Before I go ahead and just buy a new washing machine I thought I'd ask what other simple things I can check.
Regrettably the machine is an Indesit. I say regrettably but it's at least 8 or 9 years old. It's actually a washer dryer but rarely ever used as a dryer.
Yesterday it completed a wash but not the spin cycle. Turn off and back on and it did. Today it did the same but still won't complete a spin cycle. In fact it will no longer try to do any programmes including the dryer.
I suspect maybe the logic board - had one go once when foam got out of the drum via a small hole/vent and shorted it.
Trouble is it's now old enough to not to want to spend money if it's a costly PCB this time. It was not that old when that happened.
All it seems to do is lock the door when you start any programme like wash, spin, rinse, drain or dry.
And if I do get one - what have people got recently and been happy with?
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Always worth having a good nosey round inside to see if anything has come adrift. Particularly the pump. They have a knack of getting gunged up with all sorts of carp particularly thinks like ladies nylon socks. When they do it can throw everything out of synch. Has it emptied the water out from the last wash? If you think about it there is some sort of sensor which tells it it is empty enough to start spinning.
Last edited by: Fullchat on Tue 15 Jul 14 at 22:43
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Yes it had emptied and I removed the cover to the filter to check. A few coins but that's all.
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Never, ever admit to having the slightest knowledge or interest in or of how one of "her" domestic appliances works.
Slippery slope that.
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But taking one apart is more interesting than using one. Surely you could take an interest then?
You'll say next you won't cook or shop for food.
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>But taking one apart is more interesting than using one. Surely you could take an interest then?
Fullchat has mentioned the most likely cause, we had almost identical symptoms with our Bosch when the outlet trap was blocked.
Check that the water level switch is actually working OK with a multimeter or continuity tester.
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>> Fullchat has mentioned the most likely cause
He might have - but there's no obstructions to the filter. And the outlet pipe goes to a pipe under the sink in the cellar. I'm not going to buy a multimeter or continuity tester to check switches.
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>I'm not going to buy a multimeter or continuity tester to check switches.
A reasonable multimeter is £20. A continuity tester is a battery, bulb and a bit of wire.
Spend a few hundred quid on a new washer if you prefer.
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>> I'm not going to buy
>> a multimeter or continuity tester to check switches.
What kind of man are you? You should already have a multimeter! If you haven't got one this is your chance to buy one.
Then buy the new washing machine.
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Have you Googled the problem?
I find the major problem with washing machines is the tube to the valve that tells it the level of the water in the drum. It's a rubber pipe from the drum to what looks like the top half of a Stromberg carb. This gets blocked with soap scum and a good blow through clears it.
Otherwise, it's an old Indesit and not worth spending any money on. You've had your money's worth out of it, bite the bullet, buy a new machine - even if you have to eat and drink in Wetherspoon's for a while.
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>> Have you Googled the problem?
In between working today I've done lots of searches and tried a few things. But busy today. It's why I asked for opinions to focus my efforts.
I go to Germany on a course in two weeks covering 10 days away. So don't want to fix this only to find it breaks straight away. We then plan on a trip away for a week so step-son might not want to find out I botched a fix either.
I wanted to know if anyone could suggest obvious checks. I initially though it didn't know it drained but reset it (I think) by powering off for ages.
BT I'm thinking we've had our monies worth, and shouldn't have got it as a washer dryer either. Rarely used.
Was looking to book our next holiday today and now this expense. Not booked Sept/October 2 weeks yet either! Something else sure to break.
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Its forgotten where it is and thus what to do next.
Blocked filter, blocked pump or water where it shouldn't be are the easily fixable ones.
If not those and requires spares/electric bits, then I'd say you've had your money's worth and its not likely to be worth going further. You start to get into the realms of spares + labour making a new one a better bet.
Even if you do fix a difficult problem, its probably trying to give you a message and if painless running is valuable, then I'd say its about that time.
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>Never, ever admit to having the slightest knowledge or interest in or of how one of "her"
>domestic appliances works.
Putting one of her cashmere sweaters in a 60° wash with no detergent and a 1400rpm spin worked for me.
She won't let me anywhere near the damn thing.
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I'm quite good at machinery in general and don't mind having a go with something I think I understand. But these white goods are a different idiom, whacked out at high speed on a production line and vertiginously profitable to the manufacturer. If I can't cope there are blokes nearby who aren't necessarily thieves or stupid, and who will collect and deliver.
The thing I find funny is the huge block of dense heavy concrete attached to the outer shell of the thing's innards, to damp the vibration when the contents are seriously out of balance for spinning. I suppose it must work after a fashion but it's strangely mediaeval somehow and makes the damn machine much heavier.
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Several times this evening I have heard an out-of-balance washing machine doing a fast spin, sometimes close, sometimes far off, but always somehow in the large block of flats we are staying in.
It's an aural illusion though. This is the metropolis, constantly traversed by helicopters of every size and rank. There are more here than even in Sussex. And they sound very like an out-of-balance spin. Of course the balcony window is open for the fresh air. There's hardly a minute without the sound of an aircraft somewhere.
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My washing machine "management" has been to look for blockages inc the pressure tube bathtub mentions then restrict my repairs to drive belt, pump, or main motor. Beyond that I don't get into the electrics/electronics just replace the machine at the best discount. Never call a repair man or buy an extended warranty either.
Over the past 35yrs Zanussi have provided us the best price/reliability balance.
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I've always found motor brushes the weak part of a washing machine, after simple blockages.
If it's struggling to get up to speed it sometimes just gives up and the controller shuts down because it's not getting the "spin completed" signal.
Brushes are cheap and very easy to replace - like the pop-in bit on the end of a car alternator.
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Either motor brushes or drive belt is my guess.
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>> I've always found motor brushes the weak part of a washing machine,
Hotpoint?
Especially from the 80s/90s. Brushes in those might only last 2/3 years.
Most others, even cheap brands, would go much longer - usually the life of the machine.
I have never had a washer stop because of brushes in 33 years. (Phillips/Whirlpool x 2, Indesit, Miele - which I doubt has any brushes).
>>
>> Brushes are cheap and very easy to replace - like the pop-in bit on the
>> end of a car alternator.
That worked very well for Hotpoint. The machines were sold with a 5 year parts guarantee, so there was no charge for a set of £2 brushes, just the £60~ charge for the Hotpoint service call to change them.
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>>>Most others (brushes), even cheap brands, would go much longer - usually the life of the machine.
Agreed that's why I didn't mention them. Bosch and Zanussi here over our time and brushes not an issue.
Do beware rtj current Bosch are just another machine so don't pay for the name because it isn't buying quality.
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I tend to buy based on "whatever John Lewis have in stock" for these kind of things, simply because they tend to offer an extra year's warranty for free on much stuff over other places, and if I ever do have a problem (not unknown) they deal with it efficiently and courteously with minimal fuss.
As they also do delivery on bulky goods and I have a shop about a hundred yards from work anyway, it's all so much easier.
So we bought a washing machine - a Bosch - from them a few months ago and so far it's been fine. Came with two years warranty at no extra cost, free delivery and was within about £20 of some unknown place on Amazon. What's not to like?
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Ditto for JL - however if you look at the ranges that they brand as 'JL own' you will find a well known brand/model - just relabelled. Normally with an extra year on the warranty and 50-100 £ cheaper. My dishwasher actually came with 5years warranty and still 75£ cheaper than the manufacturers identeical model.
www.johnlewis.com/john-lewis-jlwm1200-washing-machine-6kg-load-a-energy-rating-1200rpm-spin-white/p230604487
Difficult to argue with this with a 3year warranty!
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Bought a Miele washing machine and dishwasher 14 years ago. No problem with either so far not counting a bit of tinfoil that stopped the dishwasher once.
On the other hand I have Liebherr fridge that's playing up at 3 years old.
The spate of Miele buying was after an Indesit washer that broke down just out of guarantee and annually thereafter until I chucked it at 3 years old.
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In that early days that used toto be a piece of cast iron (Hoover Keymatic for example which was one of the first front loaders but concrete is cheaper. Profit margins on washing machines are actually comparatively small and manufacturers will save costs wherever they can.
The design of a font loading washing machine is a compromise, the best engineering solution would be to have a vertical rather than horizontal drum but the small size of British kitchens make the front loader popular in the UK but in other parts of the world top loaders are the norm. The front loader design puts a tremendous strain on the bearings and necessitates that lump of concrete.
As to the original poster's query I would say time to shell our of a new one. Eight years is not bad considering how much work a washing machine does and their comparatively low price. I work on the the basis that if I get six years life out of one I have had my money's worth. The extremely hard water in this area usually ensures their early demise.
This site gives you useful info on washing machine repair and a lot more.
www.ukwhitegoods.co.uk/
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Easy solution:- ao.com/l/washing_machines-free_standing/1-9/1/
We have a cheap BEKO - so far done us for 3.5 yrs with no problem.
Washer/Driers are generally poor at drying and expensive to run.
We had, at one time, £600 worth (not) of one of the "premium" makes, (Bosch, IIRC) which did not dry well, broke down often and whose nearest service agent was 90 miles away in Cardiff.
Last edited by: Roger. on Wed 16 Jul 14 at 08:46
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Our Bosch washing machine is doing well at 15 years old.. Repairs? I had to fix the build up of solidified soap powder and refit a hose to stop a small leak...
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Bosch was my thought. And the place I've bought a few white goods in Manchester (A&S Domestics) has one that seems a good deal. £20 more than a more basic Bosch with them:
www.euronics.co.uk/retailer/laundry/washing-machines/bosch-296wab28162gb-bosch-washing-machine/2238
They now seem to fall under the Euronics banner. They've just opened at 10am so I'll give them a call.
It is now you think it would be more useful if you didn't have a saloon :-) Tricky fitting a washing machine in the back.
Last edited by: rtj70 on Wed 16 Jul 14 at 10:04
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>> It is now you think it would be more useful if you didn't have a saloon :-) Tricky fitting a washing machine in the back.
Aye...
;-)
I want to remember there was a guy who had a chain of launderettes who fell out with the inland revenue because he was claiming tax relief on his Ferrari as the works van.
Something about him being unable to show that he could get a washing machine in it.
Might just be a tale of course.
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Don't remember that case Humph, but there is a well known tax case where a farmer was told he couldn't possibly use an Alvis for transporting sheep.
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A farmer friend of mine would occasionally be seen with a sheep in the back of his Golf GTi. Never did like to ask why. Perhaps it was a bit of a petrol head.
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>> A farmer friend of mine would occasionally be seen with a sheep in the back
>> of his Golf GTi. Never did like to ask why. Perhaps it was a bit
>> of a petrol head.
Did he use it for ram-raiding?
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Our ancient AEG gave us "loads" of problems in it first five years.
Recent years it has been better.
It is a simple machine and SWMBO regularly talks about a replacement BUT our AEG has a detergent drawer on the right which is good as the LH side of the machine is in the corner of the room.
All current models of all brands that we have seen have the drawer on the left.
I am just keeping quiet.
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...the best engineering solution would be to have a vertical rather than horizontal drum...
That's always seemed intuitively right to me. The Maytag and similar machines that are ubiquitous in the US look prehistoric but seem to go on for ever. A low-stress design, I suppose, like one of AC's 1950s Plymouths.
Incidentally, I've always wondered why a vertical axis isn't more commonly used in wind turbines too.
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>> Incidentally, I've always wondered why a vertical axis isn't more commonly used in wind turbines
>> too.
Pros and cons here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vertical_axis_wind_turbine
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John Lewis couldn't deliver until next Wed/Thur and charge £25 for fitting and £9 to take away the old one. Of course I can fit it - but not get it into the cellar on my own!
Local shop that is linked to Euronics will take out the old one (and take it away) and install the new one. Including saying they'd get it down into the cellar. And they can deliver on Saturday. So getting a Bosch from them.
I know the Bosch machines are built to a price and not as well engineered as before. Just hope it lasts as long as the Indesit which have a bad reputation.
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We get refurbed/second hand white goods had very few problems with them. I got a fridge for £10 that I got 4 years out of. The washer was a refurbed Bosch for £150, and S/H tumble dryer for £50 that was three years ago both still working fine.
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We bought a John Lewis own brand job. Remember being talked into a slightly more expensive model as they were doing an offer where you got a free 5 year warranty on the better ones.
Heating element packed up at about 18 months old - JL told me it was an Electrolux machine and sent the local repair guy round - no issues.
Our machine gets pretty heavy use. Its on every day and sometimes twice a day so if it lasts the 5 years I'm happy, and anything past that point is a bonus.
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Buy a Miele washing machine and forget about the length of warranties, unreliability etc. It will just keep on going...:-)
Have a look at the Miele website re washing machines and the videos about testing such machines and other products the company offers. The washing machines are basically guaranteed to perform for at least 20 years without problems...:-)
Mine is more than 11 years old now and has never missed a beat, apart from the time the fuse packed up due to being housed in a mains box under the sink and suffering from minor water ingression. That was a little while back and the replacement fuse is still going strong (as is the Miele!!)
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>> Buy a Miele washing machine and forget about the length of warranties, unreliability etc. It will just keep on going...:-)
And even if it doesn't, their warranty cover is very good.
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>> >> Buy a Miele washing machine and forget about the length of warranties, unreliability etc.
>> It will just keep on going...:-)
>>
>> And even if it doesn't, their warranty cover is very good.
The problem is that you find that it outlasts the kitchen and will not fit into the (modern) 600mm gaps!
upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/64/Miele_100.jpg/220px-Miele_100.jpg
>>
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>>The problem is that you find that it outlasts the kitchen and will not fit into the (modern) 600mm gaps!
Moreover, white goods begin to look (and indeed feel) scruffy after a while. A ten-year lifespan is plenty as inevitably the plastic will have begun to yellow and the paint to chip.
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Ours lives in a cupboard. It looks OK anyway. And it's 59cm wide.
Yes I did open your link Sherlock :)
Last edited by: Manatee on Thu 17 Jul 14 at 10:43
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>> >>The problem is that you find that it outlasts the kitchen and will not fit into the (modern) 600mm gaps!
Moreover, white goods begin to look (and indeed feel) scruffy after a while. A ten-year lifespan is plenty as inevitably the plastic will have begun to yellow and the paint to chip. >>
Nonsense in both cases as far as my Miele is concerned!! It's 590mm (59cm) wide, all but the front top control panel area is pure white enamel and it still looks as good as the day it arrived in May 2003...:-) :-)
We not talking Hoover, Hotpoint or other similar built to a price machines here, but a proper quality product.....
Last edited by: Stuartli on Thu 17 Jul 14 at 12:46
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I would prefer to have a better built longer lasting machine but its a bit of a leap of faith.
From memory my JL one was £350 with 5 year warranty. Looking on the JL website a Miele one with the same 5 years would be over twice as much, or I could spend £1K to get one with 10 years.
I'm sure I should think more long term, but its the thought of stumping up that much cash up front when a cheaper unit will do the same job.
Should also add that JL warranty included accidental damage in their warranty which surprised me
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Some decent advice on that site. Also he supports my view Bosch are only a little better built than average... and that Zanussi are better than the usual budget standard.
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>>.. and that Zanussi are better than the usual budget standard.>>
The Miele actually replaced a 13-year-old Zanussi washer-dryer that gave sterling service until the bearings finally bit the dust and it wasn't economically worth the repair cost.
However I was advised at the time that the brand wasn't as good as it had originally been by my best mate, who owned an independent audio/video/appliance retail shop for many years. Hence the arrival of the Miele (it cost £499.99, some £100 LESS than the Zanussi in 1990!!)
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some £100 LESS than the Zanussi in 1990!!)
Not much point in most on here buying anything that's going to last 24 years ;-)
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"One day, son, this washing machine will be yours."
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>>Not much point in most on here buying anything that's going to last 24 years ;-)>>
The Zanussi came as part of a new kitchen in 1990, the Miele in 2003...:-)
Quality is always best - don't forget the old saying: "Buy cheap, buy twice..."
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>> Quality is always best - don't forget the old saying: "Buy cheap, buy twice..."
But, you just told us you bought expensive and bought twice?
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>>But, you just told us you bought expensive and bought twice?>>
No I haven't.... Please don't misconstrue what I stated.
The Zanussi washer/driver lasted 13 years without any drama and was replaced when the cost of repairing the increasingly noisy drum bearings meant it was more economical to put that sum towards a new machine. Washer/dryers are normally far less reliable than basic washing machines, so it did sterling service.
The Miele is now 11 years old and looks good for at least that number of years again - and probably the rest of my lifetime.
Most people want to pay about the same for a new machine as they did some years ago, so the trend has been to build them to a price rather than towards longevity. About four or five years is pretty standard for lower cost appliances these days...:-(
Last edited by: Stuartli on Fri 18 Jul 14 at 14:16
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Rather annoyingly, Tesco from today has Clubcard Boost on Home appliances including washing machines. I could have doubled up existing Clubcard vouchers and got a washing machine using them. Oh well. I might not have got it before I go to Munich next week. And then I'm holiday after that. Annoying all the same.
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Being currently in the market for a new washing machine, your loss may be my gain. Thanks for the heads-up.
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A reason for my posting it :-)
If I knew this was about to be available (and with the washer kaputt last week) I'd have waited. But I'm in Munich for 10 days soon. And then on holiday. Timings might not have worked out for getting one in and working.
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Not just white goods - as far as I can see the boost thing (doubles the value of your vouchers) is now on "everything" from Tesco Direct, where "everything" is marked "Buy from Tesco". I've never even looked as Tesco Direct so no idea if that's an extensive range or not.
Mind you, with a new boss at the helm who knows how long that will last.
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>> the boost thing (doubles the value of your vouchers) is now on "everything" from Tesco Direct
Even iPads, which they've not previously done, other than if you had enough vouchers to buy one outright without having to also add some wonga to make up the difference.
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>> >> the boost thing (doubles the value of your vouchers) is now on "everything" from Tesco Direct
>>
>> Even iPads, which they've not previously done, other than if you had enough vouchers to
>> buy one outright without having to also add some wonga to make up the difference.
Just picked up my 32GB iPad air for £122 (I had a load of clubcard vouchers kicking around and doubled them up to £357)
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I doubled up my points to get £500 towards a holiday :-)
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How much would I have to spend in Tesco to get that £500?
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>> How much would I have to spend in Tesco to get that £500?
Quite a bit! But I've certainly not spent the necessary money over the last 2 years to get £250 of vouchers. That would be a significant sum of money spent at Tesco!
But if you're buying things anyway, then I don't mind them snooping on what I buy. And remember the vouchers were only worth £250 but were doubled up. And you can get extra points for some purchases, or perhaps scanning your credit card or for getting an insurance quote. And I get them for every £2 spent on a Tesco credit card (paid off each month when used, e.g. paying for holidays). And points for fuel too.
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>> And points for fuel too.>>
You've certainly been given the Momentum to collect them...:-)
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What's "quite a bit" roughly? £5,000, £10,000, £30,000?
Just curious. I never collect any sort of points or vouchers . Can't really be bothered. Just wondered how much I'm missing out.
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It's probably quite difficult to pin down a spend that will equal say £100 worth of points because points per transaction are subject ot variation offers and the value of points varies as to how you spend them.
A few years ago when we used Tesco regularly, perhaps £100-£150/week, there was a very good 'exchange rate' for points used on the Eurotunnel Shuttle. We got a crossing that would have been £200+ for just points and I don't think that was anything like the full year's worth.
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>> What's "quite a bit" roughly? £5,000, £10,000, £30,000?
Well you get 1 point for every pound spent in store. And 100 points = £1 in vouchers. So if you were only collecting points by spending in store, then £250 of vouchers will be £25,000 of spending! Not that I spent anywhere near that much over 2 years. I got 650 points (£6.50 of vouchers) just for swiping my credit card for example. Often get vouchers for lots of points for things we buy anyway.
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Here's details of the Tesco Clubcard points Boost scheme:
tinyurl.com/ny8ealt
You can also get Blinkbox free as a Clubcard holder - not a lot of people are aware of that so far.
www.clubcardtv.com/
Not always the greatest type of stuff on offer, but might prove of value.
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We have a simple washer dryer Hoover.I think it's about seven or eight years old.Diana has taken out a service contract that covers Fridge, Freezer and dishwasher.If they can't repair any of the items it will be replaced.
By the time they are finished their use we problaby have payed fot the new items.>:)
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Tesco just announced they are discontinuing Clubcard TV from 28 Oct.
clubcardtv.zendesk.com/entries/97386113
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>> Well you get 1 point for every pound spent in store.
I get points for having a Tesco mobile account, points for using my Tesco MasterCard, points from buying Tesco fuel (with my MasterCard).
Dribs and drabs here and there soon add up. As it costs nothing to accumulate the points, then why not. On average Tesco send me between £25 to £30 in vouchers every 3 months (which have a long expiry date), and also money off various food products that are part of my weekly shop anyway, and also additional points for buying a particular food product that's part of my weekly shop too.
Every little helps, as they say.
Last edited by: VxFan on Mon 18 Aug 14 at 21:17
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you also get club card fuel save too that helps too
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>> you also get club card fuel save too that helps too
Yes you can save up to 20p per litre per month on refuelling if you spend enough. I think this may end in September. I may be wrong on that.
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think it might go on and on as its kind of incentive for shoppers to shop at tesco to get pennies of per litre, and filling up also you get points added to your clubcard account
anything better to reduce the cost of living
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>> think it might go on and on
I think initially it was due to finish at the end of September, with the last savings being issued in August.
However I've just found this:
The Clubcard Fuel Save scheme will end on 28th February 2015 (with redemption of Clubcard Fuel Savings earned in February 2015 continuing until 31st March 2015). However, we reserve the right to amend or withdraw this offer at any time before this date, without prior notice.
www.tesco.com/fuelsave/tac.asp
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>>... to shop at Tesco to get pennies off per litre..>>
I used to get 4p a litre off at a local Texaco garage, but even if I virtually drained my 12 gallon tank beforehand, the most I ever saved was £1.88 on a full to the brim fill up....:-(
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It's possible to get up to 20p a litre off at a Tesco filling station... You get 1p per £50 spent in the month. So to get 20p you need to spend £1000!
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>> You get 1p per £50 spent
2p per £50 actually. But you don't need to spend £50 in one go to get it. If you only spend £20 one day, £10 the next, and then another £20 several days later you tot up the £50.
All the info is here - www.tesco.com/fuelsave/
I average around 14 to 16p off a litre each month, and the weekly shopping bill is around £80 or thereabouts.
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It's about the same amounts here VX, but I get points from Eon and always us my Tesco CC to buy fuel which double the points too.
If you always shop at Tesco anyway it's a cracking deal and I had 18p off a litre for our trip to Cornwall with the van on which resulted in a saving of around £8 on a tank full for the V70.
Pat
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It all sounds a bit of a faff. Not sure I can be bothered.
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>> It all sounds a bit of a faff. Not sure I can be bothered.
Your loss ;)
You only need to get the free clubcard swiped / scanned / linked to various different things. No effort or faffing at all.
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Don't really go into Tescos that much - it would take forever to save me a few pounds. I must admit I have an admiration for the Aldi model. Sell the stuff at rock bottom prices, no points , no frills, no club cards etc.
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>> the stuff at rock bottom prices, no points , no frills, no club cards
no good.
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>> the stuff at rock bottom prices, no points , no frills, no club cards
>> no good.
I do like their smoked mackerel and smoked salmon fillets.
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>>
>> >> the stuff at rock bottom prices, no points , no frills, no club cards
>>
>> no good.
>>
I didn't say I shopped there, just that I like their business model. Waitrose for the groceries with 15% staff discount and John Lewis with up to 25% discount does me.
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>> I have an admiration for the Aldi model. Sell the stuff at rock bottom prices>>
Not these days...:-)
Lidl though is still very competitive while equally as good quality wise for most products.
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>>
>> You only need to get the free clubcard swiped / scanned / linked to various
>> different things. No effort or faffing at all.
Spot on.....and you don't even need the card. They give you two tags to go on your car key rings with the barcode on. They just read it at the till.
SWM has one and I have one.
>>
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Some people have to shop at rock bottom prices ,most of us are lucky that we can shop around.I don't begrudge anybody going to the Aldi shop experience there isn't any.>:)
M&S for quality food but not cheap.
We are going to France for a few days. I heard stories of 8 to 9 Euro's for a coffee.It better be good.
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>> M&S for quality food but not cheap.
I used to go to the Royal Show at Stoneleigh Park a few years ago. Several cooking demonstrations, and two or three food halls. In one of the food halls was a distributor of foods to 99% of the supermarkets. He had laid out various free samples for people to try and give feedback on what they preferred. The M&S labelled food nearly always got the top vote. However, he then dropped the bombshell that all the food was exactly the same, it was just the labels that were different.
In short, what you're buying at a premium price at M&S is probably cheaper elsewhere for exactly the same product.
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Colleague used to work as a summer job in the Aunt Bessie's factory. He relates they used to run the lines for a couple of hours, then stop them, swap the packaging, and restart the lines.
It's endemic. I'm always late to these things, so everyone will already know this of course, but I've only just discovered that the One Stop shops (there's one in our village) are actually subsidiaries of Tesco, so I bet many products are the same in a different package there too, at a higher price.
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>> so everyone will already know this of course
>> One Stop shops (there's one in our village) are actually subsidiaries of Tesco
Nope, me neither. Since 2003 according to their website
www.onestop.co.uk/about_us.php
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Tesco, which has a large presence in my town, acquired a number of local Spar and other outlets and re-branded them under The One Shop label some time ago.
The only major food brand name that doesn't, as far as I'm aware, produce own name products for major supermarkets is Kellogg's.
Apart from the Co-op (which now has the Fairtrade alliance) and, in more recent times, Morrison's which has its own meat supplies, none of the big names had their own manufacturing plants. Much cheaper and more economical to use specialist manufacturers to provide own brand name products.
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"Much cheaper and more economical to use specialist manufacturers to provide own brand name products."
Which does not of course mean that they necessarily produce "own brand" stuff with the same recipe or ingredients as the branded product.
The only answer is to try the cheaper stuff, preferably alongside the original. If you like it fine.
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>>The only answer is to try the cheaper stuff, preferably alongside the original. If you like it fine. >>
Which is precisely what most people do...:-)
A quick example. Ah Bisto! offer ready made meals at around £2 a packet depending on type of meal. I know, from using both over time, that Tesco's Classic Ready Meals range includes some of these Ah Bistro! products rebadged, such as the Beef Dinner variety (one of the few of the type to use real beef slices rather than processed).
Same for Marks and Spencer shirts. Go to Matalan and you can buy many of the same shirts for two-thirds of the price under Matalan's own brand names. Been buying clothing and similar items from Matalan since it first opened in Bamber Bridge in 1985 before expanding across the UK...:-)
Don't know where the shirts and other clothing are manufactured, but the quality is excellent and I still have one or two shirts from Matalan purchased when it first opened. Cost? £3.98 each at the time!!
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I needed some cough mixture last night, got Tesco's own at £1.50 for 200ml compared to a branded one with virtually the same active ingredients at £4 for 100ml.
Still coughing though... :-)
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The NHS says there's not much scientific evidence that cough medicines work, although it says some ingredients may help with other symptoms of a cold.
Save your money.
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Same with aspirin, ibuprofen etc. usually own brands are about 25p and Branded about fifty eight quid. Same strength active indpgredients. But persuading Mrs C that Tesco cheaply is as good as Anadin or whatever is always an uphill battle. Perhaps she's right but the cheap ones work for me when needed.
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>>I needed some cough mixture last night, got Tesco's own...>>
It's actually produced at a factory about two-and-a-half miles from where I live...:-)
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. He relates
>> they used to run the lines for a couple of hours, then stop them, swap
>> the packaging, and restart the lines.
>>
Yes, somewhere I used to work did the same. Once the order was filled then the packaging would change and then the line continue. There were slight changes but about 10% at most.
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"restart the lines"
Also at Mr Kipling, whose packaged cakes ended up in all sorts of boxes. The big changeover was for M&S, who specified the use of real chocolate, which makes one wonder what everyone else got...
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Whats's in those cakes that give them a shelf life measured in months? Do they confer the same long life benefits on us if you eat enough of them?
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>> Whats's in those cakes that give them a shelf life measured in months? Do they
>> confer the same long life benefits on us if you eat enough of them?
They are usually sealed in plastic with a "modified atmosphere"
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They are usually sealed in plastic with a "modified atmosphere"
Sound good. I'll try it
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>>
>> Sound good. I'll try it
>>
There's also deep freezing. But you have to take a gamble on them inventing a way of reviving you, and also on the firm not going bust in the next 100 years.
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If they do go bust of course, they'll already have their assets frozen.
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"the firm not going bust in the next 100 years"
I'd worry about a power cut...
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Washing Machine Problems - Fullchat
