Candy’s Safety Oversight Fail: My Tumble Dryer Nightmare Continues!

In March, the manufacturer Candy warned me about a safety issue with my tumble dryer, which was only 18 months old, and told me to stop using it.

A technician was dispatched and repaired the dryer within a few weeks. After the repair, I assumed everything was fine and began using it again.

On August 1st, I received another urgent message instructing me not just to stop using the dryer but to unplug it entirely. This alert was in response to a government-mandated warning.

Since that time, Candy has scheduled and then canceled four repair appointments. The customer service team claims that no engineers are available and that scheduling new appointments can only be handled by the “planning team,” which neither they nor I can reach.

AW, Stamford, Lincolnshire

Not only are you left with a non-functional £529 appliance that you consider essential due to having young children and limited space, but you are also living with a device that could be extremely dangerous. This situation affects thousands of other customers as well.

Candy, a subsidiary of the Chinese multinational Haier group, acknowledged “manufacturing variations” in some of its built-in heat pump dryers that could potentially cause them to short-circuit and catch fire. Technicians were sent out to modify all units that were at risk. Nevertheless, it appears that these initial repairs were not properly executed.

In August, the government’s Office for Product Safety and Standards criticized the modification efforts as “not satisfactory,” labeling the tumble dryers as “dangerous” and requiring Haier to urgently inform customers to cease using and disconnect their appliances. Non-compliance with this warning requirement could result in fines or even imprisonment for the executives of the manufacturer.

The modification was so poorly done that there was a real concern the dryer could ignite even when off, if it remained plugged in.

Approximately 17,000 tumble dryers are implicated, spanning across brands like Baumatic, Caple, Haier, Hoover, Lamona, Iberna, and Montpellier.

Based on your ordeal, it seems Haier is dismissive about the severity of these issues. After cancelling your fourth repair appointment, they did not respond until prompted.

They offered “sincere apologies for the inconvenience” and praised their own “ongoing commitment to product safety.”

This interaction finally resulted in a technician being sent to your home at short notice. However, it’s likely that thousands of other customers are still awaiting assistance. Haier has stated that they intend to address all affected units as soon as possible. Hopefully, they manage to correctly fix the issue this time.

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