Glitch made my 'smart' dishwasher order me enough tablets to last three YEARS: SALLY SORTS IT
The dishwasher is connected to the Finish app on my phone.
However, when I ran low on tablets, the app ordered me a new delivery on four consecutive days.
I only found this out when packets kept turning up on my doorstep. I now have about three years' supply for which I was automatically billed £45.
I have complained, but two months on I've got nowhere.
J.C., Ware, Herts.
Rinsed: A reader's smart dishwasher ordered new packages of tablets on four consecutive days landing them with a £45 bill
Sally Hamilton replies: I was intrigued by the concept of intelligent ordering. It sounds a great way of ensuring you never run out of dishwasher tablets.
I'd find such a subscription service handy for other areas of domestic life such as loo rolls, though I'm not sure that many toilets are linked to the internet.
I do know some people who use a similar service for the re-ordering of ink for printers and there are smart fridges that prompt owners when they are running out of essentials.
The service you signed up to is called SmartFinish, which, as you described, tracks dishwasher usage and automatically sends out a new pack. Ideal, if it works.
Customers need to own a Wi-Fi-enabled dishwasher to take advantage of such auto-reordering.
The system is matched to the customer, so if you use the dishwasher more than usual, orders will turn up more frequently.
Gremlins seemingly got into the re-ordering system in your case, landing you with a pile of unwanted tabs.
When you initially complained, Finish said you must have made the additional orders yourself, which you said was laughable. Why would you order three years' worth of tabs over a few days?
Scott Dixon of consumer service Complaints Resolver, suggests customers getting nowhere with an over delivery like yours quote section 25 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015.
He says: 'This says the business is responsible for collecting and refunding the excess items at no cost to the customer.'
You asked Finish to do this but hit a brick wall.
I contacted Reckitt, the consumer goods giant that owns Finish, to ask it to resolve your dishwasher tab mountain pronto.
I didn't get anywhere at first so understood your frustration at the limited response to your complaint.
But when I chased a couple of weeks later, it turned up the dial and soon Finish refunded your £45 and told you to keep the excess product. It said the problem was due to a 'technical issue' with the app, which was quickly resolved.
When it asked if you wanted to continue the subscription, you politely declined.
Scam Watch
Drivers should beware a scam email that impersonates insurance company Admiral, consumer website Which? warns.
The email claims that you have been selected to win a free 'car emergency kit' that includes tools and a hazard triangle.
Scammers say to win the kit you need to answer a few questions by following the link on the email.
Do not click on this link. It aims to steal your personal and financial information.
Instead, report the email by forwarding it to report@phishing.gov.uk
Rental car mix-up left me with £375 bill
I booked a flight with EasyJet to arrive at Edinburgh on May 14, but in error reserved a rental car for pick up from Drivalia a day earlier.
I realised my mistake on May 13 and phoned the firm but was advised to sort it out on arrival.
When I arrived, I was issued with a second booking at a cost of £375 and received no refund for the first one. I realised later that I was charged again in the second booking for May 13.
I even got charged a further £115 for a parking offence that took place on May 13, before I even got to Edinburgh. Please help.
J.R., Hampshire.
Sally Hamilton replies: Any holiday that involves a vehicle rental fills me with dread as the process seems designed to catch customers out, whether it's the extortionate price of excess insurance at the desk, high charges for extras such as satnavs and child seats or the tricky rules around whether the fuel tank should be returned full or not.
Your experience highlights the costly risk of being tardy for picking up a rental car – even though you tried to correct the error in advance.
We all make mistakes, and you were prepared to take it on the chin – up to a point. But to be charged twice for the rental is not fair.
I asked Drivalia to reconsider, emailing both its chief executive and customer services. I heard nothing back from the former, but the latter requested you complete an online complaint form.
In that process you respectfully asked for a refund of the first booking and the extra day charged on the second rental. They declined, though they did refund the parking ticket and admin fee. How kind.
Hitting a roadblock with Drivalia, I approached EasyJet, since you had booked the hire from a link on its website.
EasyJet told me that while the site enables customers to make such bookings, these are provided by third party partners.
In your case, the Drivalia deal was found through EasyJet partner CarTrawler, a platform listing various hire options.
I am pleased to say CarTrawler's response was at the speed and standard I would have liked to have seen from Drivalia – with no hesitation in offering you a full refund of both hire bills, a total of £446.
A CarTrawler spokesman says: 'We were sorry to hear about J.R's experience. We understand booking errors can have a significant impact on travel plans, and we appreciate how frustrating this experience must have been.
'Although the original issue resulted from a date selection error, and the charges applied were in accordance with the car rental supplier's terms, a full refund of the original hire and additional rental costs has been arranged.'
CarTrawler adds: 'We encourage all customers to carefully review the travel dates and rental terms outlined in their booking voucher.
'Should any problems arise at any stage, our dedicated customer care team is available 24/7 to support travellers before, during, or after their journey.'
Straight to the point
I have had a policy with home repair company HomeServe since 2021 and I have never claimed on it.
Now we have a badly dripping tap in our shower – but it is refusing to repair it as it is in a shower. Dripping taps are covered in my policy documents. Please help.
J.W., Lincolnshire.
Homeserve apologises but says the policy includes a simple 'what is and what isn't covered' image which reveals showers and shower controls are not included.
You can cancel your policy at any time.
***
I retired in July 2024, and my final pension contribution and salary sacrifice of around £2,268 was paid by my company to Aegon.
I tried to move it to my Sipp in September but found out Aegon has received the money but it had not been credited to my account.
At the end of last year it gave me £250 as an apology but it still hasn't added the missing amount to my pension.
Aegon still can't say when my complaint will be dealt with – even one year on. Please help.
S.G., Hampshire.
Aegon says the funds have now been applied to your plan and you have received a £300 goodwill gesture for the delay.
***
My family and I make regular trips from Leeds to Malaga and sometimes buy food and drink on the plane.
Since 2022, the payments have been card only. The menu is priced in euros so I pay with my Spanish bank account.
But when I checked my bank account I was paying more than I thought, so a bottle of water cost €4.10 instead of €3.60. What's happening?
E.V., Leeds.
You were charged in pounds, without your knowledge, on flights to the UK from Spain where the 'local' currency was euros.
You were subject to the airline's exchange rate and your bank would charge you to convert the pounds payment back to euros.
The airline says you can choose to pay in euros.
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