TARGA say repair does not have to be permanent

chasm

Hi Guys

I wonder if anyone can give me a definite answer to this, i am forever reading on this site that a repair should be permanent, and i have just read it on the consumerconnect website also, but I have been having an issue with Targa and today they emailed me stating the following:

"The DVD recorder is an electrical device. Electrical devices can develop a fault over time. By no means can we give you the guarantee that a repair is by any means 'permanent'."

The story is in dec 07 i returned my 13 month old dvd recorder to them as it kept freezing and becoming unresponsive,( i had followed their previous advice of switching off unit/unplugging/waiting for 5 mins blah blah). I sent it off and it was "repaired".

Then earlier this year it started doing the same thing again so i had to send it off again. Received the unit back to find that the video recorder part of the unit wouldnt work, so after phoning and complaining-( each time it was sent for repair i was left without a unit for at least 4 weeks )- they agreed to replace the unit.

The unit they sentto me was disgraceful( I should have known by the box-which looked like it had been kicked from one end of a footy pitch to the other) anyhow the unit and remote had remnants of food and godknows what else on them,and the unit was covered in marks. I emailed them to say i was not happy with the unit so they agreed to replace it( I am still waiting and have been without a working unit since june 9th)

I emailed Targa yesterday to lodge a complaint because the whole matter is seriously taking the p#ss at this stage. When i mentioned about the initial repair should have been permanent the above quote was the response i got.

I am still without a dvd/video recorder, as im still waiting for them to send out my replacement, yet Targa are kinda saying tough, its electrical and a repair DOESNT have to be permanent. So does it or not?

Sponge Bob

It does have to be "fit for the purpose"

dudara

I would imagine that the repair cannot be guaranteed as permanent - that's asking an awful lot. I would imagine though, that a repair should last a reasonable amount of time and make the goods fit for purpose.

jor el

By permanent, it means the same fault shouldn't re-occur within a reasonable time frame. Sounds like you've had the DVD player coming up on 3 years now, which isn't unreasonable, so you may have a fight on your hands.

foggy_lad

You got this in a store originally(aldi or lidl?) so you should bring it back to the store and explain how targa have handled the whole situation and the store may be able to do something for you.

Cuddlesworth

foggy_lad wrote: »

You got this in a store originally(aldi or lidl?) so you should bring it back to the store and explain how targa have handled the whole situation and the store may be able to do something for you.

After three years? Your joking right?

foggy_lad

Cuddlesworth wrote: »

After three years? Your joking right?

all aldi and lidl electrical items have a three year guarantee and this is usually looked after by targus/median etc but if they fail to sort out faults you have the right to bring the item back to the store!

chasm

thanks for the replies guys.

Ive noticed the comment about it being 3 years old coming up a bit, but the point is Its under a 3 year guarentee and i havent had it for 3 years! Also They repaired initial fault and that fault recurred- It is still under guarantee and the service they provided has been a disgrace- I have had no dvd recorder since the beginning of june, and each time i have had to send it away previously i have been left without it for a month- its a bloody joke. I think i may just do what you suggested foggy_lad and return it to lidl and state my case- Although at this moment i have no dvd recorder to return!!!!- That's another annoying thing about this- not being able to record my programs when ive had to travel away from home- That was the whole point of buying it!!

Gillo

Three years?
Thats pretty good. In fairness to Targa, they are obviously covering themselves when referring to permanent which could be considered a very very long time, three years sounds fair enough.

chasm

Gillo wrote: »

Three years?
Thats pretty good. In fairness to Targa, they are obviously covering themselves when referring to permanent which could be considered a very very long time, three years sounds fair enough.

The fault first occurred when it was 13 months old- they repaired it- then the fault recurred. That's the issue here They supposedly fixed it. Only when they returned it the 2nd time they had managed to stuff up the video recorder part of it!!!

I have an alba dvd player in my bedroom that ive had for about 8 or more years, never had a single problem with it, and it got a lot more use than the targa one ever did. I never bought into this "throw away society" rubbish even in our supposed "tiger years"- When i buy something i expect to get my moneys worth. I expect it to do what it is supposed to do and for a fairly decent amount of time. I do not expect to pay out for an item, then sit in my house without it for a month at a time.

10-10-20

You've got to wonder, in the great race to the bottom, does the customer suffer in the long-term?

I mean, you buy a product from a low-cost bulk food vendor and pay rock-bottom for an electrical device which isn't their main line of sale in the first place, and then expect the negative amount of R&D which this company has put into it's products to stand for it, just because it has a 3 year warranty...?

I don't buy it, in both meanings of the term...

Lidil or Aldi are likely to refund you the money, but not have a backup unit on the shelf to replace it.
Perhaps a branded DVD-RW would have been a better choice?

chasm

Not everything in Lidl and Aldi is sold at a "rockbottom" prices.

Gillo

chasm wrote: »

Not everything in Lidl and Aldi is sold at a "rockbottom" prices.

In fairness the vast majority is

wmpdd3

Would you pay €50 more for the item for the promise that each time a fault was found they would replace it inside 3 years?

A low price and a 3 year warranty sounds good to me but if costs the co money in the long run they will just not stock it any more.

axer

Targa only have to stay within the remits of their warranty. The sale of goods and supply of services act 1980 has nothing to do with them (except that they have to honour any warranties given and information that is to be supplied as per the act) since they are the manufacturer of the item NOT the seller. Thus your argument of a "permanent fix" as per the law has nothing to do with them - your argument about a "permanent fix" is with Aldi.

Maybe you should send an email to Targa apologising for being wrong and ask them to fix the current problem.