At Miele, we’re passionate about creating products that set the standards for durability, performance, ease of use, energy efficiency, design and service. Recently, we had one of our dedicated customers reach out to us to share a story that warmed our hearts – the story of her Miele washing machine, which has travelled the globe by her side.

Meet Alison Irving who has been a Miele customer for over 23 years. We recently sat down with Alison to learn more about her story.

Miele: Hi Alison, tell us a little bit about yourself and why you got in touch?

Alison: I’m originally from Scotland and have moved a few times over the years – going from Scotland to New Zealand and now to Sydney where I live in Castle Hill. In 1996 when I was living in St Andrews, Scotland with my husband Malcolm and two children (then four and six years old), my previous washing machine was ruined in a flood so I purchased a Miele Novotronic 5kg washing machine purely because it was solidly built and came with a 5-year warranty – something that was hard to find!

The machine worked beautifully and when we moved to New Zealand in 1999, I didn’t want to leave my Miele behind. We had engineers fix the bracket for travel, so the drum didn’t move, and the machine went via shipping crate on a boat to our new home – originally the house we were renting and then, onto one we bought.

In 2005, we moved to Australia and again, our Miele came along with us. It had become part of the family. We left all other machines, dishwashers, fridges or otherwise, but the Miele travelled with us.

10 years ago, my husband developed young-onset Parkinson’s disease and would often get extremely overheated and sweat through our bed sheets at night, resulting in our Miele washing machine receiving an extremely large amount of use over the last few years. It has gone through everything with us – washing anything from school and sports clothes to bedding and towels and travelled across the globe by our side, so I felt the need to reach out and tell this amazing story!

Miele: Do you still have the same Miele washing machine?

About three years ago, my Miele developed a bit of a thunk (mind you it was 20 years old!), so I started putting money aside for a new machine. Each time there was a sale, we went to look at a new Miele, however, our machine kept working, so we didn’t purchase a new one. In fact, in all the time we had it, the only repair it needed was a new door seal which was replaced about ten years ago.

Sadly, one day it stopped spinning and I knew that the machine was ready to go to the great laundry room in the sky. With so much washing to do for my husband, I was worried about how long a replacement would take. Fortunately, Miele’s ordering process was simple and my new machine arrived promptly and works beautifully.

Miele: Do you have any other Miele products?

We were so impressed with the durability, reliability and engineering of our washing machine (it even outlasted the shop we bought it from!) that we have since gone on to purchase a Miele dishwasher and vacuum cleaner for our home. Both are easy to use and we are just as happy with them as we have been with our amazing washing machine. There are many brands on the market, but I’d encourage anyone to consider Miele. Our experience shows that they are amazing quality.

I’d have never thought that 23 years ago I was buying a machine that would become such an integral part of our lives.

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We also love hearing from our devoted customers about their much-loved Miele products. If you, or someone you know, has a story to share that is similar to Alison’s, we would love to hear from you. To learn more about our latest range of washing machines click here.