repairing lawnmover cable

[SUNRAY]

My initial contact with 'the shed' was around 11am and an initial response arrived 14.37.

...show 1784 in stock across our stores. A stock check and inspection has been requested...

Todays response started with over 1000 words about their responsibilities and liabilities. At no point did I give them the original purchasers name, these excerpts started way down the email:

...Thank you for bringing this potentially lethal problem to our attention. We trust Mr Collins is suffering no after effects...
...an inspection of the returned packaging reveals it has been resealed, our belief is the item had been purchased and opened then repackaged and returned to us for a refund...

Then words explaining the difficulty of inspecting returned items which appear to be in original condition. At that point I assumed they were simply going to sweep it aside and blame an outside party.

...we have done a stores wide stock check and inspection of 1738 of this product and not identified any occurrences of the issue you have raised...
...additionally we have identified another four products in our range which follow some basic similarities...
...a stores wide stock check and inspection of these 3164 items identified an error in one instance, this item has been returned to the supplier...
...we are in negotiation with the suppliers of all five products to ensure...

If we can be of any further help in this matter please do not hesitate... So I didn't hesitate and rang the phone number which surprisingly took me straight to Jeremy Henderson, being the signatory on the email. I asked about the discrepancy between the number of items checked and the original quantity quoted, apparently they get used 'in store' and written off and some get stolen.

They obviously took this seriously, big up to a shed.

 

[mattylad]

That's a first !! Normally they just don't want to know, let alone do any work.

Well done to both you for bringing it up and the shed for acting upon it.

 

[SUNRAY]

Personally I'm still in a state of surprise, verging on shock that:
a) my initial visit actually received any recognition and,
b) head office jumped in a big way and,
c) I received such a detailed response and,
d) The phone number in the email went straight through to the author.

My impression of the company has really changed.

 

[winston1]

Of course returned items should never be put back into stock for selling as new. I believe Currys were done for this once.

 

[JohnW2]

Of course returned items should never be put back into stock for selling as new.

I don't think that does (or should) apply if the product is returned still in its original sealed packaging. In this case, at least one problem was that the store failed to notice that the packaging had been opened and then re-closed.

Many retail outlets accept returns if people 'change their mind', or over-order etc., provided the product remains in its original, still sealed, packaging. They would probably not do that if it would cause them to be out-of-pocket because they were not allowed to re-sell the item (at least, not as 'new').

Kind Regards, John

 

[EFLImpudence]

There are often packages which have been opened and restuck with sellotape on the shelves of shops.

 

[JohnW2]

There are often packages which have been opened and restuck with sellotape on the shelves of shops.

That's true, and although there might well be 'legitimate' and reasonable reasons/explanations in some cases, it is a bit iffy. Even eBay makes a distinction in such cases with its "New Other" category (which usually implies an absence of packaging, or damaged/'tampered' packaging).

If it were a product (of which there are very many) in some sort of 'sealed container', I don't think anyone would knowingly buy the product (certainly not 'as new') if the seal were broken.

However, as has been said, I think the primary problem in this case was one of design - the covers bearing the 'Mains' and 'Appliance' (or whatever) labelling really should not be interchangeable, since some users are bound to end up with both taken apart at the same time!

Kind Regards, John

 

[SUNRAY]

- the covers bearing the 'Mains' and 'Appliance' (or whatever) labelling really should not be interchangeable, since some users are bound to end up with both taken apart at the same time!

Kind Regards, John

I have been in that situation numerous times. On one occasion we purchased a bulk bag of non assembled connectors (something like 50 or 100 pairs) to make up load of loudspeaker leads. Non assembled meant a bag of: male pins, female sleeves, screws etc.

 

[JohnW2]

I have been in that situation numerous times. On one occasion we purchased a bulk bag of non assembled connectors (something like 50 or 100 pairs) to make up load of loudspeaker leads. Non assembled meant a bag of: male pins, female sleeves, screws etc.

Were the covers not all identical (with no labelling as to 'purpose')? If that were the case, I'm not sure that I see a particular problem with that.

Kind Regards, John

 

[ban-all-sheds]

There are often packages which have been opened and restuck with sellotape on the shelves of shops.

Some of those could be because the shop has resealed them after someone like me has been there and opened the packaging as that's the only way they can examine the product properly.

Buy a hand tool without holding it in a hand? No way. Cut the cable ties fixing it into display packaging? You betcha.

Try to judge the quality of something through a thick layer of polythene? No way. Open the packaging? You betcha.

Just assume that something will have all its components, fixtures and fittings present and undamaged? No way. Open the packaging? You betcha.

 

[mrcrow]

I am a fan of these: http://www.toolstation.com/shop/Ele...ccessories/sd2659/Cable+Connector+IP67/p96672

You don't have to mow the lawn in the rain to get moisture in the connector.

Two-piece connectors are usually placed so that when mated together the joint is off the ground so away from potential sources of moisture, unless of course it is raining...

The chances are the joint in the flex will be at ground level so the connector shown ensures that no moisture will enter the joint as the cable is dragged along.

you can seal it up if you dont need to disconnect it with the tape mentioned in another post
self amalgamating tape.
https://www.screwfix.com/p/self-amalgamating-rubber-tape-black-25mm-x-3m/2115v
its a bit tricky to get the backing off and it will stick to itself if you dont hold it straight..
once you use it you will always look to use it..
cheers
geof