Which (cheap) washing machine?

Can you get onto the Which website? The current magazine has a big section on w/machines. They do say how a number of the cheaper machines do not wash well and list some ‘do not buy’ machines. As you would expect really the best washing and size machines were the most expensive. The normal candidates still come top.
Interestingly they also say with many of the best buys where the machines are the cheapest - in a number of cases JL was cheaper than internet sites.

The best machine I ever had was made by Indesit many years ago I don't know how they perform now but it never let me down at all.
Curry's PC World are advertising them now at under £200 so it may be worthwhile checking them out.

If there's a Freecycle network or maybe something similar on Facebook in her area, it's always worth a check. People give away free, or almost free all sorts of things ... usually lots of washing machines ... when they move house, do kitchens up etc.
Downside is that she would have to go collect it, but even paying a man with a van she'd still be quids in!

Thanks all. I forgot to mention that the old machine will have to be taken away. A washing machine repairer told me once that the lifetime of a washing machine is pretty random, however much you pay it's pot luck. I'll look at Curry's, because I know they do take the old machine away. I was thinking maybe Beko?

I purchased a Beko a few years back for my elderly sister-in-law which served her well for about 3 years. We had to empty her house after she passed away and the washing machine was the only larger item we kept and put in our garage. When my own Indesit broke down (I had had it for many years) we started using the Beko and it is great. It has a quick wash facility which I use most of the time but has a lot more features than the Indesit had (maybe because it is a newer model) but it was the cheapest one on the market as she didn't want to spend a lot on it. We also purchased it from Curry's.

Definitely Beko.I have had mine ten years and wash every day.

Hotpoint.

I gave my lovely AEG machine to my son and his partner and bought a new Samsung.

All of my washing machines have been made by AEG up to that point. All lasted over a decade and I only ever replaced them just to get a shiny new one as they all worked perfectly.

My son moved and they wouldn't accept a new machine so I gave them mine.

Stupidly I fell for the sales talk and bought a top of the range Samsung eccobubble. It's a pile of crap! Utter rubbish. I have had two independent reports one it and it is working as it should but it's just a rubbish machine.

Both engineer's told me that there is nothing wrong with it but it's just inferior quality when compared to other brands.

When the five year guarantee is up I am getting rid of it.

Well, my daughter hated the Samsung machine as well and couldn't believe the difference in how poor a performance the Samsung is competed to our old AEG so when she moved out I couldn't pass it on to her as she would in no way have it!

So I bought her a low cost Hotpoint from Currys. It's fabulous, does the job brilliantly and was a fraction of what my crappy Samsung cost!

Cannot recommend her machine enough.

How about looking at reconditioned model? Our local trader told us that many people update their perfectly good ones for a go-faster wash-whiter one every couple of years. It's called "keeping up with the Jones's"
I bought a 2 year old top of the range Hotpoint for £80, it was still for sale on the Hotpoint site for £300+, it came with a years garantee from the trader.
14 years later it's still going strong and has never let me down.

If you have a Euronics shop nearby, it's worth a visit. I had to replace my washing machine in January, and bought a cheap Indesit from them. On the face of it, other companies (such as the online ao.com) might appear cheaper, but Euronic's add-on charges for things like delivery, fitting and taking-away of old appliance were so reasonable that the final price was very competitive, and having bought from them twice now, I can say that I have had no problems with their customer service.
Personally, I wouldn't touch Curry's with a bargepole again - their customer service was non-existent when I last bought from them. After being delivered a fridge-freezer with a broken glass shelf, I had to resort in the end to visiting their store (months later, following countless futile phonecalls), removing the shelf from a showroom model, and marching out of the shop with it!

My experiences with Samsung have been quite different - they've been brilliant! I'm on my second, having left the first when the house was sold. No complaints whatsoever.

Use AO.com. Really good service and they will take the old one away and install if you want. I usually buy Hotpoint or Indesit - the one I have just now (Hotpoint) has a really useful and effective fast wash programme and 9 kg capacity.

MamaCaz that is hilarious and a great idea!

humptydumpty Which is good but you have to be a member to search fully. If you let me know what your budget is I can look for you as a member

No please dont get Hotpoint! They used to be good- but they are the ones in news recently which were exploding/catching fire etc.the man who came to repair my washer (not a hotpoint)other day said he used to work for them and the cement block inside was coming loose on the hotpoints and when it spun the block was literally breaking out through top of washer- and out through their worktops as well- and the 'modification' that hotpoint supplied was to bolt 2 metal bars accross top of washers!(weve all heard on news how there was a "problem" with them recently- well those are what it was!)A beko is usually good on price.and wash well.and yes theres usually a reconditioned local washer shop nearby.(my daughter got 1 for £150& it works well)you still do get some kind of warranty.varies shop to shop how long though.Indesit are a good make also.

I bought a John Lewis machine 10 years ago when we moved into this house. Sadly it only says JL on it and doesn’t say who the manufacturer is. It’s the best machine I’ve ever had and I shall be very upset when it turns up it’s toes. I hope I’m not challenging the fates when I say that it is still going strong!

Also a lot of people are after 'old' washing machines on freecycle for spares or repairs so would take the old one away for free for you.

Currys do take old one away but its not free

Would like to endorse what Mamcaz says about using Euronics traders. Have always got my 'Whites' from my local one.
A couple of years ago, in the middle of a massive very hot spell, my tall freezer decided to break down. Top couple of drawers/shelves were not frozen!!!
At least with washing machines there is still the choice of using a launderette, but with several hundreds of pounds of food in the freezer I was frantic to get it replaced. Trip to my local, very large Currys - and they told me the earliest (paid for) delivery was seven days. Rushed down to Euronics, got there are 11.00 am, selected a freezer, they plugged it in straight away to get it cold, phoned me when they were on their way, so I could take out the drawers of food in my old freezer - delivered it to my at 2.00pm, (nicely cold), kept upright so I could have it on straight away. Moved my old freezer from my utility room to my garage, replaced with new freezer, ready for me to put in my food. No charge for this delivery service.
PS: Got my Washing machine from them some 14 years ago, still working perfectly (touch wood!!).

Try AO. (Online) Their prices are pretty good. I saved over £80 when I price compared with Curry’s..

I have had Indesit and Hotpoint. Both have lasted years.

But as another poster said, try the freebie sites. People give away machines because they’ve redecorated or upgraded. Usually nothing wrong with them. You can even place a ‘Wanted’ advert on some.

Good luck

I have a Bosch which has a quick wash, about 50 minutes, 2 spin speeds and is very adequate for a small family wash. It came from an internet company, next day delivery and they took away the old one too.

If your friend is on a low income, she also may be able to access a reclamation charity. Here in Dorset we have one, called [shockingly] Dorset Reclaim. People donate everything and anything and companies also donate. Ours have washing machines, freezers, cookers, fridges, and all the furniture you could need. They check everything and deliver and will take away your old one. I'm a fan.

Miele are great - though not cheap. They do last for ages if you follow the maintenence directions. They also have , for instance, a cycle for down filled items - I don't know if this is to be found often on other machines. But I realise I am missing the point here - the key thing is how to get a reasonable and cheap machine. I totally agree with all the advice to try Freecycle, and others with similar names where people give machines away - Freecycle isn't the only one. I gave away a large freezer this way and a cooker.

I nearly always buy white goods online - it's so easy to order them by price, etc, and check out different sites to see how the prices/delivery and collection charges vary, and there are customer reviews that can be very enlightening. Saying that, my latest is a Hotpoint Eco Tech, and I wouldn't recommend it, simply because most of the wash cycles are very long. Something I obviously didn't check out!

I've bought from AO in the past, as others have recommended. Also, perhaps try Tesco Direct - they're closing down in early July, so I'd guess there will be bargains to be had over the next few weeks.

I would also recommend Beko.