Whirlpool washing machine recall – how to get a refund NOW if yours is a fire-risk

CUSTOMERS with a faulty Whirlpool washing machine may be able to get a refund now rather than wait until the New Year for a replacement.

Whirlpool sparked fury earlier this week when it announced that a recall of 519,000 washing machines wouldn't take place until after Christmas.

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The manufacturer will offer customers either a replacement or free in-home repair of their existing machines.

Until then, people with a faulty machine are urged not to use them over fears they can start a fire, or use them at just 20 degrees Celsius.

But for some people, they may be able to get their money back sooner through the retailer that they bought the machine from.

Whirlpool says the 42 different recalled Hotpoint and Indesit models were sold between October 2014 and February 2018, but some people may have bought theirs even more recently through third-party sellers.

"Retailers have a responsibility to make sure that what they sell you is of a good quality," James Daley from consumer group, Fairer Finance, told The Sun.

"So if you bought it relatively recently - say, within the last six months - you do have a right to go back to the shop and ask for a refund or replacement."

But he does warn that it depends on the retailer and their returns policy so it's worth finding out first.

What if I bought my washing machine longer than six months ago?

If you bought your machine longer than six months ago then you're going to have to rely on the warranty to get your money back.

These are provided by either the manufacturer, or some retailers offer them too, and they promise to repair or replace products within a specific time period if necessary.

Some Whirlpool products came with free warranties, while others you will have had to pay extra for.

How long it lasts also differs depending on what you opted for - these can range from a year to ten years.

Sometimes, firms use insurers to provide their warranties.

"If this is the case, then you should be able to make a claim directly to the insurer," explained Mr Daley.

"But if it's Whirlpool that is offering and delivering the warranty, then you may not have any choice but to wait for it to get things sorted."

Can I claim a refund using Section 75?

Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act is one of the most important bits of consumer legislation in the UK.

It means that if you pay for a big purchase on your credit card and something happens - such as the goods aren't delivered or the the shop goes bust - your card provider is just as responsible as the retailer to refund you.

So if you're not having any luck claiming your money back through the warranty, you may be able to get a refund through your credit card provider.

There's no time limit from when you purchased the machine and when you can make a claim but My Daley says this is only likely to work if you bought your machine recently.

He added: "You can try to claim the money back from your credit card provider but I think it would only work if you'd bought the machine recently and the retailer isn't being cooperative."

If you don't agree with the outcome of the claim, or the provider won't help, you can complain to the Financial Ombudsman for free.

What if I paid using my debit card?

There is a scheme offered by many card providers called Chargeback, which helps you get a refund for faulty goods paid for using a debit card.

This covers purchases of under £100 on credit card, and any purchases on debit card.

But you have to make a claim within 120 days of making the purchase.

The recall comes after Whirpool originally pulled 800,000 fire-risk tumble dryers from shelves back in July this year after buckling under pressure from consumer groups.

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The issue relates to more than 600 models of vented and condenser tumble dryers made by Hotpoint, Indesit, Creda, Swan and Proline - all part of the Whirlpool brand - between 2004 and 2015.

The fault is apparently caused by excess fluff coming into contact with the heating element.

At the time, it had modified 1.7million machines out of the 5.3million units manufactured between April 2004 and September 2015.