The Indesit Moon washing machine advert had a catchy tag line, “Future Friendly”, and a catchy music track by New Order. I’m sceptical about the use of the phrase future friendly though.
The phrase implies it will either last a very long time, or that a product is so technically advanced it is unlikely to be superseded by anything better in the near future.
If they have genuinely pulled this off it would be an amazing achievement for one of the cheapest brands in the UK.
The TV advert was very slick showing lots of robots mingling with people in everyday life apparently integrated into society. The accompanying overlaid text says, One day – Man and machine – Will live together – In perfect harmony. Then as a woman loads her new Indesit washing machine with laundry it continues, That day – Has dawned. As she closes the door the voice over says, Indesit Moon: Future friendly.
The advert is brilliant (I’m not being sarcastic). It has great music, great visuals, and a great overall concept. I was just disappointed to see it was only advertising a washing machine – and one of the cheapest washing machines in the business.
£299 for a 6 kg washing machine with a 1400 rpm spin is cheap, and these days many cheap washing machines are notoriously not worth repairing (and get scrapped way too soon) if they break down out of guarantee unless it is a minor fault.
It would be great if the spare parts for this washing machine are going to be priced lower than previous Indesit spare parts, and at levels that make it economic to repair in the future.
So far this is not the case with many cheap washing machines and to me, something can’t be truly future friendly if it isn’t worth repairing after 3 or 4 years just because the PCB has failed. I do like the look of this washing machine. I also like the simple solitary control button offering just 4 wash programmes.
Many customers have often told me they want simple controls and fewer programmes – not more. It will appeal to customers buying at the budget end who see extremely simple controls as a priority but they won’t have to mind if this involves compromises elsewhere.
The Moon’s looks
The innovative soap dispenser behind the door looks interesting too although it’s too early to judge if this is a genuinely good idea or not yet (it wasn’t – see update below). The advantage is that, “because water is constantly splashing inside this dispenser as the drum rotates it should be kept very clean”.
However, one disadvantage is that it replaces the customary door glass – so you can no longer see the laundry laundry inside.
Although the novelty of watching laundry go round and round in a washing machine has long since worn off – it is still useful to be able to see the laundry as the drum revolves.
You can occasionally notice something that shouldn’t be there (such as a coin or credit card) and stop the wash to attempt to retrieve it before any damage occurs.
At the end of the day this is a great advert bigging up a normally quite basic brand who’s priority is to make washing machines as cheaply as possible and hopefully give some value for money.
It represents Indesit trying to become more sophisticated and more innovative, but it could only be truly “future friendly” if it proves to be much more reliable than other previous models, and if spares are much more reasonably priced to encourage future repairs. Otherwise the future friendly tag is disingenuous.
Update:
Which? have since reviewed the Indesit Moon and their opening paragraph says, “we weren’t overly impressed by the Moon”. They say it’s not very good on the 40 degree wash, the one most people use, and say it’s only good for light stains. However, surprisingly they say it is good at rinsing, which is remarkably rare these days and even most of their “best buys” aren’t highly rated for rinsing (Why can’t modern washing machines rinse properly?).
So if you require a cheap washing machine and rinsing is especially important to you because of irritation or allergies you might be interested in one but at the compromise of not being very good on 40 degree washes. It has to be said too that Indesit don’t have a good reliability record either according to my experience and Which? reports.
(1 month trial offer plus a copy of the Which? magazine) to get the full benefit of the latest washing machine reviews)
Update: April 2011
The Indesit Moon has now been the subject of a BBC Watchdog item due to them receiving so many complaints about it. The focus of the programme’s criticism is that the Indesit Moon is particularly vulnerable to the nasty build up of grease, grime, sludge, bacteria and black mould as described in my Washerhelp article Washing machine smells – causes of grease, slime and black mould inside washing machines.
Which although affecting any washing machine if the conditions I describe are present, the Indesit Moon appears to be uniquely incapable of doing the 90 degree maintenance boil wash manufacturers (including Indesit themselves) recommend.
If you have a Moon model which is covered in mould and grease you should read the article above for tips on how to discourage the problem.
Although the moon cannot do a 90 degree wash you can still try to limit the problem by not using liquid detergents, doing a 60 degree maintenance wash regularly with normal detergent containing bleaching agent etc.
On balance I think it’s fair to say this model should be avoided.
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yup but regardless of same parts and same company the new washing machine actually seems to wash clean has a 90 degree wash and and has a spin only cycle
seems the only thing the MOON had going for it was design
We accepted an Indesit moon as a replacement to a previous indesit that was under warranty.Having 4 programmes is a great idea, however being unable to select the spin speed is a no no in this climate as the washing came out wet.After 2 weeks we sold it for £100 and bought an Indesit with 1600 spin.
Hi we have had our Moon for about four years with no real problems. Yes I’ve had to clean out the detergent dispenser a few times but thats no hardship and the drip catcher at the bottom of the door blew a spring out and was getting caught between the door and seal and caused a leak but hey that was fixed easily enough when i finally figured out where the water was leaking from :) but now it’s stopped finishing it’s 40 wash just like Trev commented on i had to turn it off then restart a 30 wash just get it to spin and finish a cycle, Is there any advice on why it’s doing this?
I’ve had my indesit moon just over 2 years and am really disappointed with it. The sales lady in comet said it would be easy for my husband to use as it only had 4 buttons to press – he had a bad stroke and gets confused easily. She didn’t tell us it wouldn’t do the big spin on 40 which is what we usually use, or that it wouldn’t do a separate spin when your clothes come out dripping.
For the last year we have noticed gray/black marks on clothes, which i have found is down to the silt/sludge build up in the rubber seal and the door. I have cleaned the dispenser several times but find the seal almost impossible to clean. I know people with many different brands of machines, including other indesit models, and none have ever experienced this problem. While I would buy indesit again, it wouldn’t be a moon i’m afraid.
llr, the omission of a spin only programme is a bad idea, but there should be two 40 degree washes, one with gentle wash action and a short spin and and the other with normal wash action and a full spin.
Have just bought an Indesit Moon washing machine for a new house. Haven’t used it yet, but reading your blog I’m beginning to wish I ‘d chosen something else. One problem has already developed despite not having used it – water is dripping through the door/detergent dispensers and leaking onto the floor. On occasions there’s a couple of inches of water lying in the drum too – any ideas?
This is the worst machine i have ever owned i have had it 2 years and replaced rubber seal twice as it is covered in mould the washing powder dispenser has black mould all over it can not clean as would need to take door off!! MY DAD HAS BEEN A PLUMBER FOR 50 YEAR AND HE SAID THIS IS INDESIT FAULT AS THE WATER IS FILTERED THROUGH TOP OF RUBBER DOOR SEAL IM TAKING THIS TO WATCH DOG SO NO ONE ELSE IS ROBBED !!!!
Kelly: If there is a design flaw which causes black mould then you should have a case. Several people have previously commented here that they’ve had black mould on their Indesit Moon though as I’ve pointed out this is a problem that can affect all washing machines so someone would need to show that it’s a particular problem with the Moon to have a case.
I’m not sure how the water coming into the machine through the door seal would cause black mould to be honest.
Here’s a quote from my Washerhelp article (Washing machine smells in washing machines) which describes what causes black mould in washing machines
What causes black mould in washing machines?
Using mostly low temperature washes, and using washing machine detergent that doesn’t contain bleach causes black mould, which thrive in warm moist places. Bleach in washing machine detergents (plus high temperatures) kills bacteria that can otherwise multiply inside a washing machine. Many “colour-friendly” detergents and liquid detergents do not have any bleach in them which is why they are “friendly” to coloured garments.
To prevent, or try to get rid of, black mould in washing machines, put the washing machine on a monthly boil wash using detergent that contains bleach (don’t but actual bleach in yourself), and with no laundry in. If you normally use biological or liquid detergent, buy some normal detergent containing bleach and keep it just for the maintenance wash.
Also leave the door open after washing to allow the door seal to dry out.
I too bought one of these 2 years ago. Although it has never broken down on us, it has also never done what it should do. Clean clothes. When stuff comes out its usually still grubbly, whites are certainly not white and doesn’t matter what cleaner/softner combo we use the washing just comes out smelling of nothing. Often once its dry it smells worse than before it was cleaned.
Just wish I had taken it back right at the start. Do I have any rights to compensation or a replacement?
Hello Ash: The Indesit Moon doesn’t fair well in Which? washing machine reviews tests and they are highly respected. If they say (and they do) that the 40 degree wash is not very good and “it’s only good for tackling light stains such as sweat or deodorant at 40 degrees” then you might be able to argue it isn’t fit for its purpose. However, after 2 years they might try to argue you’ve accepted the washing machine and you may find it difficult to argue it’s so bad you should get compensation if you’ve used it for the last 2 years. It’s just my opinion, these things are rarely straight forward.
You would have to take it to the small claims court as it’s very unlikely the retailer would accept any complaint about poor wash performance after so long unless by any chance they’ve had so many complaints they’ve had to accept it’s a problem. If you’ve mostly used the 40 degree wash you should read this and do some maintenance washes, which might alleviate some of the issues you are having with smells – Washing machine smells
I’ve given out this link several times before on these comments so there appears to be some anecdotal evidence that the Indesit Moon could particularly suffer from the build up of gunge and grease issue, which is a known issue amongst most washing machines (as described in the link).
You may find some useful information here too –
Whites coming out of washing machine looking grey, coloureds losing their colour | EU 2 year guarantee. Sale of Goods Act gives us 6 years to claim for faulty appliances