A house fire, linked to an Indesit dryer, leaves a homeowner displaced after the appliance allegedly caused extensive damage.
Jemma believed the dryer had a dangerous fault, as the model had been recalled for safety reasons. However, Indesit told the Adver different information, stating that her dryer was made after the recall. They found no problems with the dryer, which they noted was five years old.
Jemma has not lived at home since last June’s fire. She and her kids stayed in hotels, and a kind client even housed them. Work to check the house’s structure kept getting delayed.
The downstairs was destroyed, and smoke damaged everything upstairs. This damage included all Jemma’s work equipment and was too extensive to repair.
Jemma checked the model number, IDC85UK, online and a notice said it was an affected model. The notice urged people to unplug it, not use it, and wait until it had modifications.
Jemma said no one was hurt, thankfully. There was too much smoke to stay inside, and someone checked the dryer later. They said it had an unsafe heating element, whereas newer dryers use safer heat pumps.
Jemma noticed you can’t buy her model anymore. It went to forensic testing, but Indesit says it was her fault. She stated that she cleans the dryer after each use and knows lint buildup causes fires, and dryers should definitely not catch fire.
Indesit offered her £200 or a new dryer. She said that she won’t buy from them again, which will not happen when she rebuilds her house. She is angry and frustrated about their lack of care and feels Indesit treated her awfully.
Her family in Cricklade and Swindon are now more careful and pay closer attention while using their dryers. Financially, this has been difficult for her, as she had to replace all her equipment, although her clients have shown superb support. Jemma doesn’t want others to experience this.
Jemma and her family hope to move home soon, now that work finally began to fix her Fairford house damage.
An Indesit rep confirmed the recall, which covered dryers made from April 2004 to October 2015. Ms. Wagner’s dryer was made later and therefore, was not included in this recall.
The £200 or replacement dryer was offered for collection for the purpose of a forensic examination. That exam found no dryer fault, and her claim got rejected after their tests. Indesit sympathizes but considers the matter closed and stated that they will take no further action.