Know Your Rights!!!

[Shutpa]

Yesterday I bought a middle of the range shredder and was asked by the assistant if I wanted an extended warranty. I asked why I would want that and she said that if it broke down after the one year guarantee and I had the extended warranty, then it would be repaired or replaced free of charge. I then told her that my statutory rights already give me similar protection and her reply was that she didn't know anything about that. i told her that she should know about the consumers statutary rights before she started trying to sell customers extra cover. I then gave her a copy of the following which I've carried with me for years and told her to let the store manager see it.

In 1999 a European Directive said that electrical goods sold within the EU had to have a two-year guarantee. This was not implemented in the UK because it was agreed that our existing legislation gave better cover.

"The Sale of Goods Act 1979 states goods must be fit for purpose, of satisfactory quality and safe and durable. Failing this a consumer may be entitled to a repair/replacement or full or partial refund-and it's the trader's responsibility to do this not the manufacturer's. These statutory rights apply whether you have a warranty or a guarantee, override any store policy and stay in place for up to six years in England, (five in Scotland)".

Citizens Advice: 0345 404-0506

The moral of the story is that if you carry a copy of the above in your wallet and you find yourself in a situ where you believe that your statutary rights are being infringed upon, let the person you are dealing with see it. And while he is reading the extract, phone up Citizens Advice and ask their advice, (especially if there are people waiting behind you).

P.S. Before anyone jumps down my throat for taking the young lady to task, let me just explain that she was and still is, a very good friend of ours. Now work that one out!

 

[Gerrydelasel]

NB: The sale of goods act applies to items bought before 1 October 2015. For item bought after that, the Consumer Rights Act applies (I don't know whether this changes the above, but now I'm intrigued!).

EDIT:
The Consumer Rights Act added a new short-term clause, which says you have 30 days to get a full refund on most returned faulty goods. You only have to accept one repair, or once replacement, before you can get a refund. The six year rule still applies too. The rule covers a fault that was present when you bought the item, or a defect that occurs from a manufacturing problem rather than as the result of usual wear and tear.

 

[Shutpa]

Thanks for that! While I was keying in from the copy I've had in my wallet for years, I did think that things may have changed. I intended to check up but thanks to you, won't have to now. That said, another friend is taking back a lawnmower to the same store today, and he too has a copy of the, now superseded legislation. Will post the outcome.

 

[Bosswhite]

One has to realise these warranties are Insurance premiums, should the item break down a separate organisation takes the responsibility of the repair, one less problem for the store.
and the Stores selling the goods get a percentage of the sale of the premium

The larger stores offer assistants a bonus for each warranty sale they make.

Do not blame the shop assistants for doing their job.

 

[PBC_1966]

Legalities of required warranty periods, rights to return and so on aside, the extended warranty cover offered on smaller things such as this are just not worth the money. If you work out how much it costs to take out all the extended cover on everything like this you buy, it will come to far more than simply replacing an odd item here and there if it should happen to fail within that same time period but outside the time for any statutory redress.

 

[^woody^]

Your statutory rights don't give the same protection.

The length of any statutory guarantee will depend on the product and its cost.

A Fung-Yip shredder for £4.99 from the market will not be expected to last as long or perform as well as a Louis Vuitton shredder for £580 from Harrods.

BTW, the SOGA has largely been superseded by the Consumer Rights Act 2015.

Between 30 and 180 days, the supplier can repair instead of refund.

After six months, the onus is on the customer to prove that the goods were faulty at the time of purchase or delivery. Not easy.

So that extended warranty does offer extra protection above that offered by statute.

 

[Shutpa]

Your statutory rights don't give the same protection........I know that! As I said to the store assistant (who is a friend) they give similar protection.

The length of any statutory guarantee will depend on the product and its cost....... I also know that.

BTW, the SOGA has largely been superseded by the Consumer Rights Act ........I found that out from Gerrydelasel in reply #2

Between 30 and 180 days, the supplier can repair instead of refund.After six months, the onus is on the customer to prove that the goods were faulty at the time of purchase or delivery.........Really. Then let me tell you that I have just had a fridge freezer replaced for the fifth time since we bought it in 2002. At that time I did take out an extended warranty and have had with ease, replacement after replacement. And last year I had a Dyson vacuum cleaner replaced after 5 years with no extended warranty and no hassle. I've been there, done it, and will do it again and again if goods that I've bought turn out to be faulty.

So that extended warranty does offer extra protection above that offered by statute ............don't try to teach your granny to suck eggs my friend.

And now the object of this thread. In July 2014 my neighbour bought a lawn more from a major retailer but turned down the offer of an extended warranty. Unknown to me, the mower broke down in September 2015 and when he asked about the situ at the store, he was told that the guarantee period had expired and without the extended warranty, there was nothing that they could do. He told me this last week and it just so happened that a friends daughter works in the store. I asked her about the stores policy and was horrified when she told me that a customer who had paid £1200.00 for a TV which crashed after 15 months was told the same thing.

Today, my neighbour acting on my advice, went into the store, created merry hell and then left with a full refund. So if you find yourself in a similar situation make sure that you know the rules and don't hesitate to contact Citizens Advice.

 

[^woody^]

It's commonly known that shop assistants know nothing about the regulations of the industry they work in. Even many managers don't, and just adhere to 'company policy'.

 

[Shutpa]

........many managers just adhere to 'company policy'.

............and many will give in the moment you raise your voice quoting your statutary rights in a crowded store. Even more when you phone Citizens Advice right there and then.

 

[^woody^]

the moment you raise your voice quoting your statutary rights in a crowded store

I hate those people.

 

[blightymam]

I hate those people.

To stand up for yourself and to know when a store is taking the proverbial is a good thing and I think they should teach everyone! We pay good money for goods, more than most countries and we should expect goods that do what they are supposed to do. I don't think company policy, if it ignores the law on consumer rights should be taken into account, nor the managers who only quote parrot-like. To be a manager of a store they should know (and probably do) consumer rights, but they try their luck coz told to.

I don't think I'd phone CA tho, or raise voices as there's little need to!

 

[nickso]

Usually the ones raising their voices are the chancers that don't know anything and want to scare shop staff into submission. It works sometimes too. No one is perfect, if they get it wrong they deserve to be politely told the error of their ways.

My GF is a store manager and knows her stuff pretty well. Some of the stories of moronic customers asking for refunds for this and that are funny. Thankfully she knows her job and also takes no BS from anyone.....not even me unfortunately.

Doing customer service myself I know the louder you shout the less likely I am to help you, quite the opposite in fact.

 

[jeds]

You would think that large retailers would train managers in basic consumer law, but they don't always. We bought a super dooper LG washing machine years back at currys. It was an expensive bit of kit - £800...ish when washing machines were typically three or four hundred quid. The bearing went at about 14 months. I got the usual 'out of warranty' response from the store manager. I explained that a warranty was a voluntary manufacturer thing and not relevant to the situation but I could tell from the blank look on her face that she was overloading. So I went direct to head office, which arranged an engineer and the machine was fixed, no problem. But if the store manager had been trained in the basics she could have arranged the engineer straight away and life would have been a bit easier.

 

[Gerrydelasel]

I got the usual 'out of warranty' response from the store manager. I explained that a warranty was a voluntary manufacturer thing and not relevant to the situation but I could tell from the blank look on her face that she was overloading.

You mean the washing machine was suffering from a manufacturing defect, so was covered by the consumer rights act?