Central Register to contact buyers directly regarding recalling products in future

Product liability experts at Irwin Mitchell have backed the UK’s Retail Ombudsman’s central register for appliances and products, due to be launched later this month, in light of ongoing concerns about the risk of fire from tumble dryers manufactured by Whirlpool, makers of Indesit, Hotpoint and Creda tumble dryers. Whirlpool issued a safety warning in November 2015 in relation to 5,300,000 potentially faulty tumble dryers. 

Until now, consumers have had to rely on completing warranty cards or registering their product with the manufacturer, so the manufacturer can notify them of any recalls. 

However, the new register from the UK's Retail Ombudsman will see consumers provide contact details at the initial point of sale. The contact details will then be stored in the central register and in the event of a recall the buyer will be automatically notified by text or email if they need to act on their faulty appliance.

Whirlpool is in currently in the process of contacting affected customers, however have only resolved 114,000 out of the 5,300,000 potentially affected products since the end of last year. 

The ombudsman believes the register will speed up the process by which product issues are dealt with. 

Our specialist personal injury solicitors will provide you with free initial advice on your compensation claim if you have suffered as the result of a defective or faulty product. View our Product Liability Claims page for more information.

Tim Annett, a specialist product liability lawyer at Irwin Mitchell;