After 13 years of loyal service, my Australian made Simpson washing machine quietly shit itself.
Sad, but understandable.
I replaced it with a Chinese made (because they all are now) Haier; mostly because it was one of only a handful of models that would fit in my tiny tiny laundry cavity. Well, after three loads of washing, the new machine has also shit itself—but not quietly, like the Simpson. Oh, no—the Haier decided to dump a full load of water on my floor in the process; flooding my unit, and causing tens of thousands of dollars worth of water damage to the unit downstairs.
Fuck that fucking piece of shit. Also, fuck the people who built this place, and never put a drain in the floor of the laundry. And fuck the building inspector who signed off on it, too.
So, yeah; I've been spending most of my free time doing minor/temporary repairs, and stuffing around with insurance agents, and so forth. The only upside to this whole debacle, is that I've now met the downstairs neighbour, and he seems to be a really top bloke. Honestly, considering what's happened to his place, I dunno how he can be so jovial. I'm not that jovial, and my place isn't a quarter as damaged as his.
*sigh* How have you lot been?
13 comments :
Well that fucking sucks. What a piece of shit. I feel like you should be able to get all that damage paid for by the manufacturer.
In WA, drains in laundries, toilets and bathrooms are required but that doesn't seem to be the case here in the East. You are right, it's insanity. Small consolation though: I did flood my laundry back when I lived in Perth and it did not drain very well, and there was quite a bit of water damage anyway, even with the drain in place.
(also I had formed the idea that you lived in a detached house - a Queenslander - and that's why you are always so cold, and people can walk right up to your door and knock on it in the middle of the night. Funny to be so wrong)
Nah, I've been extremely susceptible to the cold ever since I dropped the weight. Like, EXTREMELY extremely. It's ridiculous. I need a coat when it gets under 20°C now.
The bloke who came knocking in the middle of the night; I assume he was probably looking for somebody else in the complex; but then again, who knows. They do shut the front gate at night, but it's not hard to climb over.
I agree that the manufacturer of such a defective piece of shit should indeed be liable for the damage. Unsurprisingly, the manufacturer does not seem to agree.
Yeah, the lack of drainage requirements over here are ridiculous. But then again, I've had some experience installing cabling and so forth, and some of the dodgy shit I've seen makes that look reasonable by comparison.
Anyway, how did your laundry flood, back in Perth? And, do you miss Perth's weather at all? I fantasise about moving back to WA eventually, but not while my folks are still alive and living on the East coast.
Oh the bloody hose for the washing machine fell out of the hole in the laundry trough. Thankfully I was in the house and heard the water sloshing all over the floor and was able to fix it, but there was a LOT of water.
Yes I miss Perth's weather A LOT. But I'd be happy enough in SE QLD as well. I'm not a fan of Brisbane's humidity, but I know I would get used to it and my skin absolutely loves it. I can't move back to Perth because hubby's too high up in his company to work remotely, we have to stay in Melbs for the time being. But every winter I know he's getting keener to move away from here. For me the problem with Melbourne is three-fold: the cold, the traffic, and I'm too far away from family and/or friends (I'd be okay with one or the other - I like my family, and my friends, and don't need a big social group).
I think the ACCC will be able to help you with your statutory rights in getting the manufacturer to pay up.
Wow, that sucks. Hope it all gets sorted. I've never had a drain in a laundry floor, either here or in WA (though when I lived in a flat, there was a communal laundry and that probably had one). Slightly less dramatic but not long after we moved in here, the kitchen ceiling was dripping from the newly installed bathroom above. Apparently all that stops the water from the shower from coming through is the silicone seal. I'm still really conscious of it every time I take a shower
I used to get really homesick for a top loading washing machine and actual designated laundry with a big steel sink and cabinet underneath. Even if you have a laundry, you can't get a deep steel sink here - I even thought about trying to get one sent over from Bunnings! Eventually found a slanting deepish sink made by Franke with a hefty price tag. I got a front loading Hotpoint machine when we first moved in and it was such a piece of crap but the after sales service was a nightmare to the point that one time I completely cracked up and sat on the floor in the tiny boiler room crying. Now have an AEG and (tap wood) it's a little gem but nothing, I say NOTHING can replace our trusty old Whirlpool which we left in oz!
I was an early convert to front loaders, but I DO have to say though that super water-saving models are SHIT with your towels. Only buy one if you have a dryer to fluff them up. Otherwise, just get a normal machine or your towels will turn to cardboard. Mind you, I have also switched back to washing my towels with wool wash only - no fabric softener - and giving them a good shake out before you hang them on the line to loosen up the fibres. A really windy day is just as effective, but most modern clotheslines are not designed for proper flapping around like a good old Hills Hoist. Because fabric softener makes towels non-absorbent to water. And in an old top loader, it was okay, it got diluted enough that didn't matter, but a front loader, the amount of softener you need to... argh why is it so hard to get a nice fluffy towel these days without a dryer??!
I do not have a proper laundry sink in this house, even though I have a proper laundry (after 10 years without one). For some reason the previous owners put one of those stupido bowls in the laundry so they can pretend it's a handwashing sink for the attached toilet.
Alex, when you come to buy a replacement machine, try to get one with automatic leak detection and cutoff.
I have to dry most things inside so I use a dehumidifier. Drawback is the towels are a bit flat. I stopped using softener and nearly all fragrance products after reading Kate Grenville's book. Now use vinegar instead of softener - not sure if it softens any but getting rid of the ten thousand fragrances around the house (even have to buy fragrance-free toilet paper, so ridic) has been great
Yeah I tried vinegar. It didn't work, and it was smelly.
Just googled about the book, interesting review in the SMH. I'd agree with every word of it.
Hate artificial smells. Worst is going to stay with someone who's sprayed a bunch of Airwick around or something in your room. Some hotels do this too and it's really annoying. Worst of all is getting in a plane with someone wearing strong perfume, esp White Linen. Fucking perfume sales at duty-free stores should be illegal. Thankfully, few people I know wear it these days. When we were young it was automatic, but I don't even own any perfume these days. The only scent on me is the smells left from my soap, shampoo and deodorant.
And I have to point out that my dislike of scents does NOT extend to deodorant. People have a moral duty not to stink out their fellow humans when we are forced to live and work in such close quarters. This means doing something to stop your sweat from turning to BO (whatever works for you, I don't care, even if it's showering three times a day because nothing else works), bathing regularly esp in warm weather, and washing your clothes frequently so the smells on them don't ferment either. A couple of my male coworkers seem to find it important to douse themselves in aftershave or Lynx or something in and it's not cool. I don't know why it's suddenly the men who are doing all the scenting. And there's one other person who wears perfume regularly, but she mostly works alone and it's not very strong. But every time I smell it, it smells to me like Depends so I don't think it's a very good choice of perfume. Unless it IS Depends, in which case, fair enough.
Yeah, I've always hated air fresheners but this is more far reaching: dishwasher tablets, toilet paper, hand soap, shampoo, conditioner, make-up, dog poo bags... oh and the vinegar smell vanishes as soon as you hang the clothes unless you'e using way too much of it. But I really should do a towel experiment with/without the vinegar and see if there really is any difference cos otherwise I'm just buying vinegar for no reason
The only problem with going almost fragrance free is my nose is now supernatural (!) I can clock aftershave at 100 paces. Perfume now annoys me way more than it used to because it's WAY more noticeable. I agree, guys are the worst offenders - especially young ones
Seriously... they put scent in dog poo bags?!
Yup. Oh and let's not forget that weird scent they add to sanitary pads
This is bizarre. I thought I was in a tiny tiny minority of women who didn't like fragrances*, so what are the chances that the two people who read my blog are in that same camp?
*Actually, to be totally honest, I don't mind lemon.
I grew up in a fragrance-free household, because my dad has a supper sensitive nose and forbade my mother from having anything in the house with a strong scent. This even included garlic (which I'm sure will horrify everybody). I will however go a step further than Suze and say that I don't mind most body odours*. In fact, having grown up around woolsheds, I kinda have a fondness for the blended aroma of dust, sheep-shit, and sweaty shearers.
*I would estimate that I find the smell of roughly 1 in every 50 people to be disgusting.
Oh, and I dunno who came up with the idea that blokes should be gelled, powdered, perfumed, quaffed, manicured, and depilated, but I've long wondered how much of it is a response to something women actually want, and how much of it has been pushed out into the public consciousness by people wanting to sell cosmetics.
I for one am not keen on blokes who look, feel, and smell, more feminine than I do.
I dunno - I think there's been a bit of a backlash as fragrances become more and more artificial. None of the women I work with (bar that one) wear it, well not noticeably anyway, and we've talked about it too and most of us agree it's discourteous in such a close working environment. Also we have someone who suffers the most appalling migraines, so there's that to consider as well. When she gets one, she's often off for 4-5 days, poor thing.
I don't mind essential oil burners and the like. As long as they are good quality oils. In fact, I love the smell of a good oil blend.
And about a decade ago I read research linking overuse of household air fresheners with breast cancer.
I'm not intolerant to the smell of fresh sweat, not at all. It's stale sweat turning to BO that I find offensive. And unfortunately there was, when I first moved to Melbs, a serious problem with our (sorry to say it) migrant taxi drivers not bathing regularly or whatever because some of them just STANK. Then the taxi companies realised it was a problem and started mandating that their drivers clean up their act and it's not an issue now. I just think that some of our newer citizens weren't aware that people in this country are not used to strong human smells and they need to get on board a little with it.
Okay, yeah, I getcha. That smell people get when they don't bathe/change daily. You get it when you're working on campsites where you physically can't bathe. You also tend to find it amongst the homeless, people with substance issues, some migrant groups, remote aboriginal communities, and in poorly-managed nursing homes.
Yeah, I agree, it's pretty rank, and people should avoid smelling like that, if they can, as a courtesy to others.
Also, people who smell like they don't wipe their arse properly. Unless you have a legitimate excuse—not cool.
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