Electrolux EW7H458ST Dryer Leaks Water But Service Demands Fee

I purchased an Electrolux EW7H458ST PerfectCare 700 – 8 kg heat pump dryer on 05.02.2024 via Hepsiburada. Although I have been using the product for about 1.5 years and the 2‑year legal warranty period is still continuing, the machine has recently started dripping water onto the floor. I noticed this problem within the last week, in two separate uses. When I contacted the authorized service in İstanbul Şişli Fulya today, I was told that this situation is not considered a malfunction but a “maintenance requirement”, and that a maintenance fee of ₺5,000 and an additional ₺500 service fee would be requested if the technician visited. However, during the purchase process, in the warranty certificate or in the user manual, there was no written or verbal information stating that annual or periodic paid maintenance was mandatory. For a product under warranty, I find it contrary to consumer legislation that a fee is requested for a situation that clearly shows a fault and is obviously not user error, before even a free inspection by the service has been carried out. In addition, I see that there are many similar complaints about this issue on publicly accessible platforms. If I had been informed at the purchase stage that this product would require such a high annual maintenance cost, I would not have chosen it, as this shows that the product creates a regular and unpredictable financial burden rather than providing convenience to the consumer. Moreover, after I stated that I did not want any service record to be created and that I would investigate the matter, the offer from the service to reduce the price clearly shows that this practice is neither compulsory nor a standard procedure. For these reasons, I request that my product be inspected free of charge under warranty and that the fault be remedied without any cost. Otherwise, I state that I will apply to all relevant legal authorities, especially the Consumer Arbitration Committee.