This machine ticks all the right boxes and on paper leaves the competition at the start line - The reality was somewhat different - Ignore warnings of poor reliability at your peril.

New machine installed by engineer who warned of possibility of small leaks of factory test water. Reality was that machine had an significant internal leak which repeatedly fused the electronics. It defies belief in this day and age that design errors like this exist in modern appliances.

Hotpoint after sales was first class in that they agreed to replace without quibble - The telephone call to obtain replacement authorisation was just 2 mins at 9:00am on a Sunday morning! Currys, who supplied the machine via online order, whilst helpful, simply don't have the infrastructure to fast-track complaint handling and wanted to replace the machine via their standard online offering after first confirming collection of the machine. The overall process was going to take 2 weeks plus.

Needless to say Currys had their machine back but in the interim we purchased a Zanussi which was delivered and installed within 3 hours by BR Services in Emsworth, Hampshire at a price equal to the best on the High Street....