Returning a TV

billyblanks

Hello, hope this is the right forum...could be consumer issues?


I bought a TV just before Xmas from Curry's, it stopped working last month. I reported the problem to Curry's bank in early May, they gave me a number to call to have the TV collected an repaired. To make a long story short at this stage I have made at least 20 phone calls to 5 different numbers and sent 3 or 4 emails and the TV still has not been picked up!!


I am heading up to Curry's tomorrow night with my TV in hand, so my question is, am I legally entitled to a refund/new TV(on the spot)/ credit note?? or can they fob me off?

Thanks.

jhegarty

If you buy unfit or faulty goods and you complain successfully to the retailer you are entitled to a replacement, a repair or a refund. If you take a refund it is worthwhile noting that The Sale of Goods and Supply of Services Act, 1980 does not state how a refund should be made. The retailer or supplier of services can give a refund in cash, cheque or a refund to a credit card account. The retailer could also issue a credit note. The differences between refunds and credit notes are explained below.

* A refund means the retailer returns the money you paid for faulty goods. If you originally paid for the goods on a credit or debit card, the retailer may refund the credit or debit card instead of giving cash. If your consumer complaint is valid a retailer cannot insist on giving you a credit note instead of a refund.
* A credit note is a paper note issued by a retailer to a customer when goods are returned. A credit note acts like a voucher that can only be used in the particular shop or chain of shops that issued the credit note. If you are returning goods that are faulty you do not have to accept a credit note. Instead, you can ask for a repair, a replacement or a refund depending on the goods in question and other circumstances. If you accept a credit note you may not be able to ask for a refund afterwards.
* A voucher is a paper note or a card. Generally you can only use a voucher with a particular service provider or retailer. When you buy a voucher, the terms of the voucher should be stated (for example how long the voucher is valid for, etc.). You have no rights if you lose a voucher.

Hagar

I would make one last call to tell them your intentions and request that the store manager or an authorized deputy be available to meet with when you get there. It might get their attention.

billyblanks

Cheers jhegarty,

I'm happy to take a refund in any form be it credit note, cash or a refund on my credit card. What I really want to know is when I arrive up there tomorrow night with my TV can the Manager just fob me off? IE, "we will get somebody to repair it" or am I entitled to have it replaced/refunded there and then?

The problem is I have been waiting 4 weeks for somebody to come out and repair the TV. I have made at least 20 phone calls to 5 or 6 different numbers, sent numerous emails and have been promised time and time again that "somebody will come out and collect the TV" but 4 weeks later still nothing....what I really want to do at this stage is go out and stick the TV up Mr currys Hole.

billyblanks

Hey Hagar.

Yep I plan to make a call before going up, just to get a name of the Manager who will be working late.

DamoKen

was in a similiar situation with another of the big names a whiles back. If you've been calling over the last 4/5 weeks it might be a good idea to bring your phone statements with the calls highlighted.
I was meeting a brickwall with the manager in <insert High Street Electronics Store here>, expressing disbelief when I explained how long I'd been calling and the amount of time on hold etc. Changed his tune when after smugly stating that unfortunately they don't keep telephone records in response to me asking if they did, I replied that fortunately I did and produced them with all calls helpfully highlighted.
Ran up to several hours over a 2 month period. Didn't get a cash refund but to get rid of me he did allow me to choose a similar product that was €500 more than the original for all the trouble

redmouse

think they have 28 days to do a repair. if its not fixed by then you should be entitled to exchange or refund

billyblanks

I was going to write a big spiel on what happened last night but at this stage I could not be bothered. My only advise is please do not buy a TV from Currys, the worst customer care I have ever dealt with in my life, and still the problem is not solved......Brutal.

Faulty tv + Guarantee + receipt = massive confusion.

Jammer

I used to work in Currys, and its not at all complicated.

When your TV goes faulty, you ring MasterCare on 8782626 (think thats the number, not 100%), say 'my telly is broken, blah blah blah, heres my date of purchase, receipt number and address etc.' . They come out, try to fix it or take it away if they can't, then return it when it has been fixed. Since i left Currys incidentally, i've had an LCD repaired this way, no hassle. They came out next business day, took it, and had it back 5 business days later.

or

Bring it to currys, say my telly is broke, i need it fixed. They'll tell you that they'll take it, or you can ring MasterCare and have it collected from your home and returned to your home. You say, no thanks, you sort it out please.

The reason is Currys or any other major electrical retailer won't take back and exchange/refund faulty products after 28days is because when they send it back to the manufacturer, they laugh at them and send it straight back...then Currys/Whoever is left with a faulty telly, and money out of their pockets.

It's the same anywhere.

parsi

Jammer wrote:

I used to work in Currys, and its not at all complicated.

Well for the OP it has turned out to be extremely complicated and it would appear that Curry's aren't exactly helping

redmouse

come on billybanks tell us what happened???? dont tell me currys got the better of you

Jammer

parsi wrote:

Well for the OP it has turned out to be extremely complicated and it would appear that Curry's aren't exactly helping

well my point was that he didnt need to make 20 phone calls to 4 or 5 different numbers, and certainly no e-mails are required. The number he needs is on his receipt. Its entirely unlikely that Currys gave him the wrong number to ring, cos they dont want to see him come in any more then he wants to.

billyblanks

Ok......

Jammer, I did ring currys and they did give me a number to ring, I rang it plenty of times and made several appointments but they never appeared. I was also given 4/5 other numbers to ring by the call desks I was onto....nobody could organize to have my TV collected to be repaired.
As far as bringing my TV up to Currys, I did, had a blazing row with the manager, I offered to leave the TV there but "company policy" would not allow him take a TV from me.
I left The place with a personal promise from the manager that this would be sorted out on Friday......and surprise surprise it wasn't!! The last phone call I received from currys was the last straw, the Girl actually said " I am getting nowhere trying to organize to have this TV picked up." "Every time I ring a number they pass me onto somebody else" I have had enough, I am getting the TV repaired myself and passing the bill onto Currys.
PLEASE DO NOT BUY A TV FROM CURRYS.

muffler

If it is only something minor then by all means pay for it yourself but I dont see you having a snowballs chance in hell of getting the store to reimburse you as that would be outside of the terms of the "contract"

If it was me I would have left the TV in the store with your name, address & tel no. I would have walked out and left it there

Still not too late to do that

Hagar

Jammer wrote:

I used to work in Currys, and its not at all complicated.

When your TV goes faulty, you ring MasterCare on 8782626 (think thats the number, not 100%), say 'my telly is broken, blah blah blah, heres my date of purchase, receipt number and address etc.' . They come out, try to fix it or take it away if they can't, then return it when it has been fixed. Since i left Currys incidentally, i've had an LCD repaired this way, no hassle. They came out next business day, took it, and had it back 5 business days later.

or

Bring it to currys, say my telly is broke, i need it fixed. They'll tell you that they'll take it, or you can ring MasterCare and have it collected from your home and returned to your home. You say, no thanks, you sort it out please.

The reason is Currys or any other major electrical retailer won't take back and exchange/refund faulty products after 28days is because when they send it back to the manufacturer, they laugh at them and send it straight back...then Currys/Whoever is left with a faulty telly, and money out of their pockets.

It's the same anywhere.

This is the key to the whole problem.
Dixons, Currys et al make a fortune selling you Mastercare Insurance. Basically they don't want to have any part of upholding any warranty claims, so they pressure sell you an insurance policy to cover any eventualities that they would have to take care of under warranty. Very slick if you ask me. If you don't take out the insurance they don't want to know you. You still have your rights as a consumer you just have to fight a bit harder.

And no it's not the same everywhere, it's just a sharp practice carried out by that group of companies.

piraka

Have you tried the Small Claims Court. I was given the run around by Powercity over a faulty TV. Got SCC to serve them a notice to appear in court. Lo and behold within a few days I had a phone call to settle. I got the full cost of the TV back.

Jammer

Hagar wrote:

This is the key to the whole problem.
Dixons, Currys et al make a fortune selling you Mastercare Insurance. Basically they don't want to have any part of upholding any warranty claims, so they pressure sell you an insurance policy to cover any eventualities that they would have to take care of under warranty. Very slick if you ask me. If you don't take out the insurance they don't want to know you. You still have your rights as a consumer you just have to fight a bit harder.

And no it's not the same everywhere, it's just a sharp practice carried out by that group of companies.

Ever brought a TV back to DID/Harvey Norman/Sony Centre etc.?

Nowhere will exchange a TV or any other high value product outside 28days because as said above, its the manufacturers that dont want to know, not the shops.

Mastercare handle warranty and coverplan repairs, so in the first year it doesnt matter if u bought insurance or not. Unless its not a manufacturing fault that caused the problem.

Hagar

Jammer wrote:

Ever brought a TV back to DID/Harvey Norman/Sony Centre etc.?

Nowhere will exchange a TV or any other high value product outside 28days because as said above, its the manufacturers that dont want to know, not the shops.

Mastercare handle warranty and coverplan repairs, so in the first year it doesnt matter if u bought insurance or not. Unless its not a manufacturing fault that caused the problem.

How do you tell if a manufacturing problem or not until the appliance is taken back by the shop for examination?

Does the Insurance cover the first twelve months? I'm sure it does, otherwise a 3yr policy would cover the 2nd to 4th years after date of purchase.

That's a clever bit of selling isn't it? Sell you 3ears insurance and then claim it's covered by warranty during the first year...

billyblanks

Currys have still not come back to me.....pathetic.

Jammer

Hagar wrote:

How do you tell if a manufacturing problem or not until the appliance is taken back by the shop for examination?

Does the Insurance cover the first twelve months? I'm sure it does, otherwise a 3yr policy would cover the 2nd to 4th years after date of purchase.

That's a clever bit of selling isn't it? Sell you 3ears insurance and then claim it's covered by warranty during the first year...

If it doesnt turn on in the first year of purchase, you can assume its a manufacturing fault, as the OP hasnt said it fell or got knocked over etc.

The 3 years insurance covers you from the day of purchase, against accidental damage, theft etc.

It is bad form that they've left it go on this long.

Trojan911

billyblanks wrote:

Currys have still not come back to me.....pathetic.

BB,

Call the store tomorrow, ask for the general manager, ask the genaral manager for the name of his/her regional manager and an address to write to the Board of Directors with your complaint. It has worked for me in the past on the rare occasion when it happens.

See if that changes anything.

TJ911...

Red Alert

i noticed the hard sell warranty in PCWorld, another arm of the dixons/currys operation. i bought a laser printer and a 17 inch flat panel there in the past few years, and on both occasions i was aggresively advertised an extended warranty / insurance policy. on both occasions i asked why this was necessary and was told that it was in case it developed a fault after purchase - where does the sale of goods act fit in here?

Jammer

Red Alert wrote:

i noticed the hard sell warranty in PCWorld, another arm of the dixons/currys operation. i bought a laser printer and a 17 inch flat panel there in the past few years, and on both occasions i was aggresively advertised an extended warranty / insurance policy. on both occasions i asked why this was necessary and was told that it was in case it developed a fault after purchase - where does the sale of goods act fit in here?

You're covered under warranty for manufacturing faults within 12 months.

The insurance offers cover for accidental damage, manufacturing faults and more for 3/4/5yrs.

Not really worth it on a printer/tft. If you're hanging a 40" LCD or carrying your laptop around all the time its worth considering imo.

billyblanks

Trojan911 wrote:

BB,

Call the store tomorrow, ask for the general manager, ask the genaral manager for the name of his/her regional manager and an address to write to the Board of Directors with your complaint. It has worked for me in the past on the rare occasion when it happens.

See if that changes anything.

TJ911...

Cheers Trojan911, this is exactly what I am going to do.

oneweb

The following is the advice I got from the Consumers' Association of Ireland


Within the first year, if a(n electrical) product fails, you are entitled to a repair. This repair must be dealt with by the company you bought the item from, as your contract is with them, NOT the manufacturer.

In the event that the company is not willing or refuses to repair the item, you should write the manager a letter detailing what you've been through and state you would like it repaired within a given timeframe, otherwise you will proceed to seek a resolution through the Small Claims Court.

If the company does repair the item and it fails again within warranty or shortly after repair, you may be entitled to a replacement (providing that the item has not had a main part replaced previously, for example a laptop motherboard).

If the replacement subsequently fails, you may be entitled to a refund as it would appear that the goods are neither of merchantable quality nor fit for the purpose for which they are required.


It's painfully obvious that the store wants nothing to do with your issue. However, as they continually fail to accept the equipment for repair, I'd suggest the letter to the manager, followed by a Small Claims application (€15) seeking a refund on the cost of the TV, extended warranty (if applicable) and (if you feel it necessary) phone costs involved.

Hope all that helps, I know it helped me when I needed it

Consumers' Association of Ireland
Small Claims Court
How to fill in the Small Claims Form
Courts Service of Ireland

cabla

Go in with all you information in hand, say about the 1980 act. if refuse threaten small claims court. The currys chain are bad for this. Did you get insurance? If so it would have been sorted in a flash. Just be sure about yourself when you complain