Problems with Targa (Lidl)

gagalina

Hey Guys,

wonderning if anybody has any input on this:

05.12.2005 - I purchase a laptop form Lidl (brand Targa) for 1499 Euro
September 2006 - Laptops breaks and we arrange a repair with Targa.
09.October 2006 - Targa in Germany ship out the repaired laptop to us

We have numerous phone calls with Targa and Target Express (the parcel company that Targa use) - Target Express kept on promising us the delivery, but nothing happens...

07.November - Target Express ship the laptop back to the courier company in Germany (Gel Logistics)
14.November - Gel Logistics receives the laptop
16. November - Gel Logistics ships the parcel back to Targa and during this transit, the parcel is lost...
01.December - Targa writes us an email to let us know that the laptop was lost and that they are willing to refund us 90% of the purchase price. They are taking off 1% per month of usage.

Now, receiving a 90% refund is fair enough if they had offered us that in September or October, but not after two months of us expecting the delivery every day.... They claim that in german law, the "reasonable time" a product can be "away" from the customer is 3 months, therefore they are not obliged to offer us any type of compensation....


I suppose the german law doesn't apply to us, cause we are in Ireland, but I googled this, but couldnt find any other info....

I've talked to the Citizen Advice Bureau already, but they just passed me on to the European Consumer Centre and I am waiting on an answer from them.....

Gagalina

antoinolachtnai

I don't see what German law has to do with you. The ECC may have a view.

You might be better to take the money and run. The fact is that you could buy a better laptop now for eur 1350, and it would have the advantage of being new.

You could go to the small claims procedure, but it's a lot of hassle, when the maximum you could possibly win would be EUR 135. (the disputed amount between the parties, minus the court fee).

MarkR

I'd agree with the above. There are some very good laptops out there for great prices.

Cabaal

Perhaps take the 90% and they go to the small claims court for the rest?

morgana

I agree with above posters, take the 90 % and run, you'll get a nice new shiny laptop for that.
And it probably says in their T & C's somewhere that German law is applicable in dispute cases so you'd have to chase it through the courts, not worth it my opinion.

gagalina

just found their Terms and Conditions - they are the same for Germany as for Ireland - and it does mention that they think that it is ok for a customer to be without the product for at least 3 months before the customer can claim anything back....

stupid company!!! Haven't got a clue how they can pull that off!!

Gagalina

Sizzler

Sorry OP but can't believe you handed over LIDL 1.5k for a laptop :eek: Why didnt you just go to DELL or one of the more recognised high street brands, maybe a lesson to people for shopping in LIDL for the high end products!

LIDL are easier to deal with than Dell, offer good products at great prices.

Ever wonder why LIDL and ALDI have so many items in the "Bargain Alerts" Section.

They don't sell crap...

Sizzler

Deleted User wrote:

LIDL are easier to deal with than Dell, offer good products at great prices.

Ever wonder why LIDL and ALDI have so many items in the "Bargain Alerts" Section.

They don't sell crap...

Never had a bad experience with DELL, nor LIDL

But when it comes to purchases of this type I reckon LIDL should stick to what they are good at, they are a supermarket not the next Harvey Norman

gagalina

the laptop was super duper!! I wanted it repaired or get them to upgrade it cause we liked it that much!!

I asked them to refund me 1599 so that i could buy the laptop they had on offer last week... but they said no and just offered 90%....


gagalina

TheDriver

take it and run, you won't win any more than that.

foreignobserver

just don't get Dell.

Their warrenty periods are very short and they have limited out of warrenty service. I am left with a grotesque large 21" CRT monitor from Dell that broke down after 15 months of use (Dell gave 12 months warranty).

I know it is a flyback transformer that is faulty and in the U.S. it could be replaced for $50 including the part. No such service in IRL. Just get yourself another one.

just don't get Dell.

Right that was Ot, I guess

miju

have to agree with everyone else here take the money and run ,

look at it this way you'll get a shiny new laptop after a year of using the broken one with practically zero depreciation in value

Alun

foreignobserver wrote:

Their warrenty periods are very short and they have limited out of warrenty service. I am left with a grotesque large 21" CRT monitor from Dell that broke down after 15 months of use (Dell gave 12 months warranty).

I know it is a flyback transformer that is faulty and in the U.S. it could be replaced for $50 including the part. No such service in IRL. Just get yourself another one.

If that's all it is, you could maybe try getting it repaired at a good old-fashioned TV repair shop, i.e. not a "swap every module in the set until it works" outfit, but someone who really knows his stuff. I know an extremely good one in the S. Dublin area ... if you're interested, PM me.

Hobbes

Did you buy it in Ireland? If so its covered by Irish laws. Doesn't matter if the company is in Germany.

BANZAI_RUNNER

yes if you bought it here , it is covered under the sale of goods act , and its Lidl who should be dealing with you , not Targa, it would be worth your while checking that out, but its typical of all foreign companies trading here, they think because its law in their country then its written in stone and applies in this country, i think the office of consumer affairs needs to spend their budget educating the irish public to this fact

gagalina

was talking to lidl today - luckily a friend of the family is the store manager of a different branch, so had a chat with him and he's gonna have a look into it for me. He thought the whole 3 month thing was completely ridiculous aswell, so hopefully some good news next week.

in the meantime targa refunded the 90% to the bank account, so at least the refund didnt take that long ;-)

wild_eyed

i also have a targa laptop, i have it two years in february 2007, it's starting to fall asunder now though, it's being picked up under their warranty agreement in a few days. i hope this doesnt happen to me.

i wonder will they give me an upgrade?

gagalina

Just make sure to have your phone on 24/7 in case that poor excuse of a parcel company might ring...

They don't give upgrades - they told me that basically, Lidl tells Targa "we wanna have 10000 laptops" - then Targa produces 10000 (plus a couple of extra for testing) and ship them out to Lidl, therefore they do not have any spare stock (unless some customers werent happy with their laptops and sent them back) - so the only real option they have is to repair it.....

We tried to get an upgrade or even the same laptop from them again when they lost ours, but they had nothing in stock...

Gagalina


Unfortunately friend of the family who is manager of lidl never got back to me and I haven't been up home in a while now.... so might have to have a chat with the manager in the dublin branch where I got it from