving absolutely no response at all from anyone, about any of it.

Eventually, I sent another online form enquiry and another email (starting a fresh thread) stating the problems from the beginning again. After about another week of waiting, I finally received a human response. And this is when the messing about got even worse. I was given the runaround and had a thousand demands made of me - each one met by me to make sure I was still keeping up my end of things. I sent photos of the labels showing model numbers and serial numbers and so on, I sent photos of the peeling paint and leakage points, I sent photos of the toaster elements when turned on, and even a video showing me starting the toaster and how only the inner elements light up - I even went so far as to show the buttons in the video to prove it wasn't on an incorrect setting or anything like that. I did absolutely everything I could think of to get this sorted out and provided everything that was requested of me. This whole portion of the debacle took several more weeks because the RH service team seems allergic to organized and efficient communication and processes.

Then it went silent again. I followed up. Nothing. Ignored. Silence. I followed up again and repeated that I had also still not received any feedback on my warranty information or how to access it when I STILL couldn't get into my own profile. Nothing.

Then, EVENTUALLY, I received another email stating that I would have to take them up to the city and have them repaired at the service centre at my own cost because my warranty had now elapsed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (Warranty information finally provided in this email) Not only could I literally buy another 2 or 3 of each for what that would cost me, but I am now utterly FURIOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!

How DARE RH keep stringing me along and literally ignoring me until my warranty ran out?!?!?!?! That is disgustingly ********* and every single one of you involved in these appalling business practices should be so very ashamed of yourselves. From the warranty information provided, I can see that my warranty was still in effect when I first started requesting assistance and it is now my firm and unchangeable belief that RH intentionally ignored me until it was too late and then provided the barest of "assistance" only for show as they could then claim the nonsense line of my warranty now having run its course. What a sleazy way to get out of your commitments.

I no longer have any faith or loyalty left for this brand and I'm not posting this because I have any belief that they'll make it right. I simply want to warn others in the hope that I can perhaps spare even just one person the stress, upset, and disappointment that is now the true nature of this once-great brand. I wish so very desperately that I had listened to everyone else trying to do the same.

There is no conceivable excuse for this abysmal "service", nor for RH products lasting less than two years! I got more life than that out of a cheap no-name brand kettle I bought at a ****a shop after I got burgled! (There was literally nothing even written on it and it lasted 3 years!) For the price, RH products should last for life - which is how they used to be, and why people have been willing to spend more on them. Why would anyone pay your prices once they've experienced the severely reduced quality and the insulting "customer service" levels?!

It is truly sad what has become of this brand and how they now have such a poor reputation - including intentionally letting warranties run out so that they don't have to clean up their own messes. I don't believe in wishing harm on others, but I truly hope this brand eventually goes out of business so that people are spared the horrible experience of having their dreams turn into nightmares.

Please, if you're reading this, DON'T BUY RUSSELL HOBBS - YOU'LL ALMOST CERTAINLY REGRET IT.