Terms & Conditions
As with all responsible companies, we have some terms and conditions that apply to usage of our service. We have tried to keep everything here in plain English with no confusing terms as the intention is not to hide clauses from you, we are simply trying to be as transparent as possible. We don't have to refer to these terms very often, however we would advise all customers to read and ensure they understand the terms before using our service as arranging a visit constitutes acceptance of these terms and conditions.
If you have any questions about anything on this page, we would encourage you to contact us for clarification before arranging a visit. It is our responsibility to supply you with goods that meet your consumer rights. If you have any concerns that we have not met our legal obligations, please contact us.
Refusal to Carry Out Repair
All repairs are subject to assessment. At the engineer's discretion, we may refuse to carry out a repair for the following non-exhaustive list of reasons, some of which may still incur a diagnosis charge for the visit:
- Where the appliance has been altered, dismantled, or otherwise interfered with in any way by any person we believe may not be qualified to do so.
- Where the engineer beleives that a large quantity of water would be released in an uncontrolled manner during a repair and this may cause damage. For example, where a washing machine is full of water due to a hose being blocked, and the only way to repair is to remove that hose and release the water onto the ground.
- Where an appliance is deemed a potential health risk by our engineer.
- Where the appliance or installation may pose a safety risk to our engineer.
- Where an insect infestation is or has been present.
- Where a customer is or has in the past been abusive, threatening, has made baseless allegations against our staff or has been deceptive to our staff.
- Where our engineer determines the repair is not economical or the chance of appliance failure after repair is disproportionately high, an example of which would be a compressor repair on an old appliance.
- Where we cannot get any response on the contact number to multiple contact attempts before visiting, we reserve the right to abort the repair visit.
- Where the parts required cost in excess of seven times the cost of the labour charge for the repair or £500, whichever is the greater, we reserve the right to abort the repair.
- Where not previously agreed otherwise, where a responsible adult is not present in the property.
- Where we believe there may be an issue obtaining payment on-site, or where the customer advises they cannot pay the engineer on-site.
Please note that on occasion, our engineer may decide that the best course of action is to refer you back to the manufacturer rather than proceed with a repair through ourselves. In this case, unless you were advised otherwise in advance we would normally waive any diagnosis charges. Please note that this does not cover certain times such as, but not limited to where we advise we can complete the repair, but you would be cheaper through the manufacturer, or where we are unable to proceed due to the repair needing a manufacturer agent to complete the repair, such as program a pcb. In these cases, a diagnosis charge would still be payable.
In the event that our engineer determines that the appliance details you have provided during signup are incorrect, they will provide a quote before carrying out a repair if the pricing would have been different had the correct details been provided during signup. In this event, the engineer will abort the repair if the new pricing is not agreed.
Diagnosis
Although we use the term "diagnosis charge", the diagnosis is designed solely to be followed by our repair service and you are paying that charge for the diagnosis to be carried out and parts to be quoted for, you are not paying for a diagnostic report/details of any kind to be provided to you. If parts are required, we would quote for these with a general advice of what is needed to repair, but we would not provide specific details of exactly what parts are required or specific part names/numbers. This is to prevent customers then proceeding to attempt a repair themselves or through a third party company using the information we have provided. If you require a full report or a full breakdown, you must mention this when booking the job, it cannot be carried out as a result of a request made after the engineer has arrived on-site. Please note that a labour charge would be payable for the report, then any further repair would start as a new job with fresh charges.
VAT
VAT is payable on any services we provide and for non-commercial customers, all of our prices include VAT unless specifically stated otherwise. Our VAT registration number is 289 2317 71.
No Access Visits
In the event of our engineer visiting the property and being unable to gain access, a diagnosis charge would be payable.
Zero Tolerance Policy
We expect our staff to operate in a safe and secure environment at all times. We operate a strict zero-tolerance policy relating to abuse of our staff and we will use the full extent of the law against anyone displaying threatening or abusive behaviour towards our staff. Our staff reserve the right to use recording equipment in your property without disclosing so at the time if they feel they may for any reason be subjected to any such behaviour and you hereby give your consent for any such recordings to be used for various purposes, such as but not limited to being passed to the police, the manufacturer or used in a court of law.
Dual Fuel/Gas Appliances
Our service can only be used for electrical appliance repairs. While we offer the ability to arrange a visit to a dual fuel appliance, please be aware that we can only repair the electric side, excluding the ignition circuit. In most circumstances our engineers can repair these appliances without issue, however in the event that our engineer determines that the repair requires a gas engineer for any reason, we would be unable to proceed with the repair and a diagnosis charge would be payable if we have visited the property to determine this.
Pricing Structure
Unless quoted otherwise, our standard pricing is based on a diagnosis/labour charge structure plus any parts required. This is a one-off charge that covers the initial inspection of your appliance and also the time required to carry out most repairs and is not an hourly charge. In the event that our engineer is unable to replicate the reported issue during their visit, the appliance is beyond repair or where an expensive repair is quoted for and you choose not to proceed, a diagnosis charge would be payable. In all other cases, the labour charge will be payable. In essense, you are paying for the appliance to be put back to a working condition, regardless of what or how long that takes, even if it's not a fault with the appliance itself. This pricing structure means everyone knows in advance how much will be charged for labour if the appliance is fixed on the first visit and ensures a slightly more time-consuming repair does not leave you paying more than you agreed when booking the call. For this pricing structure to be practical, please note that we are not able to give discounts for "quick" repairs, just as we don't charge more if we are in your property diagnosing the fault for a few hours. We also do not charge extra labour costs for returning with parts required to complete the initial repair if we need to order them.
Where two or more faults are reported with an appliance, we reserve the right to apply further charges. This would be at our staff discretion but any further charges would be clearly explained in advance before being applied and at that time you would have the option to refuse the repair. In this event, a diagnosis charge would still be payable. Please note that repair of one or more faults would result in a labour charge (and any parts required) being payable for the completed repair, even if other faults are not repaired.
Please note that the fixed labour or diagnostic charge does not cover some very time consuming items including but not limited to carcass changes, bearings, tub/drum replacement or strip down, full appliance strip down, compressors, regasses or repairs that require multiple engineers. In these instances you would be quoted a total price and would have the choice whether to proceed or not. This price is quoted at the discretion of our staff. If you choose not to proceed, a diagnosis charge would be payable.
Fixed Price Repairs
Our fixed price repairs are covered by both these terms and also some specific terms associated specifically with fixed price repairs and they can be viewed here If there are any conflicting terms between both documents, the specific conflicting term in the fixed price guarantee would supersede the conflicting term in this document.
Customer Supplied Parts
Where the customer supplies the parts required for a repair and requests we fit them, the quoted rates will be payable for the initial visit the engineer makes to your property and also again on any subsequent visits you request if:
- The parts supplied do not complete the repair.
- The parts supplied are not compatible with the machine they are to be fitted to.
- The parts are damaged and this prevents us fitting them.
Please note that in the event we are specifically requested to attend and fit customer supplied parts, the engineer will not perform any further diagnosis or repair not agreed in advance. As standard, as we did not provide the parts in question, we also cannot provide any guarantee on any repair carried out with customer supplied parts.
Please note that our standard labour rate cannot be used for time consuming repairs where you supply the parts. This applies to parts supplied including but not limited to bearings, tub/drum replacement, compressors, regasses or repairs that require multiple engineers. This price is quoted at the discretion of the engineer on their visit. It is for these reasons we always advise you instead to allow our engineer to visit and quote for any parts required rather than you purchasing them yourself.
In the event that we visit and advise a specific part is faulty, if you choose to go elsewhere to buy or have that part fitted by another company or by yourself, Lothian Domestics accepts no liability if the part mentioned turns out to be incorrect or does not fully correct the original fault. We accept no liability in this case. It is for this reason we always advise having our engineer carry out a repair from start to finish.
Refrigeration System Work
Should our engineer determine that system work (such as re-gas, compressor, diverter valve or pipework repair) is required on a system using any gas other than r600a, we would be unable to proceed with the repair any further. These repairs require speciality engineers and due to the low volume of domestic appliances using other gases, this is not a service that we offer. Please note that the diagnosis charge would be payable for the initial inspection of the appliance in this case. In the event that you choose to proceed with the diagnosed repair through another company, you are fully responsible for obtaining a second opinion from them to ensure our diagnosis is correct. This is required as certain steps such as checking for internal leaks can only be performed by breaking into the system, which our engineers cannot legally carry out.
Customer's Responsibility
For fridge/freezer repairs, please ensure your appliance is switched on for 12 hours prior to our engineer's visit unless instructed otherwise. If you believe the fault is a safety issue or are unsure whether the appliance should be left on or not, please ask us in advance as the engineer may not be able to carry out a repair otherwise.
After a visit, our engineer will return the appliance as best as possible to the original position it was in before they moved it. Please note however that the customer is fully responsible for any fine-tuning/levelling required after this is done. If the appliance was not installed correctly before our engineer moved it, they will not reinstall the appliance unless that was the purpose of our visit in the first place, they will however still return it back to position if possible. In some cases, after we remove an appliance, we are unable to return it to position and the customer would be fully responsible for arranging this in that case.
Any recommendations provided by the engineer are not to be treated as mandatory and any actions taken by the customer based on such will be at the customer's discretion and financial responsibility.
On some occasions, a fault may be due to poor maintenance and we may advise what maintenance is required by you to correct the problem. For example, our engineer may advise cleaning of a component is required and you will be expected to carry this cleaning out yourself. Please note that a labour charge will still apply in this case.
Our engineers may be required to connect/disconnect from the electrics and/or pipework as necessary during the course of their work and issues may become apparent that were not foreseeable, unfortunately this is unavoidable and we cannot be held liable for such.
If the appliance needs fixtures/fittings removed to repair, is incorrectly installed, other appliances need to be removed to access the repair appliance or for cooker hoods where the appliance needs to be removed from the wall to complete a repair, it is the customer's responsiblity to make the appliance fully accessible. In this case, our engineer would normally advise what needs to be completed for a revisit and offer a grace period to allow the appliance to be made fully accessible, during which time any diagnostic charge paid would be carried over to any revisit. Visits arranged for outwith the grace period would start as a completely new job with fresh charges.
Please note that we are not responsible for any damage to your property unless it was caused by deliberate recklessness of our staff. Sometimes moving an appliance causes damage that is unavoidable, no matter how careful the engineer was. If moving an appliance is likely to damage your flooring or other fixture/fitting, you must make us aware of this and provide suitable arrangement for the engineer to inspect the appliance without moving it, such as ensuring the appliance is removed to a suitable place before repair. If such arrangements have not been made, you consent to not hold us liable in the event of damage caused, however we will always try our best to avoid/minimise damage. If an item is siliconed in place and the silicon requires to be breached to access the appliance, it is possible that damage may occur and under no circumstance would we be responsible for any damage caused, or for replacing the silicon after the repair. Our service is repair of the appliance only, it does not cover returning the surrounding area to the previous condition. Please note that we are not liable for any loss of revenue/earnings due to a broken appliance, before, during or after repair and we are not liable for any loss of food or other perishables. We also cannot be held liable for any other costs incurred due to a repair being carried out or us being unable to carry out a repair for any reason. If damage is noticed after an engineer's visit, this must be reported to us within 72 hours of the visit. Please note that reporting it does not automatically mean we will accept liability, but reports after this period will be treated as the issue has just been found at the point reported and would be handled at our discretion only.
Cancellation (Repairs)
In the event of cancellation, you will be required to pay the reasonable costs of the service that have been delivered up to the time of your cancellation. By proceeding with a repair or order of parts within your cancellation period allowable by law, you acknowledge that you would lose your right to cancel once the contract had been performed fully. In the case of parts being ordered, once paid they are non-refundable. If you cancel before the engineer is on-route to your property, no diagnosis charge will apply. The exception to this is where you have agreed to a weekend, evening or emergency appointment, in which case you must cancel by at least 6pm the previous day to prevent a diagnosis charge being payable. If you cancel after we notify you the engineer is on-route to your property, a diagnosis charge may be payable. If you cancel after the engineer is on-site but has not inspected the appliance, a diagnosis charge is payable. You are unable to cancel a repair once the engineer has commenced fitting parts you previously agreed to or once the engineer has commenced a repair, whether parts or further visits were or were not required.
Cancellation (Appliances)
In the event of cancellation, you will be required to pay the reasonable costs of the service element of your contract that have been delivered up to the time of your cancellation. By proceeding with installation of an appliance within your cancellation period allowable by law, you acknowledge that you would lose your right to cancel the service element once the service element of the contract had been performed fully. You have the right to cancel your contract for the supply of appliances by us within 14 days. If you cancel before we have delivered the goods or notified you that the delivery is on-route to your property, you will incur no penalty for cancellation. If you cancel after the appliance has been installed, you will be responsible for the cost of initial delivery to you and installation which will be determined based on our current delivery/installation rate. You will be fully responsible for all costs associated with removal and return of the appliance to us; if you request for us to uninstall/remove the appliance, you will be charged our standard delivery/installation charges in addition to the initial delivery/installation charges for doing so. You will not be refunded any charges for disposal of your old appliance and we would also be unable to recover this appliance to return it after we have left your property. If you have diminished the value of the goods by handling them beyond what is necessary to establish their nature, characteristics and function, we may at our discretion be unable to accept a return of the item or may accept them but deduct an amount proportionate to the cost required to replace any damaged parts, or to reflect its (now) second-hand value. We must be notified in advance that you wish to cancel and all goods must be returned to our office at Axwell House, 2 Westerton Road, Broxburn, EH52 5AU within 14 days. We cannot be responsible for any goods sent to any other address or returned after this time.
Appliances/Installation
Our appliance costs are quoted as a package including delivery, installation and disposal of your old appliance. Please note that we do not supply appliances without delivery and installation so provide a total quote amount and do not provide a breakdown of prices. Please note that unless clearly stated otherwise in writing, quoted appliance replacement prices do not include any additional or unforeseen work that may be required during or after the installation of your appliance. For example, if a joiner or plumber is required due to a fault already present beforehand or due to an issue that arises during or after installation, we would advise to the best of our ability what work is required, however you would be fully responsible for arranging for inspection to confirm the work required and payment of any such work. All new appliances supplied by us to a domestic customer in a domestic premises are covered by a minimum of 12 months manufacturer guarantee, during which you agree that all repairs must be reported to and carried out by the manufacturer. We are unable for any reason to change parts on an appliance under guarantee as doing so would void said guarantee.
Repair Guarantee
Please view our Repair Guarantee Timeline to see how we will handle your repair guarantee based on the time elapsed since our repair when the issue is reported to us.
On most repairs we offer a guarantee period of 90 days, with the first day being the date the goahead was given to the quote, or if no quote was provided then the date of repair. Please note that this means when a quote is approved and then the return visit is delayed by the customer, the guarantee period will be reduced because of this. This guarantee means where possible, we will correct a failed repair if it is caused by the exact same part failing as a result of a manufacturering defect with the part fitted. This guarantee is provided free of charge as the cost of providing it is covered by a markup added to any parts quoted. The markup added may vary as it is based on multiple factors, including but not limited to sourcing difficulty, delivery costs, part price and chance of failure but it would always be quoted within the total price you are quoted. Please note, to ensure this guarantee is covered on all parts, we do have a minimum part price of £15. Please note that markup on parts is non-negotiable and we will not enter into any discussion regarding it. You are always free to source the parts yourself and we can fit them if you feel you can obtain them cheaper, but we will provide no guarantee on them in that case.
We will refuse a repair under guarantee without recompense in the following non-exhaustive list of conditions:
- Where the customer refuses to run through basic troubleshooting steps required to determine if our repair has failed, such as sending pictures where required or providing details requested.
- Where a full labour charge has not been paid previously for that repair. Under no circumstances do we provide any guarantee where only a diagnosis charge was paid.
- Where the customer does not agree to charges in advance, in the event that our engineer finds the visit to not by covered by our repair guarantee.
- If anyone else has repaired or dismantled the machine after our initial visit.
- If we believe the repair has failed due to lack of maintenance or negligence of anyone other than our engineers.
- If the repair fails due to normal wear and tear.
- If any security seals we place on the appliance are removed or tampered with.
- If you refuse to allow us to place security seals on the appliance at the time of repair.
- If the repaired part fails due to failure of another non-repaired part.
- If you refuse to allow us to remove the fitted parts from your appliance when our engineers are on-site for inspection.
Please note when a faulty part is replaced, we dispose of the faulty part shortly after and are therefore unable to return faulty replaced parts further down the line. Removing the parts fitted may render the appliance completely unusable, which is unavoidable.
- If the appliance is being used in a commercial setting or for commercial purposes, regardless of whether it was originally being used for this purpose or not when the part was fitted. (Please note a £10 surcharge may apply for commerical appliances)
- Where the fault is not related to the repair carried out previously.
- Where we are 100% confident that the newly reported issue cannot possibly be caused by the repair carried out previously.
- Where we were unable to fault the specific issue during our original visit.
- Where we did not carry out a repair on the specific issue during our original visit.
- Where you have caused damage to the appliance or part by continuing to use the appliance after the fault reoccurring.
- Where you have failed to follow any usage or maintenance instructions our engineer provided on the original visit(s).
- Where parts become obsolete or we are otherwise unable to source them through our regular suppliers.
- Where you were not advised originally that the repair is covered by warranty.
- Where you notify us more than 7 days after the fault reoccurs.
- Where the original fault was caused by misuse or not following the manufacturers usage or maintenance instructions.
- Where the repair carried out involved clearing a blockage or obstruction of any type, regardless of whether or not due to misuse.
- Where the issue was caused by environmental or local issues and not a fault with the appliance itself.
- Where we fit a part and it fails, we may at our discretion, refund (minus the diagnostic charge and a pro-rata amount based on usage) the payment rather than continuing to replace the part.
- No guarantee is offered for consumable parts such as bulbs, filters or other similar parts. Please note that washing machine drum paddles and door seals are classed as consumable items.
- No guarantee is offered for glass components, unless there is clear evidence that the failure is as a result of a defect within the glass or our fitting. If no cause can be determined, no guarantee would be offered.
- Any return visits arranged for on or after 91 days of the guarantee starting.
Please note you must report any issue to a member of our staff directly and allow our engineers access to inspect the appliance within 5 working days from the day the issue was found/occured. If we cannot offer you an appointment within 5 working days, you must allow access within 5 working days of the first appointment date we offer you. In some cases our engineer may charge less for a part than the current retail price, for example if we have obtained that part at a reduced cost from our suppliers or the engineer advises they have a second hand part in their van they can fit at a reduced rate. In these cases, if the original part fails and we return to replace it, you would be responsible for the difference between the price paid for the part originally and the actual retail price at the time of the return visit. Failure to allow access within this time will result in your warranty on that repair being voided. To avoid any confusion, a fault is not treated as reported to us until we have actually booked a date for re-inspection of the appliance. The return date must be arranged for within the 90 day period to be covered by the guarantee, or within 5 days of that period ending if reported after the 83rd day. If our engineer arrives at your property during the appointment time and cannot gain access, a diagnosis charge for your location will be payable. Failure to pay this charge will result in your warranty on that repair being voided. We only provide a guarantee where a repair has been carried out, so in the event of our engineer being unable to replicate the physical fault during a function test, he would be unable to carry out a repair and a diagnosis charge would be payable. In certain circumstances, although signs of a fault exist, such as but not limited to a leak being reported and there is water on the floor or water in the base of a dishwasher, if we are unable to replicate a physical leak during our visit then any future visit would be subject to full new charges if the issue reoccurred and any diagnostic charge paid would not carry over to the new job. If our engineer determines that the fault reported is not covered under our repair guarantee, our standard charges would apply. These charges are due for any other faults and also if we are unable to replicate the issue during our visit. Refusal to pay these charges on a visit determined not to be covered by our repair guarantee will instantly void any and all repairs you currently have guaranteed by us, regardless of whether these are on the same appliance or otherwise.
Please note that any guarantee is provided on the specific appliance repaired, in the exact property it was repaired in. Appliances moved within the current household are still covered as long as the fault is not caused by movement of the appliance, but appliances moved to another address or passed on during the sale of a property are no longer covered. Under no circumstances is any part of our guarantee transferrable to any other person. Please note that a revisit does not reset the 90 days count, the guarantee is still 90 days from the first visit. Please note that in some cases, a part failing may also damage other parts. Our guarantee includes cover for the original part fitted only, any other parts required would be chargeable to the customer. In the event that you do not wish to fit other parts, we would be unable to complete the repair and this guarantee would be void. If parts required to fulfil this guarantee are out of stock with our usual suppliers at the time of ordering, we reserve the right to wait for those parts to become available. If the 90 days guarantee expires without these parts becoming available through our usual suppliers, your guarantee period is no longer valid. If your fitted part fails and for any reason we are unable to replace that part/or the appliance is found to be beyond repair due to the original part failure, we may deduct an amount from any recompense relative to the amount of usage you have obtained after the repair. For example, if 30 days have passed since repair, we may deduct up to 1/3 of the refund cost as this is 1/3 of the guaranteed period, if 60 or more days have passed since the repair we may deduct up to 2/3 of the cost to reflect usage for 2/3 of the guaranteed period. Please note that any diagnosis charge paid will always be deducted from any refund amount as the diagnosis fee is always non-refundable. Please also note that there is no cash refund alternative option, this is a repair only guarantee.
Missed Appointments
We very rarely miss an agreed appointment time but unforeseen issues do occur such as traffic jams, vehicle breakdowns or employee sickness. Also, due to the very nature of the job that our engineers do, the length of time each job will take is unknown and sometimes this can cause the engineer to run late for other appointments. Where possible, we would aim to contact you by phone or text message as soon as we know the engineer is not likely to be with you during your agreed appointment time. If possible, we will give you a new updated time and allow you the choice of accepting the new time, or rescheduling the appointment to a more suitable time. There are times when we do have to reschedule and we would try to be accommodating as possible in this case. Please note that we cannot under any circumstances be held liable for any loss of earnings, or other costs you may incur due to us not meeting the arranged appointment time or for any other reason.
Workshop Repairs
Where an appliance has been picked up for repair by us or has been dropped off at our workshop for repair by you or someone acting on your behalf, we will allow a period of 14 days after notifying you of cost to repair for you to decide whether or not to proceed. If you choose not to proceed and wish to pick up the appliance or have it dropped off, you must notify us of this and make payment of any monies outstanding. If you fail to arrange an appointment or return our calls, we will attempt to make a subsequent 3 attempts to contact you, then your appliance will be held for a period of 30 days after which we will assume it has been abandoned and will dispose of it without further notice. We will not be responsible for any loss incurred due to disposal where you have failed to arrange return.
Complaints Procedure
We always endeavour to provide the best service for our customers. However, on rare occasions, we recognise that there may be times where our customers may not be completely satisfied. To ensure we are able to put things rights as soon as we can, let us know about the issue and we will respond promptly.
As soon as possible after the completion of the works, please inspect the work to ensure everything has been carried out to our usual high standards.
In the unlikely event there is anything you are not completely satisfied with, please contact us as soon as you can in order that we can rectify any problems as soon as possible. For claims of potential damage, please ensure you notify us within 72 hours of the visit.
Please contact us by one of the following methods:
Call us on 0131 516 2080.
Or write to us at:
Lothian Domestics Ltd
Axwel House
2 Westerton Road
East Mains Industrial Estate
Broxburn
West Lothian
EH52 5AU
(please request proof of receipt if posting)
Or email us using our Enquiry Form
We aim to respond within 10 business days of receiving your complaint and where possible, will provide you with a date to remedy any issues raised.
Where we are unable to resolve your complaint relating to a Samsung product using our own complaints procedure, as a Samsung Appliance Which? Trusted trader we use Dispute Resolution Ombudsman for dispute resolution. In the unlikely event that we cannot remedy your complaint to your satisfaction and it relates to a Samsung product, you may wish to refer your complaint to them. If you wish to do so please contact Which? Trusted traders in the first instance on 02922 670 040.
Parts
Our engineers carry a very extensive van stock which allows them to complete a large number of repairs on the first visit to the property. Unfortunately our engineers cannot carry every part they may come across and as such there are occasions where we need to order parts. If parts are required to be ordered, you would be quoted for such and must give approval/payment details before they are ordered. Please note that if you are quoted by any means and you do not give approval within 30 days, no parts will be ordered and the job will be treated as complete on our system. Any request to re-attend after this time will be treated as a new job and any previous diagnosis charge would not be carried on to this new job.
Just because we advertise a brand as being one we repair, does not mean we have a direct sales channel with that manufacturer for every part. We deal with hundreds of manufacturers and cannot hold accounts with every one, for various reasons such as a lack of returns channels or minimum spend requirements. Instead, we use a network of distributors combined with specific manufactuers to source parts and while this results in being able to source the vast majority of parts required, in some cases we may accept a repair but then be unable to source the specific parts to complete the repair. We do not limit our service only to brands we have an active parts channel for as a lot of repairs can be carried out without parts or can be carried out using universal parts, so even being unable to source the specific parts for a specific appliance does not always prevent us carrying out a repair. Also, in most cases, until we visit the property to inspect the appliance, we have no way to tell if parts are or are not required, or which specific parts are required, so have no way to tell if we can, or cannot source them or use universal parts to complete the repair. In the event that we are unable to source parts required to complete a repair, it may be that certain channels exist where puchase of these parts is possible, so us advising we cannot source a part does not mean it is not available anywhere for you to purchase, just that we cannot source it through our network of available channels within a reasonable period. For us to be able to purchase parts from a company, we must have agreements in place for various items, not limited to returns channels for faulty parts and unused parts. We also may stop using a channel if we have had problems in the past with that channel such as, but not limited to them refusing to accept faulty goods returns or excessive delays in part shipment. In essence, just because a part is available from the manufacturer or a retail site, does not guarantee we are able to source it for your appliance.
In normal cases where parts are required to be ordered, we would try and arrange a revisit before the part has arrived with us. Please note that any delays in parts arriving will be communicated with you as soon as possible, but on some occasions we may be unable to give you notice in advance of the visit date if for example the parts were due in the night before the visit and didn't arrive. Our normal expected turnaround is 2 working days from order to arrival, however we advise allowing 5 working days for in-stock parts. Delays out-with our control may occur and we cannot be held liable for any losses in such cases.
Where a part is placed on backorder without estimate of delivery, if you provide us with a mobile phone number we will aim to text you regularly to keep you updated. Please note that "no estimate of delivery" means exactly that, we really do have no estimate of delivery and cannot normally obtain one until the supplier contacts us to say the part is available. Items ordered as a "special order" status are non-refundable under any circumstances no matter how long they stay on backorder so we would strongly advise you avoid placing an order for such parts unless absolutely necessary and you should assume a turnaround time of up to 12 months in such cases. If a non "special order" part is still on backorder for more than 3 months, we would normally cancel the item and provide a refund unless otherwise agreed. Payment would normally be taken before any item is placed on backorder to ensure we are not left out of pocket if the part becomes available and you decide you no longer want it.
In some cases, when parts are fitted we may require that the failed parts are removed to our workshop. In some cases this is because our engineers will replace the failed part with a higher level part but only charge you for the smaller level part, meaning rather than replace a single small component that has failed, they will replace the whole assembly that includes that failed part. By removing the failed parts, this allows us to carry out training and also potentially salvage certain components from those parts, helping us to build a stock of components for future use, especially if those components become obsolete.
When we quote you for a part required, please note that in some cases, it may be required for us to fit this part to then determine what other parts are faulty. For example, a leaking hose in a washing machine would need to be fixed before we could find out there is a problem with it taking too much water during the cycle. In this instance, no refunds are providing for partial repairs if you later decide not to proceed with other parts that are determined to be required.
When a customer reports a fault, we will normally send an engineer out to inspect and assess the appliance before any parts are ordered. If the customer insists on us ordering a part before the initial visit, payment would be due in advance for any parts ordered and no payment would be refunded if this part does not complete the repair or if the part is not required. It is because of this we would always advise that you allow our engineer to inspect your appliance before any parts are ordered and this ensures you are only paying for parts that are actually required.
If you have any questions about anything on this page, we would encourage you to contact us for clarification before arranging a visit. It is our responsibility to supply you with goods that meet your consumer rights. If you have any concerns that we have not met our legal obligations, please contact us.
Refusal to Carry Out Repair
All repairs are subject to assessment. At the engineer's discretion, we may refuse to carry out a repair for the following non-exhaustive list of reasons, some of which may still incur a diagnosis charge for the visit:
- Where the appliance has been altered, dismantled, or otherwise interfered with in any way by any person we believe may not be qualified to do so.
- Where the engineer beleives that a large quantity of water would be released in an uncontrolled manner during a repair and this may cause damage. For example, where a washing machine is full of water due to a hose being blocked, and the only way to repair is to remove that hose and release the water onto the ground.
- Where an appliance is deemed a potential health risk by our engineer.
- Where the appliance or installation may pose a safety risk to our engineer.
- Where an insect infestation is or has been present.
- Where a customer is or has in the past been abusive, threatening, has made baseless allegations against our staff or has been deceptive to our staff.
- Where our engineer determines the repair is not economical or the chance of appliance failure after repair is disproportionately high, an example of which would be a compressor repair on an old appliance.
- Where we cannot get any response on the contact number to multiple contact attempts before visiting, we reserve the right to abort the repair visit.
- Where the parts required cost in excess of seven times the cost of the labour charge for the repair or £500, whichever is the greater, we reserve the right to abort the repair.
- Where not previously agreed otherwise, where a responsible adult is not present in the property.
- Where we believe there may be an issue obtaining payment on-site, or where the customer advises they cannot pay the engineer on-site.
Please note that on occasion, our engineer may decide that the best course of action is to refer you back to the manufacturer rather than proceed with a repair through ourselves. In this case, unless you were advised otherwise in advance we would normally waive any diagnosis charges. Please note that this does not cover certain times such as, but not limited to where we advise we can complete the repair, but you would be cheaper through the manufacturer, or where we are unable to proceed due to the repair needing a manufacturer agent to complete the repair, such as program a pcb. In these cases, a diagnosis charge would still be payable.
In the event that our engineer determines that the appliance details you have provided during signup are incorrect, they will provide a quote before carrying out a repair if the pricing would have been different had the correct details been provided during signup. In this event, the engineer will abort the repair if the new pricing is not agreed.
Diagnosis
Although we use the term "diagnosis charge", the diagnosis is designed solely to be followed by our repair service and you are paying that charge for the diagnosis to be carried out and parts to be quoted for, you are not paying for a diagnostic report/details of any kind to be provided to you. If parts are required, we would quote for these with a general advice of what is needed to repair, but we would not provide specific details of exactly what parts are required or specific part names/numbers. This is to prevent customers then proceeding to attempt a repair themselves or through a third party company using the information we have provided. If you require a full report or a full breakdown, you must mention this when booking the job, it cannot be carried out as a result of a request made after the engineer has arrived on-site. Please note that a labour charge would be payable for the report, then any further repair would start as a new job with fresh charges.
VAT
VAT is payable on any services we provide and for non-commercial customers, all of our prices include VAT unless specifically stated otherwise. Our VAT registration number is 289 2317 71.
No Access Visits
In the event of our engineer visiting the property and being unable to gain access, a diagnosis charge would be payable.
Zero Tolerance Policy
We expect our staff to operate in a safe and secure environment at all times. We operate a strict zero-tolerance policy relating to abuse of our staff and we will use the full extent of the law against anyone displaying threatening or abusive behaviour towards our staff. Our staff reserve the right to use recording equipment in your property without disclosing so at the time if they feel they may for any reason be subjected to any such behaviour and you hereby give your consent for any such recordings to be used for various purposes, such as but not limited to being passed to the police, the manufacturer or used in a court of law.
Dual Fuel/Gas Appliances
Our service can only be used for electrical appliance repairs. While we offer the ability to arrange a visit to a dual fuel appliance, please be aware that we can only repair the electric side, excluding the ignition circuit. In most circumstances our engineers can repair these appliances without issue, however in the event that our engineer determines that the repair requires a gas engineer for any reason, we would be unable to proceed with the repair and a diagnosis charge would be payable if we have visited the property to determine this.
Pricing Structure
Unless quoted otherwise, our standard pricing is based on a diagnosis/labour charge structure plus any parts required. This is a one-off charge that covers the initial inspection of your appliance and also the time required to carry out most repairs and is not an hourly charge. In the event that our engineer is unable to replicate the reported issue during their visit, the appliance is beyond repair or where an expensive repair is quoted for and you choose not to proceed, a diagnosis charge would be payable. In all other cases, the labour charge will be payable. In essense, you are paying for the appliance to be put back to a working condition, regardless of what or how long that takes, even if it's not a fault with the appliance itself. This pricing structure means everyone knows in advance how much will be charged for labour if the appliance is fixed on the first visit and ensures a slightly more time-consuming repair does not leave you paying more than you agreed when booking the call. For this pricing structure to be practical, please note that we are not able to give discounts for "quick" repairs, just as we don't charge more if we are in your property diagnosing the fault for a few hours. We also do not charge extra labour costs for returning with parts required to complete the initial repair if we need to order them.
Where two or more faults are reported with an appliance, we reserve the right to apply further charges. This would be at our staff discretion but any further charges would be clearly explained in advance before being applied and at that time you would have the option to refuse the repair. In this event, a diagnosis charge would still be payable. Please note that repair of one or more faults would result in a labour charge (and any parts required) being payable for the completed repair, even if other faults are not repaired.
Please note that the fixed labour or diagnostic charge does not cover some very time consuming items including but not limited to carcass changes, bearings, tub/drum replacement or strip down, full appliance strip down, compressors, regasses or repairs that require multiple engineers. In these instances you would be quoted a total price and would have the choice whether to proceed or not. This price is quoted at the discretion of our staff. If you choose not to proceed, a diagnosis charge would be payable.
Fixed Price Repairs
Our fixed price repairs are covered by both these terms and also some specific terms associated specifically with fixed price repairs and they can be viewed here If there are any conflicting terms between both documents, the specific conflicting term in the fixed price guarantee would supersede the conflicting term in this document.
Customer Supplied Parts
Where the customer supplies the parts required for a repair and requests we fit them, the quoted rates will be payable for the initial visit the engineer makes to your property and also again on any subsequent visits you request if:
- The parts supplied do not complete the repair.
- The parts supplied are not compatible with the machine they are to be fitted to.
- The parts are damaged and this prevents us fitting them.
Please note that in the event we are specifically requested to attend and fit customer supplied parts, the engineer will not perform any further diagnosis or repair not agreed in advance. As standard, as we did not provide the parts in question, we also cannot provide any guarantee on any repair carried out with customer supplied parts.
Please note that our standard labour rate cannot be used for time consuming repairs where you supply the parts. This applies to parts supplied including but not limited to bearings, tub/drum replacement, compressors, regasses or repairs that require multiple engineers. This price is quoted at the discretion of the engineer on their visit. It is for these reasons we always advise you instead to allow our engineer to visit and quote for any parts required rather than you purchasing them yourself.
In the event that we visit and advise a specific part is faulty, if you choose to go elsewhere to buy or have that part fitted by another company or by yourself, Lothian Domestics accepts no liability if the part mentioned turns out to be incorrect or does not fully correct the original fault. We accept no liability in this case. It is for this reason we always advise having our engineer carry out a repair from start to finish.
Refrigeration System Work
Should our engineer determine that system work (such as re-gas, compressor, diverter valve or pipework repair) is required on a system using any gas other than r600a, we would be unable to proceed with the repair any further. These repairs require speciality engineers and due to the low volume of domestic appliances using other gases, this is not a service that we offer. Please note that the diagnosis charge would be payable for the initial inspection of the appliance in this case. In the event that you choose to proceed with the diagnosed repair through another company, you are fully responsible for obtaining a second opinion from them to ensure our diagnosis is correct. This is required as certain steps such as checking for internal leaks can only be performed by breaking into the system, which our engineers cannot legally carry out.
Customer's Responsibility
For fridge/freezer repairs, please ensure your appliance is switched on for 12 hours prior to our engineer's visit unless instructed otherwise. If you believe the fault is a safety issue or are unsure whether the appliance should be left on or not, please ask us in advance as the engineer may not be able to carry out a repair otherwise.
After a visit, our engineer will return the appliance as best as possible to the original position it was in before they moved it. Please note however that the customer is fully responsible for any fine-tuning/levelling required after this is done. If the appliance was not installed correctly before our engineer moved it, they will not reinstall the appliance unless that was the purpose of our visit in the first place, they will however still return it back to position if possible. In some cases, after we remove an appliance, we are unable to return it to position and the customer would be fully responsible for arranging this in that case.
Any recommendations provided by the engineer are not to be treated as mandatory and any actions taken by the customer based on such will be at the customer's discretion and financial responsibility.
On some occasions, a fault may be due to poor maintenance and we may advise what maintenance is required by you to correct the problem. For example, our engineer may advise cleaning of a component is required and you will be expected to carry this cleaning out yourself. Please note that a labour charge will still apply in this case.
Our engineers may be required to connect/disconnect from the electrics and/or pipework as necessary during the course of their work and issues may become apparent that were not foreseeable, unfortunately this is unavoidable and we cannot be held liable for such.
If the appliance needs fixtures/fittings removed to repair, is incorrectly installed, other appliances need to be removed to access the repair appliance or for cooker hoods where the appliance needs to be removed from the wall to complete a repair, it is the customer's responsiblity to make the appliance fully accessible. In this case, our engineer would normally advise what needs to be completed for a revisit and offer a grace period to allow the appliance to be made fully accessible, during which time any diagnostic charge paid would be carried over to any revisit. Visits arranged for outwith the grace period would start as a completely new job with fresh charges.
Please note that we are not responsible for any damage to your property unless it was caused by deliberate recklessness of our staff. Sometimes moving an appliance causes damage that is unavoidable, no matter how careful the engineer was. If moving an appliance is likely to damage your flooring or other fixture/fitting, you must make us aware of this and provide suitable arrangement for the engineer to inspect the appliance without moving it, such as ensuring the appliance is removed to a suitable place before repair. If such arrangements have not been made, you consent to not hold us liable in the event of damage caused, however we will always try our best to avoid/minimise damage. If an item is siliconed in place and the silicon requires to be breached to access the appliance, it is possible that damage may occur and under no circumstance would we be responsible for any damage caused, or for replacing the silicon after the repair. Our service is repair of the appliance only, it does not cover returning the surrounding area to the previous condition. Please note that we are not liable for any loss of revenue/earnings due to a broken appliance, before, during or after repair and we are not liable for any loss of food or other perishables. We also cannot be held liable for any other costs incurred due to a repair being carried out or us being unable to carry out a repair for any reason. If damage is noticed after an engineer's visit, this must be reported to us within 72 hours of the visit. Please note that reporting it does not automatically mean we will accept liability, but reports after this period will be treated as the issue has just been found at the point reported and would be handled at our discretion only.
Cancellation (Repairs)
In the event of cancellation, you will be required to pay the reasonable costs of the service that have been delivered up to the time of your cancellation. By proceeding with a repair or order of parts within your cancellation period allowable by law, you acknowledge that you would lose your right to cancel once the contract had been performed fully. In the case of parts being ordered, once paid they are non-refundable. If you cancel before the engineer is on-route to your property, no diagnosis charge will apply. The exception to this is where you have agreed to a weekend, evening or emergency appointment, in which case you must cancel by at least 6pm the previous day to prevent a diagnosis charge being payable. If you cancel after we notify you the engineer is on-route to your property, a diagnosis charge may be payable. If you cancel after the engineer is on-site but has not inspected the appliance, a diagnosis charge is payable. You are unable to cancel a repair once the engineer has commenced fitting parts you previously agreed to or once the engineer has commenced a repair, whether parts or further visits were or were not required.
Cancellation (Appliances)
In the event of cancellation, you will be required to pay the reasonable costs of the service element of your contract that have been delivered up to the time of your cancellation. By proceeding with installation of an appliance within your cancellation period allowable by law, you acknowledge that you would lose your right to cancel the service element once the service element of the contract had been performed fully. You have the right to cancel your contract for the supply of appliances by us within 14 days. If you cancel before we have delivered the goods or notified you that the delivery is on-route to your property, you will incur no penalty for cancellation. If you cancel after the appliance has been installed, you will be responsible for the cost of initial delivery to you and installation which will be determined based on our current delivery/installation rate. You will be fully responsible for all costs associated with removal and return of the appliance to us; if you request for us to uninstall/remove the appliance, you will be charged our standard delivery/installation charges in addition to the initial delivery/installation charges for doing so. You will not be refunded any charges for disposal of your old appliance and we would also be unable to recover this appliance to return it after we have left your property. If you have diminished the value of the goods by handling them beyond what is necessary to establish their nature, characteristics and function, we may at our discretion be unable to accept a return of the item or may accept them but deduct an amount proportionate to the cost required to replace any damaged parts, or to reflect its (now) second-hand value. We must be notified in advance that you wish to cancel and all goods must be returned to our office at Axwell House, 2 Westerton Road, Broxburn, EH52 5AU within 14 days. We cannot be responsible for any goods sent to any other address or returned after this time.
Appliances/Installation
Our appliance costs are quoted as a package including delivery, installation and disposal of your old appliance. Please note that we do not supply appliances without delivery and installation so provide a total quote amount and do not provide a breakdown of prices. Please note that unless clearly stated otherwise in writing, quoted appliance replacement prices do not include any additional or unforeseen work that may be required during or after the installation of your appliance. For example, if a joiner or plumber is required due to a fault already present beforehand or due to an issue that arises during or after installation, we would advise to the best of our ability what work is required, however you would be fully responsible for arranging for inspection to confirm the work required and payment of any such work. All new appliances supplied by us to a domestic customer in a domestic premises are covered by a minimum of 12 months manufacturer guarantee, during which you agree that all repairs must be reported to and carried out by the manufacturer. We are unable for any reason to change parts on an appliance under guarantee as doing so would void said guarantee.
Repair Guarantee
Please view our Repair Guarantee Timeline to see how we will handle your repair guarantee based on the time elapsed since our repair when the issue is reported to us.
On most repairs we offer a guarantee period of 90 days, with the first day being the date the goahead was given to the quote, or if no quote was provided then the date of repair. Please note that this means when a quote is approved and then the return visit is delayed by the customer, the guarantee period will be reduced because of this. This guarantee means where possible, we will correct a failed repair if it is caused by the exact same part failing as a result of a manufacturering defect with the part fitted. This guarantee is provided free of charge as the cost of providing it is covered by a markup added to any parts quoted. The markup added may vary as it is based on multiple factors, including but not limited to sourcing difficulty, delivery costs, part price and chance of failure but it would always be quoted within the total price you are quoted. Please note, to ensure this guarantee is covered on all parts, we do have a minimum part price of £15. Please note that markup on parts is non-negotiable and we will not enter into any discussion regarding it. You are always free to source the parts yourself and we can fit them if you feel you can obtain them cheaper, but we will provide no guarantee on them in that case.
We will refuse a repair under guarantee without recompense in the following non-exhaustive list of conditions:
- Where the customer refuses to run through basic troubleshooting steps required to determine if our repair has failed, such as sending pictures where required or providing details requested.
- Where a full labour charge has not been paid previously for that repair. Under no circumstances do we provide any guarantee where only a diagnosis charge was paid.
- Where the customer does not agree to charges in advance, in the event that our engineer finds the visit to not by covered by our repair guarantee.
- If anyone else has repaired or dismantled the machine after our initial visit.
- If we believe the repair has failed due to lack of maintenance or negligence of anyone other than our engineers.
- If the repair fails due to normal wear and tear.
- If any security seals we place on the appliance are removed or tampered with.
- If you refuse to allow us to place security seals on the appliance at the time of repair.
- If the repaired part fails due to failure of another non-repaired part.
- If you refuse to allow us to remove the fitted parts from your appliance when our engineers are on-site for inspection.
Please note when a faulty part is replaced, we dispose of the faulty part shortly after and are therefore unable to return faulty replaced parts further down the line. Removing the parts fitted may render the appliance completely unusable, which is unavoidable.
- If the appliance is being used in a commercial setting or for commercial purposes, regardless of whether it was originally being used for this purpose or not when the part was fitted. (Please note a £10 surcharge may apply for commerical appliances)
- Where the fault is not related to the repair carried out previously.
- Where we are 100% confident that the newly reported issue cannot possibly be caused by the repair carried out previously.
- Where we were unable to fault the specific issue during our original visit.
- Where we did not carry out a repair on the specific issue during our original visit.
- Where you have caused damage to the appliance or part by continuing to use the appliance after the fault reoccurring.
- Where you have failed to follow any usage or maintenance instructions our engineer provided on the original visit(s).
- Where parts become obsolete or we are otherwise unable to source them through our regular suppliers.
- Where you were not advised originally that the repair is covered by warranty.
- Where you notify us more than 7 days after the fault reoccurs.
- Where the original fault was caused by misuse or not following the manufacturers usage or maintenance instructions.
- Where the repair carried out involved clearing a blockage or obstruction of any type, regardless of whether or not due to misuse.
- Where the issue was caused by environmental or local issues and not a fault with the appliance itself.
- Where we fit a part and it fails, we may at our discretion, refund (minus the diagnostic charge and a pro-rata amount based on usage) the payment rather than continuing to replace the part.
- No guarantee is offered for consumable parts such as bulbs, filters or other similar parts. Please note that washing machine drum paddles and door seals are classed as consumable items.
- No guarantee is offered for glass components, unless there is clear evidence that the failure is as a result of a defect within the glass or our fitting. If no cause can be determined, no guarantee would be offered.
- Any return visits arranged for on or after 91 days of the guarantee starting.
Please note you must report any issue to a member of our staff directly and allow our engineers access to inspect the appliance within 5 working days from the day the issue was found/occured. If we cannot offer you an appointment within 5 working days, you must allow access within 5 working days of the first appointment date we offer you. In some cases our engineer may charge less for a part than the current retail price, for example if we have obtained that part at a reduced cost from our suppliers or the engineer advises they have a second hand part in their van they can fit at a reduced rate. In these cases, if the original part fails and we return to replace it, you would be responsible for the difference between the price paid for the part originally and the actual retail price at the time of the return visit. Failure to allow access within this time will result in your warranty on that repair being voided. To avoid any confusion, a fault is not treated as reported to us until we have actually booked a date for re-inspection of the appliance. The return date must be arranged for within the 90 day period to be covered by the guarantee, or within 5 days of that period ending if reported after the 83rd day. If our engineer arrives at your property during the appointment time and cannot gain access, a diagnosis charge for your location will be payable. Failure to pay this charge will result in your warranty on that repair being voided. We only provide a guarantee where a repair has been carried out, so in the event of our engineer being unable to replicate the physical fault during a function test, he would be unable to carry out a repair and a diagnosis charge would be payable. In certain circumstances, although signs of a fault exist, such as but not limited to a leak being reported and there is water on the floor or water in the base of a dishwasher, if we are unable to replicate a physical leak during our visit then any future visit would be subject to full new charges if the issue reoccurred and any diagnostic charge paid would not carry over to the new job. If our engineer determines that the fault reported is not covered under our repair guarantee, our standard charges would apply. These charges are due for any other faults and also if we are unable to replicate the issue during our visit. Refusal to pay these charges on a visit determined not to be covered by our repair guarantee will instantly void any and all repairs you currently have guaranteed by us, regardless of whether these are on the same appliance or otherwise.
Please note that any guarantee is provided on the specific appliance repaired, in the exact property it was repaired in. Appliances moved within the current household are still covered as long as the fault is not caused by movement of the appliance, but appliances moved to another address or passed on during the sale of a property are no longer covered. Under no circumstances is any part of our guarantee transferrable to any other person. Please note that a revisit does not reset the 90 days count, the guarantee is still 90 days from the first visit. Please note that in some cases, a part failing may also damage other parts. Our guarantee includes cover for the original part fitted only, any other parts required would be chargeable to the customer. In the event that you do not wish to fit other parts, we would be unable to complete the repair and this guarantee would be void. If parts required to fulfil this guarantee are out of stock with our usual suppliers at the time of ordering, we reserve the right to wait for those parts to become available. If the 90 days guarantee expires without these parts becoming available through our usual suppliers, your guarantee period is no longer valid. If your fitted part fails and for any reason we are unable to replace that part/or the appliance is found to be beyond repair due to the original part failure, we may deduct an amount from any recompense relative to the amount of usage you have obtained after the repair. For example, if 30 days have passed since repair, we may deduct up to 1/3 of the refund cost as this is 1/3 of the guaranteed period, if 60 or more days have passed since the repair we may deduct up to 2/3 of the cost to reflect usage for 2/3 of the guaranteed period. Please note that any diagnosis charge paid will always be deducted from any refund amount as the diagnosis fee is always non-refundable. Please also note that there is no cash refund alternative option, this is a repair only guarantee.
Missed Appointments
We very rarely miss an agreed appointment time but unforeseen issues do occur such as traffic jams, vehicle breakdowns or employee sickness. Also, due to the very nature of the job that our engineers do, the length of time each job will take is unknown and sometimes this can cause the engineer to run late for other appointments. Where possible, we would aim to contact you by phone or text message as soon as we know the engineer is not likely to be with you during your agreed appointment time. If possible, we will give you a new updated time and allow you the choice of accepting the new time, or rescheduling the appointment to a more suitable time. There are times when we do have to reschedule and we would try to be accommodating as possible in this case. Please note that we cannot under any circumstances be held liable for any loss of earnings, or other costs you may incur due to us not meeting the arranged appointment time or for any other reason.
Workshop Repairs
Where an appliance has been picked up for repair by us or has been dropped off at our workshop for repair by you or someone acting on your behalf, we will allow a period of 14 days after notifying you of cost to repair for you to decide whether or not to proceed. If you choose not to proceed and wish to pick up the appliance or have it dropped off, you must notify us of this and make payment of any monies outstanding. If you fail to arrange an appointment or return our calls, we will attempt to make a subsequent 3 attempts to contact you, then your appliance will be held for a period of 30 days after which we will assume it has been abandoned and will dispose of it without further notice. We will not be responsible for any loss incurred due to disposal where you have failed to arrange return.
Complaints Procedure
We always endeavour to provide the best service for our customers. However, on rare occasions, we recognise that there may be times where our customers may not be completely satisfied. To ensure we are able to put things rights as soon as we can, let us know about the issue and we will respond promptly.
As soon as possible after the completion of the works, please inspect the work to ensure everything has been carried out to our usual high standards.
In the unlikely event there is anything you are not completely satisfied with, please contact us as soon as you can in order that we can rectify any problems as soon as possible. For claims of potential damage, please ensure you notify us within 72 hours of the visit.
Please contact us by one of the following methods:
Call us on 0131 516 2080.
Or write to us at:
Lothian Domestics Ltd
Axwel House
2 Westerton Road
East Mains Industrial Estate
Broxburn
West Lothian
EH52 5AU
(please request proof of receipt if posting)
Or email us using our Enquiry Form
We aim to respond within 10 business days of receiving your complaint and where possible, will provide you with a date to remedy any issues raised.
Where we are unable to resolve your complaint relating to a Samsung product using our own complaints procedure, as a Samsung Appliance Which? Trusted trader we use Dispute Resolution Ombudsman for dispute resolution. In the unlikely event that we cannot remedy your complaint to your satisfaction and it relates to a Samsung product, you may wish to refer your complaint to them. If you wish to do so please contact Which? Trusted traders in the first instance on 02922 670 040.
Parts
Our engineers carry a very extensive van stock which allows them to complete a large number of repairs on the first visit to the property. Unfortunately our engineers cannot carry every part they may come across and as such there are occasions where we need to order parts. If parts are required to be ordered, you would be quoted for such and must give approval/payment details before they are ordered. Please note that if you are quoted by any means and you do not give approval within 30 days, no parts will be ordered and the job will be treated as complete on our system. Any request to re-attend after this time will be treated as a new job and any previous diagnosis charge would not be carried on to this new job.
Just because we advertise a brand as being one we repair, does not mean we have a direct sales channel with that manufacturer for every part. We deal with hundreds of manufacturers and cannot hold accounts with every one, for various reasons such as a lack of returns channels or minimum spend requirements. Instead, we use a network of distributors combined with specific manufactuers to source parts and while this results in being able to source the vast majority of parts required, in some cases we may accept a repair but then be unable to source the specific parts to complete the repair. We do not limit our service only to brands we have an active parts channel for as a lot of repairs can be carried out without parts or can be carried out using universal parts, so even being unable to source the specific parts for a specific appliance does not always prevent us carrying out a repair. Also, in most cases, until we visit the property to inspect the appliance, we have no way to tell if parts are or are not required, or which specific parts are required, so have no way to tell if we can, or cannot source them or use universal parts to complete the repair. In the event that we are unable to source parts required to complete a repair, it may be that certain channels exist where puchase of these parts is possible, so us advising we cannot source a part does not mean it is not available anywhere for you to purchase, just that we cannot source it through our network of available channels within a reasonable period. For us to be able to purchase parts from a company, we must have agreements in place for various items, not limited to returns channels for faulty parts and unused parts. We also may stop using a channel if we have had problems in the past with that channel such as, but not limited to them refusing to accept faulty goods returns or excessive delays in part shipment. In essence, just because a part is available from the manufacturer or a retail site, does not guarantee we are able to source it for your appliance.
In normal cases where parts are required to be ordered, we would try and arrange a revisit before the part has arrived with us. Please note that any delays in parts arriving will be communicated with you as soon as possible, but on some occasions we may be unable to give you notice in advance of the visit date if for example the parts were due in the night before the visit and didn't arrive. Our normal expected turnaround is 2 working days from order to arrival, however we advise allowing 5 working days for in-stock parts. Delays out-with our control may occur and we cannot be held liable for any losses in such cases.
Where a part is placed on backorder without estimate of delivery, if you provide us with a mobile phone number we will aim to text you regularly to keep you updated. Please note that "no estimate of delivery" means exactly that, we really do have no estimate of delivery and cannot normally obtain one until the supplier contacts us to say the part is available. Items ordered as a "special order" status are non-refundable under any circumstances no matter how long they stay on backorder so we would strongly advise you avoid placing an order for such parts unless absolutely necessary and you should assume a turnaround time of up to 12 months in such cases. If a non "special order" part is still on backorder for more than 3 months, we would normally cancel the item and provide a refund unless otherwise agreed. Payment would normally be taken before any item is placed on backorder to ensure we are not left out of pocket if the part becomes available and you decide you no longer want it.
In some cases, when parts are fitted we may require that the failed parts are removed to our workshop. In some cases this is because our engineers will replace the failed part with a higher level part but only charge you for the smaller level part, meaning rather than replace a single small component that has failed, they will replace the whole assembly that includes that failed part. By removing the failed parts, this allows us to carry out training and also potentially salvage certain components from those parts, helping us to build a stock of components for future use, especially if those components become obsolete.
When we quote you for a part required, please note that in some cases, it may be required for us to fit this part to then determine what other parts are faulty. For example, a leaking hose in a washing machine would need to be fixed before we could find out there is a problem with it taking too much water during the cycle. In this instance, no refunds are providing for partial repairs if you later decide not to proceed with other parts that are determined to be required.
When a customer reports a fault, we will normally send an engineer out to inspect and assess the appliance before any parts are ordered. If the customer insists on us ordering a part before the initial visit, payment would be due in advance for any parts ordered and no payment would be refunded if this part does not complete the repair or if the part is not required. It is because of this we would always advise that you allow our engineer to inspect your appliance before any parts are ordered and this ensures you are only paying for parts that are actually required.
just booked an appointment.