Rise Of The (Washing) Machines

As of today, I am officially Sick of Random People. Let me rewind a bit into the previous week...

For whatever reasons, we forgot to pay the rental company that do our washing machine. However, unlike other companies, this rental company didn't write to us, nor did they call us. So imagine our surprise Tuesday evening when this chap knocks on the door, and tells us he's come to collect the machine.

"A-Buh?" is about all we can come up with, but as the machine is technically theirs, and we're rather taken aback, we ask "can we not sort this out?" and at his apologetic no, he trundled off with my pants cleaning device.

Buggerit.

So, in a blind panic, Jo calls her parents. They've always maintained, if ever you need help, don't get a loan, call us. So she did. What she didn't bet on was getting the third degree from them for half an hour, telling her how bad she is and so on. So we're both a bit pissed at that. But this is not the reason for this whinge.

That evening, Jo jumps on her FreeCycle list and posts a "Help, need a washing machine ASAP please!"
A bit later, Mrs Other contacts Jo. She has one that is in perfect condition, just has a "very minor leak", but otherwise it's fine. Excellent stuff, Jo jumps on her, gets directions, and the following day, Lane and myself trundle off into deepest darkest Wickford. The woman answers the door looking like she has the bubonic plague, let's us take her washing machine, and closes the door on us.

That, let me tell you, was an interesting journey, detailed by Lane. My first niggle of "Hmmmm...." comes when the "perfect condition" washing machine sticks to me. It's not just "a bit grubby" but "YUK". I also notice the back panel has been removed a lot, judging by the state of the panel itself and the screws holding it in.

After getting it down the stairs and outside, I notice a bit has dropped off from underneath. "Hmmmm" again. We get it into the car, and I figure the part that fell off is a bit that holds things in place. So I replace it.

A day and a half later, we finally get ahold of the pipe we need to plumb it in properly, and fire it up.

At first, I thought some sort of cargo plane was passing overhead. Then, perhaps, an earthquake, but you guessed it, it's the machine. The bearings are not only WAY past their best of times, but there sounds like there is a small collection of pottery, buttons, artefacts and other assorted crap inside the drum.

However, we push on - it's working, you just can't talk in the same room as it. Seriously, I can't begin to describe how loud it is.

So this morning, in my usual routine of "stagger around once awake" I put a load on, and bugger off to play WoW. Part of my head notes but doesn't realise, how quiet it is downstairs. I trundle down a while later to find the machine sitting there sulking. I can hear the motor running, but the inside is A) motionless, B) Full of grubby, soapy water, and C) full of clothes still.

A few pokes, prods and kicks, I get the machine to empty it's load of soapy water, remove the lump of laundry - which now smells, interestingly, like hot rubber, and being a Fully Unqualified Washing Machine Engineer, I take the back off.

The belt between motor and drum has slipped off. Mainly, and most obviously, because wheel on the drum is bent.

So, for future reference, "near perfect condition" means it's filthy, dirty, smelly, falling apart and otherwise CRAP that the cheeky bitch didn't want to pay to have removed from her own property. No, bloody idiot ME did it for her.

But, I have to say, it didn't leak.

So now I have to try and find a company to rent us another machine. Bloody nightmare.