Services UK

[keiththomas]

On looking at washing machines and dryers and dishwashes I noticed that Services has dissapeared. Then cking the website they had gone bust in 2008. I must admit there range looked cheap and nasty I wonder what other people thought of them

 

[hoover1100]

You mean 'Servis'?

They were an excellent brand, up to 1991, when they were taken over by Antionio Merloni.

From then until their bankruptcy in 2008, they were by quite a long way the worst machines available here. Very poorly made all round (especially the later electronic models) and the models with the 4 shallow bumps for paddles in the drum gave particularly poor wash results.

I had the misfortune of using one of these machines couple of years ago, it was a pretty painful experience all round!

Such a shame cosnidering how good they were years ago.

Matt

 

[keiththomas]

Thanks for that Matt, Yes I saw two machines in November at a Friends flat and they looked like large toys awful.

 

[robliverpool]

I totally agree the older servis washers were great machines. my nan had hers for 20 odd years and replaced with a newer servis in 2005 and the machine was awaful.
it would bounce across the kitchen on spin and the control board burnt out after 14 months of little use

my friend who deals in 2nd hand machines had a load of them in stock a few years back and the door seals were all mouldy and black on them. prob as a result of not enough water in the drum to rinse properly (could be wrong just opinion) i had a servis millenium for a short time in 2004 and i had no probs with it at all. adjusted it to use more water and it was great.

 

[aegokocarat]

my servis was from 2007 and lasted me 4 years without playing up apart from the crap drum and balancing

 

[nrones]

They still exist...

Maybe Servis as name doesn"t, but I am sure that exact same machines exist here with name ARDO and ELIN in Germany and Austria

 

[foraloysius]

OK,

Here's my list again. Those Antonio Merloni turn up under all kind of brand names, partly they bought up old names in a lot of countries all over Europe. Here are the brand names I have seen so far on Antonio Merloni machines:

Ardo, Nordland, Servis, Edy, EBD, EFS, Elin, Upo, Tecnogas, Baumatic, Elto, Bompani, Blücher, Eurotech, Clatronic, Novomatic, Philco, Selectro, WegaWhite, Nardi, Eudora, Studio, Atlantic and Thor.

 

[aegokocarat]

Louis you fogot gala

 

[reversomatic]

also sold in the UK as....

Here are some of the badged Antonio Merloni washers ive seen over my time ,and some big names as well.Bendix,Frigidair,Whirlpool,Sovereign,Caravelle,Phillips,Hygena in fact the only name ive never seen on one is Merloni.They were not a totaly bad machine they were what they were which was a budget washer and quality wise probably no worse than the Hotpoint machines being built in Poland today.Someone from Italy correct me if im wrong but werent they protected from going bust by some sort of Italian law ,so may still be buissines.I also once saw one badged as a Hoover down at the local waste recycling center,somebody could have brought it back from another part of europe.Anyway its a shame to see any manufacture close in europe as we will just end up getting even more Chinese Built washers.For example theres a Zanssi washer on sale in the UK currently ,made by a Chinese company called Wuxi Little Swan. Oh well ive had my rant.Regards Nige.

 

[dj-gabriele]

Antonio Merloni still in business

Yup, the company is still operating but it is under "controlled administration".

Anyway Philco is a name belonging to the other Merloni, Indesit company.

We had two Antonio Merloni washers, one in Bologna under WegaWhite name and one at my parents' under Electramatic name, before the current one. Both were a "standard" 4 paddles-in-the-drum machines. My parents' machine lasted 17 years without any major repair (only a new door as it broke when my mother tipped on it), it was scrapped because it started leaking from the drainage pipe and it was only a 400 rpm machine so they sought a new one. The one I had in Bologna lasted 6 years before the bearings broke, it was repaired and it's still going after 4 years. The repair costed 180€ when with 50€ you could buy a new low cost Whirlpool or Indesit

http://www.ardo.it/default.asp?lingua=eng

 

[nrones]

connections?

first about the Hoover badged, merloni machine.. there are videos on youtbe with one like this.. It is from the last "NO-Candy" Hoover that was built in 1994, just before Candy bought it...
Everyone forgets that from 1992 to 1995 (when Candy bought hoover) Hoover actually killed itself slowly (beginning with free flights scandal).. went so down - To Antonio merloni machine! (Personally I think it passed much better like this, instead of staying with Merloni).

And the "base" question.. Why do people constantly tell that Indesit company, and call it "Merloni company" I never seen a connection between Indesit and Ardo.. maybe you know why?

 

[foraloysius]

Tom

I can't add Gala to my list until I have seen a picture of a Gala machine and recognized it as a Merloni machine. Same for the other brands mentioned.

 

[haxisfan]

@nrones

Mr Aristotele Merloni is behind the foundation of Merloni in the first quarter of last century who started off by producing gas boilers (I'm not sure about this though... I know they weren't washing machines) then the company was split between his 2 sons... I think they were together for a little while but what we know as Antonio Merloni nowadays has nothing to do with Indesit/Hotpoint/Ariston (of Vittorio Merloni) as they are two separate companies. These have recently been renamed from 'Merloni Elettrodomestici Spa' to 'Indesit Group' as the Indesit brand was the most popular amongst all the european countries. Hotpoint has a different history altogether.

There's a lot of info on their website... or just Wiki it.

 

[liberator1509]

Louis you fogot gala

Gala is an Indesit (i.e. ex Hotpoint) brand - not Antonio Merloni...

 

[aegokocarat]

here is a vid of an antonio meroloni gala (not hotpoint)

 

[foraloysius]

This video and the other one about the machine is useless for identifying this as a Gala machine from Antonio Merloni. The name is not visible in the video and furthermore I'm not so sure if this is an Antonio Merloni product. Could be an Ariston too (a Merloni Elettrodomestici product, later Indesit company)

 

[aquacycle]

Gala is an Indesit (i.e. ex Hotpoint) brand - not Antonio Me

Indesit have always been Merloni, haven't they? And Hotpoint are still Indesit. This statement makes no sense :S

 

[foraloysius]

There were two Merloni companies.

1. Antonio Merloni with all the brands I mentioned before.

2. Merloni Elettrodomestici that was later renamed to the Indesit company. This brand ofcourse carries the brands Indesit, Hotpoint, Ariston etc.

 

[dj-gabriele]

Actually there are three Merloni companies and the third, the one that still carries the name Ariston is

Ariston Thermo Group (ex Merloni termosanitari)

and they produce boilers, air conditioner, solar collectors and everything else that's needed for hot water and air conditioning

http://www.aristonthermo.com/