The Washing Machine Decision
A family of five has an 11-year-old washing machine that has just been quoted €140 for a repair. They do roughly six washes a week. Two replacements are on offer. Option A costs €480, uses 0.95 kWh and 55 litres per cycle and carries a 12-month manufacturer's warranty. Option B costs €640, uses 0.62 kWh and 42 litres per cycle and carries a 5-year warranty. Electricity costs €0.34 per kWh and water, including waste charges, costs €3.20 per cubic metre. The family expects a machine to last eight years. Their mortgage is €780 a month and they have no savings, though they could pay by credit card at about 20 % APR. The utility room opening is 62 cm wide with the door swinging into a narrow hall.
1. Calculate the annual running cost and the total eight-year cost of each option, stating any assumptions you make.
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Six washes a week is 312 cycles a year.
Option A: energy 0.95 kWh × 312 = 296.4 kWh × €0.34 = €100.78. Water 55 L × 312 = 17,160 L = 17.16 m³ × €3.20 = €54.91. Annual running cost = €155.69. Over eight years: €1,245.52 + €480 = €1,725.52.
Option B: energy 0.62 × 312 = 193.44 kWh × €0.34 = €65.77. Water 42 × 312 = 13,104 L = 13.10 m³ × €3.20 = €41.93. Annual running cost = €107.70. Over eight years: €861.60 + €640 = €1,501.60.
So B costs €160 more to buy but saves about €48 a year to run and roughly €224 over eight years.
Assumptions that must be stated: the kWh figure on the energy label refers to the eco 60 °C cycle, so both machines must be compared on the same programme; detergent and any repair costs are excluded; electricity and water prices are assumed constant, and rising energy prices would widen the gap in B's favour. If the family mostly washes at 30 °C, the difference narrows considerably.
2. Recommend which machine the family should buy, justifying your answer with both financial and non-financial factors.
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On the numbers, B wins: about €224 cheaper over eight years, and the saving grows if electricity prices rise, which is likely. The real question is whether €160 of extra capital is available now - a household with a €780 mortgage and no savings may not have it, and paying by credit card at 20 % APR would erode much of the saving unless it is cleared within a few months.
Non-financial factors:
- Warranty: five years versus twelve months covers the period when failures are most likely and most annoying.
- Water: B uses 13 litres less per cycle, about 4,000 litres a year - relevant on a meter and environmentally.
- Noise and spin: five people washing daily will notice a loud machine in a small house.
- Repairability: check that spare parts and a local engineer are available, because an unrepairable machine is a false economy.
- Fit: the opening is 62 cm, so measure the machine with the door and hoses attached before ordering.
Recommendation: buy B if the €160 can be found without credit and it fits the space; otherwise buy A and put the difference towards an emergency fund rather than an extended warranty. Repairing the 11-year-old machine is only sensible if the rest of it is sound - a second failure is likely.
3. Fourteen months after buying Option A, the drum bearing fails. Explain the family's rights and the steps they should take.
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The 12-month manufacturer's warranty has expired, but that is not the family's only protection. Under Irish consumer law (the Consumer Rights Act 2022 applies to contracts made from 30 November 2022), goods must be of satisfactory quality, fit for purpose and durable. A drum bearing failing at 14 months on a washing machine is not normal wear and tear, so the retailer - not the manufacturer - is responsible for putting it right.
Steps:
- Stop using the machine so the fault is not made worse.
- Complain in writing to the retailer, quoting the purchase date, model, price and fault, and asking for repair, replacement or a price reduction. Keep the receipt and photographs.
- Anticipate the burden-of-proof argument: in the first 12 months a fault is presumed to have existed at purchase; after that the consumer must show the failure is not their fault. An engineer's report or the retailer's inspection helps here.
- Set a reasonable deadline, such as 14 days, and keep copies of all correspondence.
- If refused, escalate to the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, and consider the Small Claims Procedure (claims up to €2,000).
A claim can generally be pursued for up to six years, so 'out of warranty' is not the end of the matter.