Which? response to BEIS select committee session on fire-risk Whirlpool tumble dryers

Caroline Normand, Which? Director of Advocacy, said:

“Whirlpool’s admission of using confidentiality agreements at least 24 times to silence customers – which could be just the tip of the iceberg – demonstrates once again that this is a company that appears to put corporate reputation ahead of public safety.

“Whirlpool’s ‘secretive’ approach must be tackled by the Office for Product Safety and Standards, a government body which has so far shown itself to be toothless in getting to the truth about Whirlpool’s fire-risk dryers.

“The OPSS must urgently investigate reports from Whirlpool customers who have experienced fires with modified tumble dryers. If the safety of the company’s repair programme can not be assured, the secretary of state must step in and ensure that all potentially dangerous machines are immediately removed from people’s homes.”

Statement