Consumer minister urges people to register their appliances

19 Jan 2017 04:16 PM

Consumer Minister Margot James and the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy are supporting Register My Appliance Day with the Association of Manufacturers and Domestic Appliances (AMDEA).

Encouraging people to take a few minutes to register their white goods, Register My Appliance Day raises awareness of product safety and recalls.

By adding product details onto the AMDEA Register My Appliance portal, people can be contacted swiftly in the event that a safety repair is needed. The portal is currently used by 45 leading brands, including the UK’s major white goods manufacturers.

This comes as the Working Group on Product Recalls and Safety publishes their initial recommendations. Bringing together trade associations, the fire service and trading standards professionals, the Working Group was set up by Margot James in October to look at the safety of white goods and the recalls system.

Headed up by Neil Gibbins, the former Deputy Chief Fire Officer for Devon and Somerset, the Working Group recommendations include a call for national co-ordination of product safety recalls and enforcement, and the establishment of a Code of Practice for recalls. The group has also called for research to better understand consumer behaviour around product recalls.

Consumer Minister Margot James said:

The Government is taking action to address consumer concerns over product safety and one of the initial recommendations from the Working Group I set up in October is to support the Register My Appliance portal. AMDEA works throughout the year to get more people into the habit of registering the white goods they rely on every day, and I’d urge everyone to take a few minutes to do so.

We are carefully considering the other recommendations – including working with the British Standards Institute to draw up a Code of Practice for action when things go wrong – and I look forward to receiving the Working Group’s final report.

A YouGov survey conducted for AMDEA has found that less than half (43%) of British adults usually register their large domestic appliances with the manufacturer. Of those that don’t always register, 39% said this was because they forgot and 29% didn’t think it was necessary.

Gillian Guy, Chief Executive of Citizens Advice, which is represented on the working group, said:

If you’ve bought an item such as a fridge or washing machine it’s a good idea to register it. Logging your details with the manufacturer means that they can contact you quickly if the product needs to be recalled for safety reasons.

If you’re experiencing a problem with an item and need some help on your rights contact Citizens Advice.

The Working Group on Product Recalls and Safety is expected to submit its final report and recommendations in Spring 2017.

Notes to Editors:

  1. Further details on the Working Group on Product Recalls and Safety.
  2. Initial recommendations of the Working Group on Product Recall and Safety:
    • Greater co-ordination of product safety recalls and enforcement at the national level.
    • Developing Primary Authority Partnerships
    • Code of Practice on managing effective correction action (including recalls)
    • Government Support for AMDEA’s “Register my Appliance”
    • Research into Consumer Behaviour