Washing Machine Breakdown Insurance

Do you really need washing machine breakdown insurance? There really isn’t any easy answer to this. You may purchase a washing machine and it may give you many years’ of trouble free use. On the other hand you may buy one and when the manufacturer’s warranty has just run out, just as luck would have it, your machine may pack in.

In fact, one study showed that between 2004 and 2012, the proportion of major household appliances that died within five years rose from 3.5% to 8.3%.

But when you consider the costs for repairing a machine or replacing it, do you really want to take a risk?

Options for taking out a policy

When you buy a new washing machine you can be almost certain that the sales person will invite you to take out an extended policy to cover the period after the manufacturer’s own warranty expires (which is typically 12 months). They may also try to persuade you to take out their policy, which may end up costing a lot more than had you chosen to wait and take cover independently.

An extended policy typically kicks in after the manufacturer’s warranty has finished, giving you various level of protection should your machine break down. You don’t have to purchase it with the machine though, nor do you have to take it out with the store you bought your washing machine from.

At KAPUT, we offer washing machine insurance that comes with what we believe are very cost-effective premiums and offering some great policy benefits.

What might you look for in a policy?

When considering washing machine breakdown insurance there are some things that you may wish to check are included in the policy. For instance:

• how much excess does the company ask for?  The excess is first part of any claim you have to find, before the insurance company pays for repairs or replacement;
• check to ensure that there are qualified engineers covering the region in which you live. You don’t want to find that the service network doesn’t cover your area. This may render the policy useless to you or you may have to wait for a long time to get someone to your home;
• if you have bought a used washing machine you are going to need insurance that covers second hand products;
• are the payments flexible on the insurance policy:
• check that the company sends out engineers that are fully trained and which have been CRB checked;
• check that you actually need extended warranty insurance.

Reduce your chances of breakdown

While you may have washing machine breakdown insurance to fall back on if the machine becomes faulty, it doesn’t mean you should forget about maintenance. Maintenance may help you to get a longer life out of your washing machine.

Make sure that you check the machine over regularly. This includes checking seals, removing fluff and bits from the filters, never overfill the machine and ensure that the machine is kept clean inside the drum. Following these tips can help not only to prolong the life of the machine but also yours, as appliances have been known to cause fires.