General Enquiries And Questions

I'd be interested in your feedback and opinions on John Lewis own branded
whitegoods, please.

They're not the cheapest, but would like to know what you may know of their manufacture, build quality and overall value for money compared to the big-name known brands.

John Lewis are well regarded in the High Street as a quality store, their reputation follows them with the selection of whitegoods with the own label on.

They are a good quality product made in the Zanussi factory.

Martin wrote:John Lewis are well regarded in the High Street as a quality store, their reputation follows them with the selection of whitegoods with the own label on.

They are a good quality product made in the Zanussi factory.

Wow, thanks for the very quick reply. As you've pointed out, John Lewis' reputation for customer service is second to none. I am, however, surprised that their whitegoods are built by Zanussi...that would put me off; or do I have an unfounded belief from years ago that Zanussi are not that good a manufacturer.

I'm learning a lot from your forum; we've tended to buy the best quality that we can (usually in the sales or graded goods) and have Bosch fridge, Bosch freezer, Siemens washing machine and AEG multifunction oven... have we picked the right strategy to get best value for money, or should we be looking at other brands (some of these goods will need changing soon)

Sorry for the long request!!

Hi Courtland,

Zanussi are okay, but you'll note that all are now branded as "Zanussi by electrolux" on the fascia.

Electrolux also own the brands; AEG, Tricity Bendix, Parkinson Cowan, Electrolux (obviously) and they also do manufacture for other brands, for example many of the supposed upmarket De Detriech washing machines are essentially a Zanussi in disguise.

As mass-market machines go, they're okay but nothing outstanding IMO.

K.

So do I take it that there's a lot of "badge engineering" going on... in otherwords, put a different badge on the same item and then charge a different price because folk think they are getting something that is better built?

If this is the case, then is a DeDietrich really any better than a Zanussi; do they actually build DeDietrich with better parts and materials, or is it exactly the same parts bin?

And if that is the case, then is it really worth paying extra for what I (and possibly others) have perceived as being premium quality brands that benfit from better components and build quality in exchange for their highre price? e.g. AEG, Bosch, Gaggenau, Siemens, Neff, Miele, Smeg etc.

Same parts bin generally.

Gaggenau, Bosch, Neff and Siemens are all the same group and so there is crossover, although the cheaper Bosch stuff is made by a factory they bought in Spain mainly and not as good as the German stuff.

Meile do not badge engineer to my knowledge, you are getting what you pay for there.

Smeg do manufacture mostly all their own although there are a few items that they seem to buy in, US style fridge frezers spring to mind from Maytag, as well as producing for others such as Diplomat (MFI).

So yes, there's an awful lot of badge engineering going on and often the poor customer hasn't a clue what they're buying.

K.

So if that's the case, and given that we were buying the likes of Siemens etc. because we thought we were getting a better quality product, rather than just buying the label; what brand(s) ought we to be considering in order to get the best value for money, taking into consideration:-

component quality
build quality
reliability
price

Bosch mid range and upwards, Meile and, errr...

Well that's about it really if you want a real quality machine that is available on the UK market. Virtually everything else is re-badged or ain't that great in my opinion, but that's only my opinion of course.

K.

Courtland wrote:component quality
build quality
reliability
price

You won't be surprised to know that we get asked these questions time and time again and on a daily basis. In fact the answers are spread all over these Public Forums in one form or another with the same conclusion.

None of the aforementioned headings go together on any whitegoods product unless you select from the higher price product bracket. If it seems cheap then it is cheap in all respects and you will suffer, beyond that you are on your own.

Naming actual brands and models within that brand is a nightmare for anyone to predict as to what will happen when you get it home and plug it in, and as to how long it remains serviceable.

Dig deeper into your pocket is my advice.

I understand and thanks to everyone who has replied for you frankness.

It looks like I really do need to stick to the advice of John Ruskin that I was taught whilst studying economics many years ago:-

"It's unwise to pay too much. But it's worse to pay too little. When you pay too much, you lose a little money, that is all. When you pay too little, you sometimes lose everything because the thing you bought was incapable of doing the thing it was bought to do.

The common law of business balance prohibits paying a little and getting a lot. It can't be done. If you deal with the lowest bidder, it is well to add something for the risk you run. And if you do that, you will have enough to pay for something better.

There is hardly anything in the world that someone can't make a little worse and sell a little cheaper and people who consider price alone are this man's lawful prey."

Thanks again and it looks like I'll have to save up for Miele after all !!

I'd have to agree with Ruskin's assessment and that you, in effect as you say, get what you pay for to a large extent.

I'll roll out the old explanation again...

In the 1980's a 1000 spin washer cost about £350 and today you can buy a 1200 spin washer for under £200. So we've managed to beat inflation and lower the buying cost by almost 50% on what is, primarily, a mechanical device made from metals. Whilst better manufacturing techniques may well account for some of that saving it most certainly cannot account for a real-world reduction in price of over 60-70%, so something else has to give to accomplish that saving.

What gives is that the quality has been reduced, the level of customer care has been reduced (boh pre and after-sales), the information on the product has been reduced and less skilled, poorer paid workforces are employed.

But people just see a white box that is supposed to do the job that fits their budget and do not research any further for the most part. :roll:

And then, when we see them bust people ask us why it's not worth repairing the hunk of junk produced in some Chinese sweatshop and why it costs so much for spares relative to the cost of the machine. Admittedly, many manufacturers massively overcharge for spares, but even thosse that do not can still be viewed as being expensive in relation to the appliance's sale ticket.

So, we scrap more.

Hardly an environmentally-friendly policy nor designed to retain customers to many brands on the market today. But never mind, there's always another "name" that's willing to sell you a box bound for landfill in a few years, if it lasts that long.

K.

Just as a quick thought - consider Gorenje, better than average quality, they make all their own products (only ovens are bought in) and they come with a two year parts AND labour guarantee. Worth a look.

going back to john lewis 3 year guarantee in the price cant be bad isnt the dishwasher a bosch

AFAIK John Lewis still stock the ASKO washing machine. at around £750 it cannot be beaten on quality and performance, even including Miele.

eastlmark wrote:AFAIK John Lewis still stock the ASKO washing machine. at around £750 it cannot be beaten on quality and performance, even including Miele.

I'd concur. The only problem is the current owner of ASKO and the spares availability, not that you're liable to need spares for a number of years, but you see what I'm saying.

K.