Just Bought One

[Allen]

I've just bought one, online. It's being delivered and installed on Monday. Has been chosen over and above a Bosch WFR2869 which I could have got for £449 inc. delivery but only a two year guarantee.

The reason I chose the ISE is A: I was convinced by the arguments on this site. B: It was the 5-year parts and labour guarantee that really swung it. C: The last machine we had was a Hotpoint, absolute rubbish, even when it was fixed under warranty the hassle of getting it done was unbelievable, being passed between the dealer and the manufacturer like a hot potato.

I hope I made the right decision, I'll be letting you know!

[Whitegoodshelp (Andy)]

Thanks Allen, that's what this forum is for. If I'm recommending any particular washing machines I’m prepared to let people see what those who followed the recommendation have to say too. Hopefully all posts will be positive, but nothing is infallible so if anyone has any problems, or criticisms, they can be addressed here openly.

Out of all the washing machines currently available in the UK, the ISE is likely to have the best after sales care because it's done by the same person that delivered and installed it for you - usually your local independent engineer or shop. The people behind the washing machine are all experienced washing machine engineers who were sick of the many throwaway washing machines being sold with extortionately priced spares and little or no technical support from the manufacturers. They are offering a different way, more like things used to be 20 years ago.

Anyone with an ISE washing machine should have no problem getting accessible technical support and spare parts.

I look forward to your report.

[Allen]

Okay, bit of a review.

My wife would be better qualified to do this review, but as she's not a computer saddo like me I'll do it.

No major functional issues to report so far. The washing machine works well, is reasonably quiet and the programmes and facilities suit our needs very well. One of the features that influenced our choice was the hand-wash programme and this seems to work very well to do jumpers and the like.

The only comment my wife made was that the 1500 spin setting tended to flatten the laundry to such an extent that creases could be introduced - I guess this is the trade-off for having a very efficient spin performance. She usually turns it down to 1200 to avoid this and increases it on items that she wants to get really dry.

As for the installation service, just a couple of gripes: Firstly he didn't level it properly, it was rocking when I saw it spinning. I cured it by shoving a piece of folded card under the foot, now it's perfect (high tech, eh?). Also he didn't leave us with our registration card that we are supposed to use to get our warranty. I rang ISE and they sent it in the post, saying our guarantee certificate would follow, as yet it hasn't arrived. I will of course ring them again but as the 5-year parts and labour warranty is one of the primary reasons we bought this machine I obviously want what I paid for.

One thing the installer said to my wife was that this was only the third one he had installed, one of the others being his own! I don't think it's actually been available for that long so I guess this isn't a total surprise, but I would say that ISE need to promote it a bit more by getting reviews in Which?, etc.

As far as the product is concerned I can say RECOMMENDED after having used it for about two and half weeks now. The service quality I guess is variable as you are dependent on the qualities of your local independent distributor.

[Whitegoodshelp (Andy)]

Many thanks for your review Allen. 1500 spin is pretty fast and can crease some items. Towels and sheets should be fine but some laundry is better spun a little slower. 1200 RPM is a good speed. The beauty of the ISE is that it has variable spin options.

According to Which? independent service beats the multinationals and big companies virtually every time, but as you say, the quality of service can vary. It’s rare for any washing machine to be installed (at no extra charge) at all, so getting it installed is great but little things like it not being level can be a bit of a fly in the ointment. There are usually adjustable feet at the front of washing machines - although a bit of “high-tech” folded card can do the job fine ;-)

With the ISE guarantee card, the agent should normally fill in and send off the card for the customer, it’s all part of the service. This is a quote from the ISE forum that I have access too where I can question the people behind the project – “It’s the agents responsibility to post the card to us, all agents are trained and admin is part of that. Upon receipt of the registration card we issue a certificate of guarantee, the customer should be told to expect one through the post”.

Glad you like the washing machine, and don’t forget that Washerhelp is here to help and advise with any problems or queries regarding the ISE washing machine as part of my commitment to responsible recommending. Anyone can “recommend” something, but I aim to make sure the products I recommend are still worth recommending, and help anyone who takes my advice (which is given freely and in good faith of course).

[Guest Guest]

Okay, final tie-up before I lay this one to rest:

We got our certificate, everything is hunky-dory. The washing machine is still going about its daily business without complaint.

Ta Ta for now and thanks for the help and advice.

[iadom]

One thing the installer said to my wife was that this was only the third one he had installed, one of the others being his own! I don't think it's actually been available for that long

The ISE has been 'on the market' for almost 12 months now, I installed my first one at the beginning of March, tomorrow I will be installing numbers 62 & 63.

Jimbo

[Whitegoodshelp (Andy)]

Thanks for that, and welcome Jimbo.

[Allen]

To continue our running report:

We had a leak from the bottom of our ISE machine. We called customer services and arranged for an engineer to come out the following Thursday. He checked the machine by running a program with the lid off, it revealed that the drum(?) seal had a hole in it. He said this was very unusual with such a new machine. Anyway he had a spare on the van and fitted it and now all is well.

As a test of the guarantee and service quality then I would say that praise is due.

However one thing puzzles me - how come our service engineer (and the original installer) come from a company in Birmingham when we live in Chester? I thought the whole idea was to have the machine installed and serviced by 'local' people. I would consider Liverpool or even perhaps Manchester to be local, but not Birmingham.

[Whitegoodshelp (Andy)]

The concept is not so much to have local engineers (many manufacturer's engineers live locally in the area they cover) but independent local engineers. At the moment the coverage is patchy in some areas so ISE will make sure someone comes out no matter how far they have to travel. It's also possible for an ISE dealer to be a sole trader and need covering from elsewhere at certain times. I expect coverage will increase with time but it's not uncommon for an engineer doing in guarantee work to travel very long distances. I worked for a national retailer for a while and often had to travel almost an hour on motorways before reaching my first job. Once out of guarantee, any local engineer should be able to repair the ISE.