You Cannot Rely on Defy

We have had an awful time with Defy since before we even moved into the new house! The letter of complaint that I sent to them kind of sums it up:

13 April 2010

Jason Crowther

Branch Manager

5A Marconi Road

Montague Gardens

Minerton

9550

Dear Mr Crowther

Service Complaint About Broken Defy Washing Machine

My washing machine (Defy Automaid, model number:  DAW310, serial number:  AA02290338, part number:  061693) started leaking at the beginning of November 2009. A family friend came to look at it and indicated that there was a hole in the drum. I noticed that there was a green sticker still on the machine that claimed that there was a ten year warranty on the drum.  I called Defy (Ismail Pandor who put me through to the workshop) on 6 November 2009 at 11 am to request that the drum be replaced (I quoted the part number as instructed by A & A Furnishers). Defy claimed that the drum would be free but I would have to pay for the labour and that they would collect the washing machine from my apartment. I agreed to this and asked them to come to my apartment on 12 November 2009 when the cleaning lady was in. A man came to my apartment and did not collect the machine! He charged me R228 for telling me what I already knew i.e. that the drum needed replacing. I called Defy and spoke to this man the next day. He said that they did not have the part and it needed to be ordered. I was annoyed as I had already quoted the part number and he could have checked this information before coming to my apartment and not even collecting the machine as promised. I was given the reference number: 8483967 and was told that I would be contacted when the part came in.

I waited for about two weeks before calling about the part. At this stage I was desperate for clean washing, having to drive to my mothers place or use the Laundromat. I spoke to Marie who claimed that the part had been in for some time. I told her that I was supposed to be called about the part and that I was annoyed that I had waited unnecessarily.  Marie also mentioned that the man who came to my house was not supposed to charge me R228. I found it confusing that some people were telling me one thing and others were telling me other things yet they are all Defy staff. Marie asked when I would be home for them to collect the machine and I said that I would have to drive home from work and would need 30 minutes notice to open up for the delivery person. I also indicated what days I would have the car, when my husband would have the car and both of our cell numbers. I did not receive any calls on the days that I had the car or did not have meetings as communicated with Marie and/or the technicians. My husband also listened out for calls. The drivers sometimes called on days that we indicated that we (or the cleaning lady) would not be available at very short notice – less than 30 minutes. Finally we were able to arrange that they come on December when both my husband and I were on leave. Defy staff came to collect the machine and, on the way out, they splashed filthy and stinking water from the machine’s pipe on my newly cleaned Coricraft couch (which I hand washed in my bath because my washing machine was not working). I was not impressed and had to hand wash the cover again. They also trailed dirty water down the stairs of the apartment and my husband had to mop it up. The staff could have informed us before they made a mess so that we could drain and clean the pipe.

I waited for months for the machine to be ready, finally loosing all patience and having to speak to Marie’s manager. This was after many calls to and from about the machine. Marie’s manager arranged for the machine to be delivered +/- 10 March 2010 to our new residence (as we had sold our apartment and moved into a house in less time that it took for Defy to repair the washing machine). When the machine was delivered, I immediately put a load in. I noticed that the machine was still leaking and became very angry. I called Marie’s manager again and he had difficulty getting someone to come to our place in the evenings when we are at home. He suggested a Saturday but I had now lost all trust in Defy’s service. I said it might be best for me to get a handyman to look at it and then get back to Defy because I did not want my washing machine to go missing for months again. I did not get a handyman though (as I do not want to spend any more money on this leaking machine that I have already paid over R700 to fix), and am rather writing this letter so that you can advise the best way forward. The machine currently does not trip the electricity but it is leaking and I am concerned about it tripping the electricity again or being dangerous to use.

I would like you to know that I recently bought a Samsung fridge that cost R XXX and specifically excluded any Defy products from my search. Next on my list is a dishwasher that I will ensure is not a Defy as I have lost any trust that I have in your after sales service. I hope that the information that I have provided might assist you in some way to address any staff, service and communication issues in Defy. However, I would like it if my washing machine could be fixed so that I have piece of mind that it will not be dangerous to use but I am not prepared to wait for months for this to happen. Please could you advise how this may be done without me having to be without a washing machine at home again?

Yours faithfully

XXX

This is the offending washing machine. Needless to say Defy sent all sorts of technicians after receipt of this letter (two teams at the same time who were unaware of the other's presence - lack of planning). The technicians were really great guys but I think that the management of the process is terrible. They also do not look at your machine holistically, causing other problems when trying to fix something else.

To cut this very long story short, the machine started leaking again from the door and then the drum refused to turn, making a terrible grinding sound. It also tripped the electricity sometimes. We had enough and bought this beautiful new Samsung washin machine from Makro on Saturday 14 August 2010:

SAMSUNG 7kg Front Load Washer White

Article Number: 165461

Model: WF8602NHW

1200rpm

Voltage control

24 month guarantee

It is a part of their birthday sale, ending on 23 August 2010: http://www.makro.co.za/content/MNAT2551_email.pdf

If you ever need to buy a major appliance, go to Makro in Ottery and ask for Beverley on the sales floor. She is usually busy, but it is worth the wait because she will give you good advice.

Here is the Defy looking rather bleak:

Bye bye Defy! Well...

We are a bit upset that our new house has a Defy stove and oven. If they ever break, I think that I will rather just buy a new one!

If you are having problems with Defy, please call:

Theunus (manager) or Marie (workshop) on (021) 526 3000

But, if you want our advice, just cut your losses and buy a new one! It will end up costing you time, effort and frustration if you try to get it fixed! Also consider a different brand when buying appliances since Defy's after sales service is awful at the moment!

Coming Up Roses

We have been working very hard in the garden and it is bearing fruit (literally). The lemon tree is exploding with juicy lemons and we are filling bags of them!

We also have a gorgeous rose bush that is still blooming beautifully. We will get some more for the driveway in September when it is rose season again.

Our roses are attracting the attention of the local ladybirds. These lovely darlings are helping us get rid of aphids and add some more life and colour to our garden!

But this does not happen on its own! It takes a long time to till the soil!

We have also had to till the soil where the jungle-gyms were situated. We have removed all the concrete and the soil is ready for planting. However, we will have to wait for spring in order to plant the grass.

We have a lot of blisters at the moment, but all is ready for a beautiful garden in the making!

Bye Bye Willow

Our willow tree fell down on the night of Saturday 8 May 2010! It was the only tree from the front that we wanted to keep!

 The kitties think that it is Christmas though. Lots to play with.

The Keiths came around the following weekend to help us chop up the tree. Many hands make light work

Soon, there will be no evidence of the willow, besides these photos. But we will still have to rent a chainsaw to get the rest of it away. Poor willow!

Once Was Lost, But Now Am Found

We found the blender! The movers put it in the fish tank cupboard and never told us. We have not used the new fish tank yet so had no idea that it was in there... until now! Yay for smoothies :-)

Don't Buy Plastic Taps

Even when the hardware store says it is ok, don't buy plastic taps. If you do, you just might find a fountain in your kitchen pantry one evening!!! Here is our busted tap:
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Shower Power

Rob has taken all the bits from all the broken showers and made one shower that works in the small bathroom. This was working well until we discovered that the drain water was leaking into the small third bedroom. So we can't use that bath/shower for some time! We then had to be brave and use the large but very ugly bathroom with hideous black bath and sink (at least we removed the pink toilet seat). There is a large but damaged shower in there. Unfortunately, there is now something wrong with the draining i.e. it takes forever for the shower to drain and if you take too long in the shower (which is more than five minutes) the shower almost overflows! This now means that we need to take short showers or use the dreaded black bath (with no rail for a shower curtain). Talk about being between a rock and... an ugly place!

Art Room

We have temporarily made the Wendy into an art room. These are some old pics of the process. We would like to set the computer up in there but not without ADT Security! Now, just to have some time to create some good art :-)

One Mystery Solved

We found out that the concrete supports in the garden are from a junglegym! Our house used to be a nursery school (Montessori) and one of the mothers came to see our granny flat for rental.

Something Fishy

One down-side to Hout Bay is the fishy smell that wafts in from the harbour from time to time! Today is a prime and rather ripe example. I wish that we weren't having fish for dinner 2nite!
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Water Worries and Wonders

Rob has been digging up what seems to be some concrete support in the garden.

On a slight detour and on his way to plant some agapanthas, Rob nudged the water supply in the garden and created a fountain. This was a bit dodgey as it must have been hit before and it was extremely shallow. So off went the water supply and in came Les the next day to help fix the problem. This was not too bad because all it needed was some elbow grease and the right part that only cost about R20. But it did mean that we were out of water for the main part of a day.

Setting up the water on the new Samsung fridge was a bit of a mission. There isn't a water pipe on the fridge side so Rob came up with a plan to plumb the water from the ceiling i.e. from the cold water pipe nest to the geyser. All the parts purchased, with the help of Les' planning, and Rob is ready to go. Here are some pics of the process:

The filter:

The tap:

Going into the ceiling:

Preparing the pipe:

Connecting an elbow:

Eureka! A fountain of filtered water! Can't wait for the ice!

Family House Warming Braai

We had the good fortune of having Glenn, Liz, Seppo, Momma, Les, Sandra, Aunt Alexis and Richard over for a family braai on 20 March 2010.

There was a lot of prep:

• Rob cut the grass in the back garden
• Kimi cleaned all the floors
• We went to Pick n Pay for major supplies! We realized that we only have 6 plates and 10 people coming!
• We got a gas braai from Seppo and then relised that the gas bottle did not attach. Luckily we borrowed his Weber!

It was all worth it in the end. We had a lovely time and Rob even opened his 12 year old bottle of wine that he received as player of the year award for all to enjoy. Cheers!

Week Two

Things not covered in week One

We did such a lot in week one that it was hard to remember what happened on what day. Rob has religiously watered the garden and pulled weeds. He also set up the water feature and fish pond (not to mention setting up the temporary salt water tank in the dining room).

This is a synopsis of week two. I think that, going forward, we shall just write as we go. This week by week report is a bit pedantic!

Summary of Week 2:

• Kimi and Rob played some cricket in the front garden (more to come, we are thinking swingball and bats).
• Rob did more weeding
• Kimi ironed some of the couch covers
• The couch was put together
• Rob cut the front lawn
• The laundry room was decarpeted and set up
• House of Dork, I mean York, ironing board was added to the laundry room. They clearly have poor quality control and Rob had to fix the problem

• The kitchen was cleaned (with help from Aunt Alexis and Momma) and set up
• We set up the extra closet that, Angie gave us years ago, in the bedroom

We have a few more things to blog to get back up to speed. Watch this space :-)

Have You Seen This Blender?

Our blender is missing! It never made it to the new house. Rob is trying to get hold of the movers in case they still have it in their truck It may also have made its way into Kimi's or Rob's parents houses by mistake as they were helping us store some of our small items.
Rob remembers handing it to the movers but I do recall them giving something back to me. It could have been the blender or something else..? Hopefully, it was not stolen!
We really miss our smoothie blender. It is a black and silver Breville blender with a large glass jug :-(

Hopefully it will turn up somewhere soon! If you have any information as to the whereabouts of our blender please contact kimi on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/kimikeith Who knows, it might be lost and lonely on the streets somewhere!

Week One

Wow, what a week and tons of things done.
Day one, Friday:

• Kimi gets the keys to the castle (blogged). 
• The previous owners get a Malawian guy, Stanley, to clean. Well, the place is so filthy that he was only able to take off the top layer really.
• Bomb out the house with bug killer
• 'Sleep' in the granny flat - jumping at any sounds as we are paranoid that someone will break into the house.

Saturday:

• We wake up to the most awesome view from the granny flat.
• We check out how huge the attic really is
• Family comes over to clean a little and assess immediate needs.
• Kimi cleans the terrible dirt on the inside of the French doors and the bedroom cupboard
• Rob rips out the disgusting bedroom carpet. There is a whole load of dirt that came out of the carpet after it was vacuumed once already! Yuck!

Sunday:

• Sandra and Kimi cleaning while Rob and Les hang two double security gates (presents from Kimi's Momma and Daddoo).

Monday:

• Kimi has class. 
• Kimi and Rob fetch an angry yowling Church, unhappy to be leaving her Vredehoek home.

Tuesday:

• Rob has the whole day off, Kimi has a half day
• Boxes arrive. Where is the blender? 
• Good idea - only numbering the boxes and keeping a key of contents. Bad idea: losing that key months down the line!
• Rob sets up the dining room table
• The gorgeous new fridge arrives

Wednesday:

• Brunch at La Cuccina around the corner.
• Washing machine arrives
• Unpacking and sorting
• More cleaning

Thursday:

• Kimi has class
• Rob and Kimi have dinner on paper plates as they still do not know where the crockery (and cutlery) is

Keys of the Castle

Kimi has the keys to the Hout Bay Home. There were some surprises-good ones. There is another bathroom and single bedroom behind the garage that we did not know existed! There are 2 air conditioning units too! The ceiling in the main bedroom was fixed, there are half decent ceiling fans in 2 bedrooms and the owners left the clothes cupboard in the main bedroom for us! Cool cool! There is, of course, still loads to be done but it is @ least not too bad to start off with :-)
We will commence bombing the bugs tonight and will sleep in the granny flat with our mattresses from Momma and Seppo. Movers will be coming Tuesday afternoon!
Cheerio 4 now!
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Transfer has Gone Through

Our transfer came through today and we will get the keys to our Hout Bay home tomorrow morning! Thank you for all of your help and encouragement when times were tough and emotions were running high. We fought hard for this place (every step of the way for months) and we got it - but we could not have done it without you!

We are trying to get leave tomorrow and the movers in on Monday if possible. We will let you know how it goes and will take loads of pictures (as Kimi normally does anyway).

Hooray for the Hout Bay Home :-D

Love Kimi & Rob

Almost a Week to Go

It is almost a week to go until the 5th of March. Although it is still an estimated transfer date, the possibility of moving in next week is extremely exciting! Who knows, maybe we will even be able to move in sooner. We really cannot wait... any day now... fingers crossed!

Estimated Transfer Date - 2 days Later

Our transfer documents will be lodged on 19 February 2010 and the estimated transfer date has moved out to 5 March 2010. That means that we could have the house in less than 2 weeks time :-)

Please hold thumbs that we get our new house soon. We went to Hout Bay on Saturday (as you can see in the picture) and are loving it so much that we simply cannot wait to move!

Estimated Transfer Date

Our estimated transfer date is 3 March 2010! Please note that this is an estimation only! It all depends on the deeds office..

We are really itching to move in now. There are so many things that we want to do but I guess that we will just have to be patient :-)

Thanks for all the support so far.

Last Papers Signed

Just to keep you in the loop - and to stop all the 'when are you moving in?' questions - we signed our last bond papers yesterday. This means that the lawyers will lodge with the deeds office this week and that, 10 to 15 days after that, the transfer will go through. So please all hold thumbs that it will go through sooner rather than later so that we can get going on the renovations!

Our New Home: Stalker View

This is our new Hout Bay Home - in stalker view because we have not moved in yet. Transfers take so long so we will not know when the transfer date is for a while! Although the outside of the house looks great (besides the blank canvas garden) there is a lot to do in the inside! There are at least 5 different types of flooring and some of the walls need to be knocked down.

Here is the lowdown for now:

• 3 bedrooms
• 2 bathrooms
• large kitchen
• Over 1000 m2 of grounds
• Lounge and dining room
• Sloped attic
• Strange large Wendy-house with sky lights over the pool ???
• Large green garden shed
• Double garage that cannot fit a car in it (renovated that way???)
• Granny flat with kitchenette, lounge, large bedroom and large bathroom that we plan to let out

That is all for now. Will get back to you when there is any further news!