Broken tv from Harvey Normans

tommy26241

hi folks, hoping someone could help me with some advice. Bought a 42 inch lcd 18 months ago from harvey normans. About 7 months ago the tv broke down and about 3 weeks later it was returned. The exact same problem has now occured and wondering were i now stand. Having already fixed it and it breaking down again am i now entitled to a new replacement or a refund.

if anyone could help i would really appreciate it

TestTransmission

The replaced parts may have an additional warranty if it was these parts which failed again.

Best bet,go into HN and ask for a manager.No point in double guessing.

I wouldnt be expecting a refund tbh

MarkR

Do you have some form of extended warranty, or was it repaired under the manufacturers guarantee?

tommy26241

MarkR wrote: »

Do you have some form of extended warranty, or was it repaired under the manufacturers guarantee?

yeah they gave us an extra 3 year warranty, will call into them tomorrow full guns blazing, not being without a tv over xmas

foggy_lad

jackncoke wrote: »

The replaced parts may have an additional warranty if it was these parts which failed again.

Best bet,go into HN and ask for a manager.No point in double guessing.

I wouldnt be expecting a refund tbh

repairs must be permenant!

MarkR wrote: »

Do you have some form of extended warranty, or was it repaired under the manufacturers guarantee?

contract is with harvey norman's and any extended warrenty is in addition to the customers statutory rights

tommy26241 wrote: »

yeah they gave us an extra 3 year warranty, will call into them tomorrow full guns blazing, not being without a tv over xmas

sadly this is what will most likely have to happen, harvey norman's will need to send the tv away for repair or assessment at least and this may take 2weeks or more. you could ask them to provide a temporatry replacement for the christmas period?

forget your extra extended warrenty it means very little as harvey normans are obliged to look after this, as per your statutory rights they must offer to repair(this has been tried and was not permenant) replace(after 18 months they may not replace with a new tv) or refund(again after 18 months they may not offer a full refund) but you do not have to accept their offer and can choose a different option to whichever they offer.

penexpers

tommy26241 wrote: »

yeah they gave us an extra 3 year warranty, will call into them tomorrow full guns blazing, not being without a tv over xmas

Yep, going in with full guns blazing is really going to help your cause.

astrofool

What was the issue? Do you live in a rural area? I've seen numerous tv's fail due to the mains voltage dropping too low (esp. if they're built for 240V UK). It also means that when they test in shop on their nice 3 phase power, nothing appears to be wrong.

MarkR

This may help, from consumerconnect.ue

Q11. I have a faulty good but my guarantee is out of date by one month. Is there anything I can do?


A guarantee/warranty is a bonus and cannot affect or diminish your statutory rights with the seller. A guarantee/warranty is a written statement given by a manufacturer or a company indicating they will repair or replace a product within a specified time after it was purchased. You may decide to claim under a guarantee during its period of validity, but cannot be obliged to do so.
Therefore you may, if the reasonable lifetime of a given product exceeds the time period of any warranty, pursue the seller in respect of your statutory rights - 'The Sale of Goods and Supply of Services Act, 1980'. If the trader refuses to offer redress for the faulty goods and you have exhausted all other options you may wish to pursue the matter with the Small Claims Court.
A guarantee may be useful to a third party, however, as it extends to anyone possessing the goods during the guarantee period. This contrasts with the statutory rights of a purchaser, which extend only to the original purchaser of a good and not to any subsequent recipient or owner of that product. This distinction in important to note in respect of items given as gifts or the purchase/use of second hand items.

granadaghia

just abit of advice , check with original mfr of tv or irish dist , get them to check ser no as to date of manufacture, you may find that a lot of gear sold by these amazing bargain emporiums may be refurbs sold as new , but not disclosed to the punters , it may give you a lever over hardly normal .

eth0_

granadaghia wrote: »

you may find that a lot of gear sold by these amazing bargain emporiums may be refurbs sold as new , but not disclosed to the punters , it may give you a lever over hardly normal .

Oh yes, just you go ahead and libel a company without any proof of what you're accusing them of :rolleyes:

Post reported.

FunnyStuff

foggy_lad wrote: »

repairs must be permenant!

contract is with harvey norman's and any extended warrenty is in addition to the customers statutory rights

sadly this is what will most likely have to happen, harvey norman's will need to send the tv away for repair or assessment at least and this may take 2weeks or more. you could ask them to provide a temporatry replacement for the christmas period?

forget your extra extended warrenty it means very little as harvey normans are obliged to look after this, as per your statutory rights they must offer to repair(this has been tried and was not permenant) replace(after 18 months they may not replace with a new tv) or refund(again after 18 months they may not offer a full refund) but you do not have to accept their offer and can choose a different option to whichever they offer.

If the same fault occurs three times then you are entitled to a refund. If it is going to cost the manufacturer too much cost and hassle to repair, they will give credit to Harveys to supply you with a new model. Dont go in being the bully and roaring at people, it will only get on thier tits and they will be less likely to do what they can to help you. Remember, its the manufacturers fault, not Harvey Normans.

bSlick

penexpers wrote: »

Yep, going in with full guns blazing is really going to help your cause.

FunnyStuff wrote: »

Dont go in being the bully and roaring at people, it will only get on thier tits and they will be less likely to do what they can to help you.

On the contrary, it is generally the people who shout loudest that get sorted out quickest. This applies to lots of situations in everyday life and I've seen it time and time again. I know one person who is an expert in this kind of thing and he will always get satisfaction in these scenarios. If he was in your situation OP I can guarantee there would be no question of him being without a TV over xmas . I have seen him get unrefundable airline tickets refunded and straight out 20% discounts on electrical goods for example, for no reason other than the way he goes about dealing with people.

Staff just don't want the hassle of dealing with someone who is mega-pissed off or who just won't let up so they try and sort out the situation quickly. Whereas with someone who is easily fobbed off the handiest thing for the staff to do is just fob them off with some bs excuse.

foggy_lad

If the same fault occurs three times then you are entitled to a refund

the original repair should be permenant and any "rule" or "policy" of three repairs will be the store policy and nothing to do with the customers "statutory" rights!

dudara

FunnyStuff wrote: »

If the same fault occurs three times then you are entitled to a refund.

Under Consumer Law, you can reasonably expect a repair to be permanent (i.e. it will last the remainder of the life of the product). If it fails again, you have reasonable grounds to decline further repair and instead seek a replacement or refund (you can of course go down the repair route if you want).

This "3 repairs" line is something trotted out mainly by the mobile phone companies and has no basis in law.

old_aussie

eth0_ wrote: »

Oh yes, just you go ahead and libel a company without any proof of what you're accusing them of :rolleyes:

Post reported.

yeah, it's already been proved in Australia that Harvey Norman sold new goods, which were later found to refurbs by the manufacturer.

granadaghia at no time said to libel Harvey Norman, he just said check out a few facts first.

Post reported, who to? God

dudara

old_aussie moderators keep an eye on what is being said in this forum - partially in thanks to the Report Posts functionality.

If you have an issue with a post, please use the report posts functionality, do not continue the argument in the thread

dudara

Nody

The thing to keep in mind though is that yes, a repair has to be permanent but it does not have to be the same part (i.e. the repaired part) that has failed again. For example if the TV don't turn on or there is no picture there are multiple different parts that could cause it and hence the repair was permanent but now another part failed.

tommy26241

the problem is that the tv has sound but no picture, same thing happened before, will be going in later to try and sort this out

gmoynihan

Hi,

got an early xmas prest of a Philips 42" Tv on thursday evening last.
Set about setting it up on Friday evening, follows all guidelines (placing screen on flat surface to attach stand. Stood TV up plugged in power, when screen came up , their was a crack in the bottom left hand corner. Repackeagd tv and brought back to HN on sat and left very dissatisifed. Was not given replacement TV and was told that policy was that Philips have to look at TV and asses the damage as if HN gave me a replacement they would be out of pocket. Bascially accused me of cracking the screen.

Was told that when i leave the store with the TV its my property. But when i check the reciept they never made us sign the Terms & conditions on the reciept.

Rep from HN basically made it out that if i was nice to him he would do me a favour. However when completeing the returns form, other HN staff member told me not to worry that it would be sorted!!! .

I was told that i would get a call today. No calls yet.

I contacted a friend of mine who works for another large electrical goods supplier who told me they should of just replaced it on the spot!!.

Very concerned as they are making it out that we broke the TV and might not get a replacement and then will be left with nothing to show for my money other than a broken TV.

Any advise would be much appreciated

eth0_

old_aussie wrote: »

yeah, it's already been proved in Australia that Harvey Norman sold new goods, which were later found to refurbs by the manufacturer.

Perhaps it's escaped your notice - we're not in Australia and Harvey Norman in Ireland do not source goods for their Irish stores in Australia :rolleyes:

I stand by my assertion that his post is potentially libelous; AFAIK there has never been any indication that HN are selling refurbed goods as 'new'.

gandalf

gmoynihan you should have insisted that they replace the unit on the spot. Did the packaging show any sort of impact in that corner? Best advice is to place yourself close to the checkout ask to talk to the manager and in a loud but calm voice express your displeasure at the fact your new TV from them was damaged and the fact they are not prepared to replace it is quite shocking and unacceptable. They will try to get you to move away from this area you should only do so when they agree to replace the unit immediately. Nothing like the worry that you could turn other purchasers off to get things moving

Nody

gmoynihan wrote: »

Hi,

got an early xmas prest of a Philips 42" Tv on thursday evening last.
Set about setting it up on Friday evening, follows all guidelines (placing screen on flat surface to attach stand. Stood TV up plugged in power, when screen came up , their was a crack in the bottom left hand corner. Repackeagd tv and brought back to HN on sat and left very dissatisifed. Was not given replacement TV and was told that policy was that Philips have to look at TV and asses the damage as if HN gave me a replacement they would be out of pocket. Bascially accused me of cracking the screen.

Was told that when i leave the store with the TV its my property. But when i check the reciept they never made us sign the Terms & conditions on the reciept.

Rep from HN basically made it out that if i was nice to him he would do me a favour. However when completeing the returns form, other HN staff member told me not to worry that it would be sorted!!! .

I was told that i would get a call today. No calls yet.

I contacted a friend of mine who works for another large electrical goods supplier who told me they should of just replaced it on the spot!!.

Very concerned as they are making it out that we broke the TV and might not get a replacement and then will be left with nothing to show for my money other than a broken TV.

Any advise would be much appreciated

For starters your friend is wrong; they have the right to investigate the issue before offering to resolve it (the 3 Rs).

Secondly they do not have to give you any replacement item for the duration of the repair; in fact it is rather the exception that any store offers you a temporary replacement while they fix things.

Third since there was no damage on the box (or so I assume as you would have pointed this out in the store) then yes, why would they NOT think you where the once who broke it when you drove it home/assembled it?

Fourth and final (I promise this one is actually positive for you); most brands are good at least with in the first year regarding fixing things. Even if they would come back and say you cracked it you always have the Small Claims Court as final option (only possible after you have gone through the full complaint procedure with HN though).

Kensington

old_aussie wrote: »

yeah, it's already been proved in Australia that Harvey Norman sold new goods, which were later found to refurbs by the manufacturer.

granadaghia at no time said to libel Harvey Norman, he just said check out a few facts first.

Post reported, who to? God

Harvey Norman here source their goods from distributors within the EMEA region. Just because they may have done somewhat shady practices in a jurisdiction many thousands of miles from here, does not mean they're doing it here.

gandalf wrote:

Best advice is to place yourself close to the checkout ask to talk to the manager and in a loud but calm voice express your displeasure at the fact your new TV from them was damaged and the fact they are not prepared to replace it is quite shocking and unacceptable. They will try to get you to move away from this area you should only do so when they agree to replace the unit immediately. Nothing like the worry that you could turn other purchasers off to get things moving

Trust me, despite what many people think, this actually puts off very, very few customers. It also does you no favours in the eyes of the staff. The vast majority of potential customers see you doing nothing other than making a complete and utter tit of yourself when you're arguing with a shop assistant for all in the shop to hear. I don't think I've ever seen anyone turn around and walk back out of a shop down to some customer roaring their head off. I've also seen many people actually stop and listen in to a customer roaring abuse and then proceed to spend hundreds of euro in the very store immediately afterwards.

Rule of play is by all means be firm, but remain polite and calm. Also, don't start quoting your rights unless you are 100% on them, because one thing you can be 100% sure on is that the store manager knows what your rights are inside out and back to front from experience.

FunnyStuff

foggy_lad wrote: »

the original repair should be permenant and any "rule" or "policy" of three repairs will be the store policy and nothing to do with the customers "statutory" rights!

How long do you class as permament?? Nothing is permanent, nothing. Do you think the manufacturers will repair a product only sufficiently enough for it to remain operable for another six months. Because yeah i think i read somewhere thats how these businesses work..... And the "3 strikes" rule is not Harvey's policy, its generally what most manufacturers will stick to. (Manufacturer i've had to deal with anyway)

dudara

FunnyStuff wrote: »

How long do you class as permament?? Nothing is permanent, nothing. Do you think the manufacturers will repair a product only sufficiently enough for it to remain operable for another six months.

You're being too literal with the meaning of the word 'permanent' - in this context, it is usually taken to mean the reasonable average lifetime of the product.

And the "3 strikes" rule is not Harvey's policy, its generally what most manufacturers will stick to. (Manufacturer i've had to deal with anyway)

It may be standard manufacturer policy, but it has no legal standing. Personally, I'd be happy for a manufacturer to attempt to repair something a second time, but within reason.

The key point here is that the consumer and the retailer must come to a mutual arrangement on how to handle the issue. We focus a lot here on the manufacturers\retailers, but there is a duty on the part of the consumer to be reasonable also.

foggy_lad

Nody wrote: »

The thing to keep in mind though is that yes, a repair has to be permanent but it does not have to be the same part (i.e. the repaired part) that has failed again. For example if the TV don't turn on or there is no picture there are multiple different parts that could cause it and hence the repair was permanent but now another part failed.

but is something different goes wrong with your tv/appliance every few weeks/months then it is clearly not fit for purpose and you can argue for a new replacement from the retailer or a full refund

gmoynihan

Hi All,

Just to advise , HN provided me with a replacement TV. Kept me waiting for an hour before the manager came out to me. Then he was all, polite and carrying on as if he had done me a huge favour!.

I asked what Philips said about the damages and he wouldnt give me a straight answer, he just said he had sent them back a few things to look at and that they said to just replace the TV!!

Whilst waiting for him to come out i noticed the store room person moving some other tv's from the store room to the main floor. When i say they were just thrown about its an understatement!!

Brought out new TV and this time they took it out of the box and turned it on to make sure it was ok.

I enquired about a stand for it.(normal stand, 3 shelves of tempered glass) He said they had one on offer, it was xmas eve at this stage so i said right give me one. Store room person brough it out and handed it to the manager who stated that it sounded as if something was loose in the box. Another store room person said "ah its just the foam inside i stacked 10 of them yesterday and they all sounded the same". With that the manager opened up the box and all the glass was shattered inside. I had to stop myself from laughing. The manager just looked at me as if to say "**** and he saw that".

Just as well they checked that package also as i would not fancy returning to HN again to try and explain another broken package.

Well TV is working fine and is setup on new stand also. So alls well that ends well.

However i came away with the feeling that i would never purchase anything from HN again. Yes i know i bought a stand, but it was xmas eve and i needed something quick.

Higher than thou attitude twoards customers was just really off putting and the fact that i had to play mind games and for want of a better word play up to the store manger as if he was doing me a favour to get my tv replaced has just left me completely dissatisified.

Thanks to all for the responses. Was a great help.

Redjeep!

Glad it all worked out for you.

BTW - the warranty on a repair is only for the length of the original warranty, so if you had a three year warranty, it broke after 18 months and they fix it, then the remaining warranty is only the remaining 18 months (not for ever and not another 3 years).

Anyway, it seems that particular branch has some problems.