Call outs and coverage

carlybabe1

Hi, I have a question and would appreciate any help at all. I bought a washing machine in nov 06, it cost almost 500. It has clapped up on me, and Ive rang the company concerned who told me Im only covered for parts, not labour. Then the contracter/engineer rang me and asked me did I know about the call out charge, and that it is 70 euro and that only covers me for the first half hour :eek:

Im kinda suspicious that Im getting ripped off, anybody any clues??

axer

carlybabe1 wrote: »

Hi, I have a question and would appreciate any help at all. I bought a washing machine in nov 06, it cost almost 500. It has clapped up on me, and Ive rang the company concerned who told me Im only covered for parts, not labour. Then the contracter/engineer rang me and asked me did I know about the call out charge, and that it is 70 euro and that only covers me for the first half hour :eek:

Im kinda suspicious that Im getting ripped off, anybody any clues??

Sale of Goods and Supply of Services Act 1980
Section 14
(3) Goods are of merchantable quality if they are as fit for the purpose or purposes for which goods of that kind are commonly bought and as durable as it is reasonable to expect having regard to any description applied to them, the price (if relevant) and all the other relevant circumstances, and any reference in this Act to unmerchantable goods shall be construed accordingly.

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I would assume a washing machine would last longer than 2.5 years but only if it was not abused or misused e.g. too big of loads etc. If it is deemed to be not lasting as long as it should then it is not of merchantable quality thus the seller must remedy the situation and make it right. This remedy should not cost the buyer anything. In order to use this law you must be dealing with the seller and not using the warranty supplied by the manufacturer which can have its own conditions.

Absolam

There is no provision for call out charges under the SoG&S act though. The consumer would be entitled to return the washing machine to the retailer (as long as it was under warranty) and expect repair, replacement, or refund as per the Act. The cost of providing a repair (ie the callout charge) at the customers home instead of at the retailers premises, would not be covered as far as I can see?

axer

Absolam wrote: »

There is no provision for call out charges under the SoG&S act though. The consumer would be entitled to return the washing machine to the retailer (as long as it was under warranty) and expect repair, replacement, or refund as per the Act. The cost of providing a repair (ie the callout charge) at the customers home instead of at the retailers premises, would not be covered as far as I can see?

A call-out would not be specifically covered under the sale of goods act - just that a remedy must be provided - which should be free. If the OP purchased the machine from a shop etc then he/she should return it to the shop otherwise if the OP wants to work under the terms of the warranty he/she must work within those terms e.g. call-out fee. (These terms are completely determined by the manufacturer and are not changed by laws because they are optional extra rights which when offered via warranty must be supplied via law).

OP, if you want to enforce your rights under the sale of goods act 1980 you must deal with the seller of the item and you must return it to where it came from i.e. shop etc. (I'm not sure of your rights if the item was delivered, I would assume that the shop has to pick up the item [or pay the cost of returning] but that maybe only if there is no bricks and mortar shop to return it to). If you choose to deal with this under your warranty then what you are or are not charged is covered by the terms of the warranty.

Kensington

I strongly recommend you DO NOT simply turn up at the store with the machine. You will not get anywhere by turning up with the machine. Furthermore, if the machine is damaged while it is in transit, such as you hitting a pothole or speedramp while driving, you void any sort of comeback you have.

Best bet is to get onto the retailer, either by phone, letter or e-mail, register your complaint - let them know you've been quoted a call out charge you're not happy with and feel is unjustified for a machine of that age - then take it from there.

dilallio

I bought a washing machine a few weeks ago. I rang up Zanussi to register the warranty (1 year parts & labour, 5 year parts). I asked them what happens if the machine breaks-down after a year. They told me that although covered for parts, I would have to pay for call-out which generally ranges from 90 Euro to 150 Euro.
I don't think you're getting ripped-off by a 60 Euro call-out charge. But before you get him out, check the obvious things like making sure the filter or intake or waste pipes aren't clogged up.