Over 330,000 dishwashers are being recalled over a potential fire risk.Thousands of customers received a letter from the manufacturers outlining the necessary requirements to check if their model was one of those covered by the recall. The letter states that the manufacturer had “identified that there is a low risk that a component fitted to a limited number of Hotpoint and Indesit dishwashers manufactured between January 2008 and July 2010 sold in the UK may cause overheating and in rare cases a potential fire hazard”. Hotpoint has details on its website to help consumers determine if their model is affected. The incident has sparked more calls for the recall process to be reformed.
Speaking to ITV News, Electrical Safety First’s Phil Buckle said: “We really want to see manufacturers standardising on how they approach a product recall; so that the notices look the same, so that in the mind’s eye of the public, if they see something in a shop, in a newspaper, they realise it’s an important issue and therefore they’ll take notice of it. By doing that, they can then take the actions that are necessary should they believe that they’ve got a product that is subject to a recall.”
Retra chief executive Bryan Lovewell (pictured) has criticised those behind the recall for not making the industry trade bodies aware beforehand. He said: ““Why could they not have given us two or three weeks’ notice so that we could have time to do something about it?”
“Yet again the industry has let itself down,” he added. “When are manufacturers going to learn that when they have a recall situation, they should inform the industry in advance before going public? That way retra, CIH, Sirius and other trade bodies can warn their members in advance of the pending problem.”
He continued: “This will lead to better consumer satisfaction as retailers can be prepared to answer questions in a positive manner, rather than standing there with their mouths open looking totally surprised; let’s turn a negative into a positive now.”
The models affected include Hotpoint dishwashers FDW70/FDW75/FDW80/FDW85A manufactured between April 2005 and May 2008 and EOS platform Hotpoint dishwashers manufactured between January 2008 and July 2010, and owners should check their serial numbers on the www.hotpointservice.co.uk website or by calling 0344 822 5201.
