Whirlpool apologises after washing machine recall website crashes
A website Whirlpool created to help customers check if their washing machine is one of 500,000 being recalled over a fire risk is still down a day after the firm sounded the alarm over its products.
The company set up washingmachinerecall.whirlpool.co.uk yesterday, a site where customers can check the status of their own machines, but the website appears to have crashed shortly after its creation.
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“We are very sorry that we continue to experience technical problems with our registration website and we deeply apologise for the delay and concern this has caused ,” a Whirlpool statement on a landing page reads.
“Whilst we continue to work with our third party provider to resolve this issue as quickly as possible, you can call our customer service team on 0800 316 1442.”
“We will continue to update everyone through our social media channels and we thank you for your patience,” the statement added.
Whirlpool also posted a message on its Twitter account.
The washer and dryer giant sparked uproar yesterday when customers discovered that a fault with the door locking system in the company’s Hotpoint and Indesit models sold from October 2014 to February 2018 can lead to overheating, presenting a fire hazard.
The company was also criticised for not promising replacements or refunds until January, leaving customers without hot water to wash their clothes.
The failure of its online model checking tool meant Whirlpool had to use its Twitter account to tell concerned customers whether or not their machines were affected.
“When the heating element in the washing machine is activated, in very rare cases a component in the door lock system can overheat, which, depending on product features, can pose a risk of fire,” a Whirlpool spokesperson told the BBC.
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The affected machines were on sale for more than five years, with up to 519,000 washing machines believed to be affected across the UK and Ireland – around 20 per cent of the total number sold.
Whirlpool recently faced criticism for a dryer recall in which more than 5m sold were found to be fire-prone. The company was forced to recall the faulty dryers by the government after four years.