| How long have you used the product? |
More than 3 months |
| Which similar products have you used? |
Whirlpool, Bosch, Smeg |
| Functionality |
 3.0 / 5 |
| Quality |
 1.0 / 5 |
| Value for money |
1.0 / 5 |
| Title of review |
Guaranteed to fail |
| What are the strengths? |
At £230 It appeared, when purchased six months ago, reasonably priced in comparison with other similar specification machines |
| What are the weaknesses? |
Oh, where to start...
The salt warning light never went out after filling with the correct salt - I was advised to just "ignore it" by Curry's aftersales (service?) dept. The unit then began registering an abnormal temperature within weeks - again I was advised to just ignore this if everything else still seemed to be working(!). The Temperature sensor/heating element then began to fail so that it worked intermittently or on cold rinse only. In short, it hasn't actually cleaned dishes properly, as it was bought to do, more than half a dozen times in the six month's I've owned it.
The racking and rollers are very flimsy and there is no way to fit any more than three standard Denby size dinner plates in without obstructing the rotor.
Also, the instructions are somewhat misleading in that they state that any specific dishwasher detergent can be used - but fail to mention what I was later told by the manufacturers appointed engineer - that you must not under any circumstances use any form of dishwasher tablet or liquitab in the machine, regardless of brand, as it cannot cope with such products.
The Kenwood has now packed up completely after less than six months of use in the home and needs new parts - but after two weeks without it, there is still no indication of when the right parts to fix it will become available. |
| Summary |
Even the manager at Curry's who sold it to me, stated that Kenwood dishwashers are prone to serious failure and that the 12SL3A in particular was at the time they sold it, known to be "a dreadful quality machine" adding that neither she nor any of her colleagues would have one in their own home - even heavily discounted.
Curry's, however are unapologetic about selling such poor quality goods - I took the machine back to the store from which it was bought to press for an exchange under warranty - after it became clear that a specific repair date could not be given - only to be told to take it home again as their policy states that unless the appliance has been unusable for at least 28 days, they are under no obligation to do anything more - regardless of the availability or otherwise of parts.
To add insult to injury, the manager did suggest that I may just want to cut my losses and buy a better machine immediately, as I didn't purchase extended cover and the Kenwood will undoubtedly break again even if repaired this time - I declined - despite the more than generous offer of being guaranteed next-day delivery on a full price Miele or Bosch!. |
| Do you recommend this product? |
No |
| Overall rating |
1.0 / 5 |
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