[unpaid/sample/affiliate/ad] So, the Dyson hair dryer that I’ve had since 2016 has finally packed up. I can’t fault its dedication to being the family hair dryer all these years and while I expected longevity from it, I still feel impressed. I thought I’d go through the process of having it fixed by Dyson rather than sending it to landfill. It’s a fixed fee of £99 to have the problem of cutting out when hot sorted and I’m kind of hoping they’ll give it an all over maintenance check up at the same time.

In theory, it should be an easy process and yet, it took 45 minutes of misunderstandings, mis-spellings and being cut off to even arrange for it to be picked up. It’s being collected on the 22^nd December with no return date given. The communication was difficult I think because while the call centre staff were perfectly pleasant, English wasn’t their first language so everything took so long – spelling out, then spelling out phonetically, then spelling out again and neither of the two people I spoke to could understand my email address. It’s a bit of a tiresome process anyway – you will absolutely need your serial number and through sheer laziness I still had mine on the cord so was able to give it. There was great surprise at how old it is! The problem was that the call centre staff needed to send me an email so they could provide me with a link to pay for the service. The first chap, after attempt seven, asked me to hold the line and then cut me off, presumably having lost the will to live.

You know you never want to be ‘that’ person that gets irritated or cross with call centres but by the time I’d rung back to try to explain my email again, I was starting to lose my cool a bit. My details were still loaded up to the point of the failed email address so all I had to do was give it again. And so we went around the same circles, spelling, spelling phonetically, getting the chap to read it back to me phonetically and still it didn’t happen! I had to email them so they could send the link on reply. Eventually we got there but it’s 45 minutes I’ll never get back and I can’t imagine it was rewarding at the other end either.

In the meantime, I’m waiting for special packaging they are sending for me to wrap it up in so it can be collected in two weeks’ time. However, luckily enough I have my MDLondon dryer to stand in the Dyson’s place. I’ve reviewed it before but I’ve had a week or so with it now and finding it very good, other than the hard press for off which you can only work out through trial and error.

It’s really very lightweight (360g) – lighter than Dyson (544g) – so for anyone with shoulder problems or mobility issues that finds using a regular hairdryer hard, it’s definitely an option. It’s speedy, relatively quiet (although it’s has a pitch slightly above the Dyson which is just smoother in sound) and a very good all-rounder. So, I’d recommend Dyson in a heartbeat (I mean, 2016!!) but do look for offers – it’s £369 usually but I found it for £289 at John Lewis HERE, but I’d also recommend what I know so far of the MD London which is £195 HERE. These lower heat, lightweight dryers really are game changers – as someone with a sore shoulder intermittently it does make a difference and means I can dry without becoming achy. I also think it’s quite masculine looking – there’s no such thing as a man dryer I don’t think but this looks ergonomic and architectural – probably quite at home in a bachelor pad.