a bit off help needed pls!!!!

ennisweed

So hears the story about 7 months ago i bought a 42inch lcd tv. The shop asked for a coin meter box to be put on the television to pay for it. Anyway couple off weeks ago man from shop came out to empty it and when i went to put more money in it would not take it and kept getting jammed so i popped the back of the coin off so i could get it back working all that was damaged on the box was the bar for the lock would off bent back easily. Anyway i rang the shop the next morning and told them what happened, They said they would get sum1 out to fix it. Week goes by and he arrives has a look said it was easy to fix he just had to bring it back to the shop to get a plastic washer and fix it said he would drop the television back in around half an hour. three hours pass and i had not heard anything so i rang shop and he said i was not getting television back because i damaged the box. he said if i paid a 60 euro charge and paid the rest off my account off in full they would give it to me. i was also 2 weeks in arrears on my account which amounted to 32 euro.

I have tried reasoning with them but there is no talking to them, also i still have till march to complete my payments. There has been about 400 paid off so far with 300 to go.

I have been to citizens information they told me to ask for a letter in writing from them saying why they wont give it back to me and to ask for copy off the contract i signed they would not give it to me told me to get a solicitor if i wanted it. they also told me to send them a letter which i did and got no response. citizens information said the only thing i can do is go to small claims court now..

So any advice you can give me???

thanks

mari2222

you can google for this and the process is very simple.

you go to court and tell your story. the judge makes a decision. nothing to be worried about.

Likely the shop will cave in when they get the summons.

Zambia

Pay him 92 euro.

Procrastastudy

What store fits a coin meter to a TV?

Anyway CI is right - Small claims court. Given they've ignored your letter hopefully they'll ignore the summons and you'll get a judgment in your favour. Either way you'll at least get heard on the matter.

Another option is to POLITELY and without causing obstruction to their premises stand outside asking if you can have a word with customers as they walk in and explain what happened. Make sure you stick to the facts or you may be asking another question on here soon.

If you have a mobile with a camera take pictures of anything like this in future.

ennisweed

i told him i had no problem paying for the damage even tho just needs a bar straightened. Said if i wanted television back i had to pay in full. What really annoyed me was he said he would be back in half an hour. basicially robbed me tele when i was siting on couch

ennisweed

GCDLawstudent wrote: »

What store fits a coin meter to a TV?

Anyway CA is right - Small claims court. Given they've ignored your letter hopefully they'll ignore the summons and you'll get a judgment in your favour. Either way you'll at least get heard on the matter.

Another option is to POLITELY and without causing obstruction to their premises stand outside asking if you can have a word with customers as they walk in and explain what happened. Make sure you stick to the facts or you may be asking another question on here soon.

If you have a mobile with a camera take pictures of anything like this in future.

Its an electrial store in wexford. suppose its to try stop people who dont pay there bills. television wont come on unless money goes in then they just come to empty it usually every month

ennisweed

thanks for advice

deadwood

What the hell is a coin meter on a tv for?

Finnbar01

deadwood wrote: »

What the hell is a coin meter on a tv for?

To help pay for the TV.

Zambia

ennisweed wrote: »

So hears the story about 7 months ago i bought a 42inch lcd tv. The shop asked for a coin meter box to be put on the television to pay for it. Anyway couple off weeks ago man from shop came out to empty it and when i went to put more money in it would not take it and kept getting jammed so i popped the back of the coin off so i could get it back working all that was damaged on the box was the bar for the lock would off bent back easily. Anyway i rang the shop the next morning and told them what happened, They said they would get sum1 out to fix it. Week goes by and he arrives has a look said it was easy to fix he just had to bring it back to the shop to get a plastic washer and fix it said he would drop the television back in around half an hour. three hours pass and i had not heard anything so i rang shop and he said i was not getting television back because i damaged the box. he said if i paid a 60 euro charge and paid the rest off my account off in full they would give it to me. i was also 2 weeks in arrears on my account which amounted to 32 euro.

I have tried reasoning with them but there is no talking to them, also i still have till march to complete my payments. There has been about 400 paid off so far with 300 to go.

I have been to citizens information they told me to ask for a letter in writing from them saying why they wont give it back to me and to ask for copy off the contract i signed they would not give it to me told me to get a solicitor if i wanted it. they also told me to send them a letter which i did and got no response. citizens information said the only thing i can do is go to small claims court now..

So any advice you can give me???

thanks

My first reply was short of short so I should elaborate.

You purchased a TV (large good tv) of a retailer who suspected you will default on the payment so as a fail safe he installed a coin box. The money in this essentially his.

One night you prised open the back of this coin box damaging it in the process.

He arrives knowing you are already behind in the payments to find you have broken the coin box.

Mate you should never have brought this TV, you should never have agreed to this deal. A quick search of Gumtree would get you decent large TV.

deadwood

Finnbar01 wrote: »

To help pay for the TV.

I gathered that much.

Is it just a money box bolted to the tv?

Do you need to insert money for the tv to work?

Am I just out of touch?

Procrastastudy

While this can be seen by both sides and Zam knows more than me by about a factor of a bazillion I do wonder...

Ennisweed (I assume he's some sort of Gardner) enters into a contract to purchase a TV. Retailer fits a coin meter to TV to ensure it is paid for. Now not knowing the details of the contract but the guy has been putting the money in is there any wiggle room here that he is complying with the contract?

I assume the contract says it is something like €64 a month for two years - but hasn't the coin meter short circuited this is some way. Is there no argument that if the retailer installed a coin meter he should have made sure the coin meter was taking enough money off the chap.

Next though the actions of the retailers agent the TV is rendered unusable. The purchaser takes steps to make it usable again and in the process causes damage to the coin meter. We only have Ennis' word for the damage done but surely it's reasonable under the circumstances for him only to pay for the repair (parts and labour)?

Next the repair guy enters into an agreement to carryout the repair and return the TV. Surely there is some come back here?

Even assuming the retailer can get away with charging €60 for the repair and insisting the account is caught up (€32) would he not be bound by his original agreement? (I realise Zam did mention this figure in his first post).

While I realise I've made a lot of assumptions I would like to make another - even though we only have one side. A business that tells a customer to get a solicitor if they want a copy of a contract and ignores letters isn't on the level in my opinion.

@deadwood LOL you must have me on ignore he told you what it did about 4 posts in :P

BrianD

I have never heard of such an arrangement to pay for a household good!

I'm curious. You said that you bought it and then the store asked you to fit the coin box on to pay for it. How did you intend to pay for it when you walked in the door? Also was the "coin box payment offer" advertised or something the staff sell when you are in store?

Also how much do you put in per day, is it just when you watch and what happens on days you don't watch. How much is the "coin box" price over cash payment on the day? Do you have a written legal agreement to cover it?

Most retailers use finance companies for credit agreements so they get paid anyway. I can understand that in this day and age it's hard for consumers to get finance and this is hitting retail sales. Rather novel way of going about it.

This sounds like a credit agreement without being a credit agreement or even the protection of one.

Finnbar01

deadwood wrote: »

I gathered that much.

Is it just a money box bolted to the tv?

Do you need to insert money for the tv to work?

Am I just out of touch?

Yes, it's a money box on the side of the TV.

I remember a friend of mine had one yonks back.

He would put in 50p and get four hours of TV.

He saw it as a handy way of saving but quite effing annoying when he ran out of 50p's and the tele knocked off.

pirelli

Finnbar01 wrote: »

Yes, it's a money box on the side of the TV.

I remember a friend of mine had one yonks back.

He would put in 50p and get four hours of TV.

He saw it as a handy way of saving but quite effing annoying when he ran out of 50p's and the tele knocked off.

Is it common for these to malfunction? If they jam alot then perhaps they should have given the OP a number to call in such an event or have a set procedure in such matters. I can imagine that sometimes people need the money for a hot date or simply want to watch spartacus and have no fifty pences.So they break it open..forgetting they don't own it yet.

So it's an automatic 60 euro penalty.

When I imagine this tough coin box with room for up to 32 euro worth of coins, I can't help but picture a big steel box with it's robust lock stuck firmly into the plastic housing of a giant old television sets

What i cannot imagine however is how they manage to attach this contraption to a LCD, a device usually so slight in it's design and frame that many people hang it on their wall.