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phrase implies it will either last a very long time, or that a product is so technically advanced it is unlikely to be superseded by anything better in the near future.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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i bought a indesit moon 2 yrs ago last week all three of the plastic
water jets/ clothes stirers which are fixed inside the drum broke off i bought some more from indesit £57.99 for three bits of plastic ? fitted them to the machine spun drum by hand to makesure nothing catching seemed ok set machine away it lasted three washes and they broke off again, any ideas as to what may cause this?
Hi david: Washing trainers in the washing machine is a big cause of broken drum paddles (or lifters) ( Can you wash trainers in a washing machine? )
If not, and you are only washing normal laundry then the strong implication is that the quality of the drum paddles (lifters) is simply not good enough and you may be able to claim compensation for the cost of repairs from the retailer under the sale of goods act. ( Consumer Rights Act 2015 gives us 6 years to claim for faulty appliances )
However, another possible cause of damage to the drum lifters are obstructions that shouldn’t be there from pockets such as coins, which wouldn’t be covered. If there are small dents or creases in the drum this could be evidence of something in the machine that shouldn’t be there.
Just having a little trouble with my moon. Oh and all the usual mould. Mine fills and stops when the air pressure switch operates. However there is about a 2 min pause and then it just bilges out and at the same time there is a beeping and the power indicator flashes rapidly. lasts about 2 mins then nothing. . belt ok , connections ok as far as i can tell. i am a sparky so understand a fair bit about these things. There is i notice a port low down on the lhs ( looking from the rear ) an oval plastic plug. which when removed reveals five finger terminals. does anyone know if there are any test that can be done from these using test meters , or a good ould fashioned wiring daigram. Thanks jim
Hello Jimbo: Dealing with specific Moon repair issues would broaden out this topic too much and attract too many repair questions. However, this link explains a bit about why this happens Washing machine stops with lights flashing
The port you describe is for engineers to connect a special diagnostic attachment, which most independent engineers don’t even have. Wiring diagrams aren’t easily available either I’m afraid. (Why no wiring diagrams repair manuals and circuit diagrams for appliances?)
I am having the same problem with mould on the door seal. I had my previous washer for 7+ years and never had any poroblem with Mould. My Moon Washers is located in exactly the same place as my previous washer, so I do not accept the manufacturers excuse and I especially do not think I should be charged a call out fee if they say that the problem is not caused by the washer. My washer is also less than 12 months old and surely, I would have had the same problem with my previous washer. I was also told to wash at higher than 60 degrees, well anyone who owns a Moon Washer will tell you that the highest programme is 60 degrees so how do you get round that one. My son is also having the same problem, so in my opinion, it’s the washer and I think that Indesit should replace the seal f.o.c and not charge a call out. I notice that most of the complaints are regarding mould on the seal, so surely, this must mean that this is a fault especially as this didn’t happen on their old machines.
I look forward to your comments.
Regards
Mrs Wolkowicz
Mrs Wolkowicz: As described in one of my earlier comments, Which? tests did say the Moon wasn’t very good at washing on 40 degrees cottons wash and in fact said it was only fit for light stains so you could use that as evidence that the washing machine isn’t fit for its purpose. If it doesn’t have a wash hotter than 60 degrees that’s not going to help. You would need to contact trading standards to get advice about whether you have a good claim or not.
I’ve pointed out several times before that black mould can affect most if not all washing machines, but if you haven’t changed anything (such as the wash programmes you use and the detergent you use) and your previous washing machine didn’t have this problem it could well be that the Moon is more susceptible to it.
If you are using liquid detergent or colour friendly detergents that don’t have bleaching agents in them I would either change them to detergents with bleaching agents or buy some normal detergent with bleaching agent in and do a hot wash with it every month.
It appears i too seem to be having the same problems with mould growing on the rubber seal and by the drum, i have just had the engineer out to my machine, my clothes are coming out dirtier than when they go in, he told me to use some cheap bleach in the machine and put it onto 60 degrees once a month to try kill the bugs as the moon don’t go up to 90 degrees, or to use caustic soda in my wash too and not too use liquid as it makes the problem worse?!! i have to switch to biological powder as the other stuff don’t kill the bugs and spores from the mould too!
I asked him if this happens with ALL machines and he said yes?!!!! so I’m at a loss now, was gonna buy another one, but why should i when this one has an evident fault, we all cant be wrong and also they have stopped making the moon now, wonder why that is?!
I’ve gone to watchdog with this, I’m not happy only had it 2 years!!! its the worst machine I’ve ever had!
I know how you are all feeling.
I have had my moon for a few years now and I have to regulary, take the powder dispenser apart and clean it out with boiling water and a toothbrush. I bought some caustic cleaner from the engineer that came to look at it for me who said it is a “crap” machine-Great! Also was advised to use biological powder and to add white vinegar to the wash to keep the smell and the mould down. So once a month I clean it with the stuff from Inesit that costs £10.99 for a 12 month supply and I regularly add white vinegar and clean it out every month. I don’t spend that much time on my bloody car!!
Hello
Our Indesit has given up the ghost and the engineer called to repair it refused to believe it was only 18 months old because it had a 2003 control board! Is it normal for machines to be held in stock for five years before being sold as current model? And is it a fact that Indesit engineers failed to make any improvements to the machine in the period 2003-2008 (when we were sold the unit)?
George: The age of a washing machine is easily determined by an engineer simply by looking at the serial number. The age of any single component is irrelevant although obviously it might be puzzling to an engineer if he was expecting a different type.
If the date within the serial number contradicts how old a customer claims it is then the customer would need to prove its age by producing a receipt or credit card/bank statement. This can happen because clearly there is a lag between the date the washing machine leaves the factory and the date the customer buys it.
Normally it shouldn’t be a massive gap but it may be possible for an unsold appliance to hang around in a massive warehouse for some time before being sold. 5 years is suspicious though.
In my experience they usually don’t improve many components these days – only make them cheaper to produce by reducing quality.