Decent product let down by lack of back-up

Author's Rating:

Pros: O.K - when working !!

Cons: Little used - then let down by Customer care

The Bottom Line: 
If you want back-up / customer care - leave well alone.

Author's Review
For some reason, I bought this machine on-line from Comet. I had sworn not to shop at Comet again after several fall-outs with them,,,,, but as it was advertised as FAN ASSISTED I swallowed my pride & ordered it.
Of course, it was NOT Fan Assisted at all. I contacted M.Richards to ask if a mistake had been made, & they confirmed that 4828 was definitely Not fan assisted.
I contacted Comet who, to be fair (& for once !) agreed to refund me. Against my better judgement I decided to keep the machine.
I have owned other bread makers so had something to compare this with. From the get go, I didn’t get great results but have persevered. Because of this, I only used it, with reluctance, only a couple of dozen times.
A month or so back, the central spindle came out of the bread pan. I sent M.R an e-mail explaining this to them, & was shocked to get what seemed to be a ‘standard’ reply, where they stated that certain washing regimes causes this to happen (!!) but that they could supply me with a replacement bread pan, at a cost !
I explained that I don’t wash the non-stick pan very often, but merely wipe it out with a kitchen towel (dependent of course, on condition). I added that although the machine was just out of warranty, I had only used it a couple of dozen times, & to my mind, this was commensurate with about a months real use.
I also offered to replace the spindle myself if they would send me one.
I received a repeated statement which I didn’t appreciate.
I wrote to the C.E.O who got an underling to call me. This lady also repeated the ‘off pat’ phrases.
I am now stuck with a unit that I can’t use, as the bread pan is useless, as is their Customer Service.
The old one (costing £9.99) that I gave to my mother years ago, is still going strong – not only does she use it 2/3 times every week, she also washes it !!!! (see – it can be done !)
Of course I do understand that some items can go awry. In my mind, it’s the way that these things get rectified, that makes a difference between Companies that want return trade,,, & the ones that don’t give a damn !
As we know, 'an item has to be useful for the purpose for which it is sold',,,, but surely a breadmaker should bake more than a couple of dozen loaves - shouldn't it ?
Whilst this machine seems o.k when working properly,,,,,, woe betides anything going wrong !

I am now on the lookout for a replacement machine,,,, but will not consider other Morphy Richards items !