My Rights/Advice.... Biasco not playing fair.
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My Rights/Advice.... Biasco not playing fair.
I'll try to keep the background brief... here we go 
I moved into a new flat a while back and looked to have a new cooker installed as the old one was being taken by the old owners.
I asked about the old model so I could have one the same size installed to avoid chopping up the kitchen.
We have three cats, a toddler and another little one on the way, so my wife stipulated the new cooker had to be nice and safe. Our old hob had a way of locking out all of the heating elements.
I rang Biasco and was advised about two models that would fit our unusual 80cm gap in the kitchen... they were both SMEG. But only the electric one was going to work in out kitchen
i did a little research and the online manual said the cooker had a DEMO function that locks out all the heating elements... great!! I rang SMEG and they confirmed that this lock was a showroom function so that the oven and hob can not be turned on.
It sounded good to me so I ordered it from Biasco.
It arrived... with only live, neutral and earth guide wires sticking out the back so I needed to get it hard wired before I could test it.
Got it wired up... and the demo function did not work as stated... it seemed to only locked out the main oven and not the auxiliary oven or the electric hobs. I contacted Biasco (this was within the 7 days cooling off period for distance selling on the internet) and told them that this cooker either is not working properly or the demo function was not accurately described... either way I did not think it was safe for a young family. The hobs front mounted modern style ***** were completely frictionless and could be nudged from 0- full power anticlockwise soooo easily, and the lock did not function.
Biasco got back to me saying they spoke to SMEG technical and reiterated how the demo function was meant to work and to make sure we were activating it properly.... which we 100% definitely were.... they then said there policy was one fault one repair on the new cooker as we had installed it. This cheesed me off a little as we basically wired a cable on the points specified and that was it... it is a range cooker FFS.
But ok I thought.
An engineer came out replaced a part... and the demo mode still did not function...
SMEG technical has since changed their tune and have told us that the demo function only locks the main oven, and it is working as it should. For showroom models they disconnect everything manually.
Since this engineer and report, Biasco have not contacted me, they have contacted SMEG and we have had two other engineers sent out who have said the same thing as the first... No lock on this cooker.
More recently Biasco seem totally uninterested... even thought I contacted them originally about the unsuitability within 7 days and the fact we were misinformed about the safety features. Everytime I try to contact them and leave messages via phone or email they are ignored.
I now have an oven that I don't think is very safe, and the engineers have agreed... I have turned the hob on inadvertently and so has one of our cats
I think I am within my rights to have this cooker replaced and I would like it replaced. There is another smaller Induction cooker they have that is smaller, but at least I would not need to chop up the kitchen to fit it... and it would be a very safe alternative. But they will not return any of my calls or emails.
What should I do now? The person I was dealing with that has been unresponsive already is the customer services manager
Any advice would be greatly appreciated
I moved into a new flat a while back and looked to have a new cooker installed as the old one was being taken by the old owners.
I asked about the old model so I could have one the same size installed to avoid chopping up the kitchen.
We have three cats, a toddler and another little one on the way, so my wife stipulated the new cooker had to be nice and safe. Our old hob had a way of locking out all of the heating elements.
I rang Biasco and was advised about two models that would fit our unusual 80cm gap in the kitchen... they were both SMEG. But only the electric one was going to work in out kitchen
i did a little research and the online manual said the cooker had a DEMO function that locks out all the heating elements... great!! I rang SMEG and they confirmed that this lock was a showroom function so that the oven and hob can not be turned on.
It sounded good to me so I ordered it from Biasco.
It arrived... with only live, neutral and earth guide wires sticking out the back so I needed to get it hard wired before I could test it.
Got it wired up... and the demo function did not work as stated... it seemed to only locked out the main oven and not the auxiliary oven or the electric hobs. I contacted Biasco (this was within the 7 days cooling off period for distance selling on the internet) and told them that this cooker either is not working properly or the demo function was not accurately described... either way I did not think it was safe for a young family. The hobs front mounted modern style ***** were completely frictionless and could be nudged from 0- full power anticlockwise soooo easily, and the lock did not function.
Biasco got back to me saying they spoke to SMEG technical and reiterated how the demo function was meant to work and to make sure we were activating it properly.... which we 100% definitely were.... they then said there policy was one fault one repair on the new cooker as we had installed it. This cheesed me off a little as we basically wired a cable on the points specified and that was it... it is a range cooker FFS.
But ok I thought.
An engineer came out replaced a part... and the demo mode still did not function...
SMEG technical has since changed their tune and have told us that the demo function only locks the main oven, and it is working as it should. For showroom models they disconnect everything manually.
Since this engineer and report, Biasco have not contacted me, they have contacted SMEG and we have had two other engineers sent out who have said the same thing as the first... No lock on this cooker.
More recently Biasco seem totally uninterested... even thought I contacted them originally about the unsuitability within 7 days and the fact we were misinformed about the safety features. Everytime I try to contact them and leave messages via phone or email they are ignored.
I now have an oven that I don't think is very safe, and the engineers have agreed... I have turned the hob on inadvertently and so has one of our cats
I think I am within my rights to have this cooker replaced and I would like it replaced. There is another smaller Induction cooker they have that is smaller, but at least I would not need to chop up the kitchen to fit it... and it would be a very safe alternative. But they will not return any of my calls or emails.
What should I do now? The person I was dealing with that has been unresponsive already is the customer services manager
Any advice would be greatly appreciated
Consumer Direct site for sale then onto trading standards. then onto your local paper and citizen's advice.
goods not fit for purpose/as described.
good luck!
5t
goods not fit for purpose/as described.
good luck!
5t
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Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 243
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Thanks for the posts fivetide and Brendan.
OllyK... I do have an isolator switch... the only problem is it seems to also be connected to a few other kitchen appliances like the dishwasher?! Most of the ovens functions are linked into the clock. So it needs to be set each time I turn it off and on again. We could do it like that, it would just be inconvenient, and for a new cooker I hoped I could work it as it should rather then have to sidestep the problems
OllyK... I do have an isolator switch... the only problem is it seems to also be connected to a few other kitchen appliances like the dishwasher?! Most of the ovens functions are linked into the clock. So it needs to be set each time I turn it off and on again. We could do it like that, it would just be inconvenient, and for a new cooker I hoped I could work it as it should rather then have to sidestep the problems
You have asked a question and through an incorrect answer have been mis-sold the cooker - you wouldn't have bought it if you had known what you now know. Therefore, it is not fit for purpose. Tell them to collect it and refund your money or you will persue them therough trading Standards/Small Claims Court.
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