B&Q Who to complain to?

Becas1980

Thanks Mark.
But it seems a big gamble to me. £180 its half the price of a new bath…
and if I leave in Cornwall the charge would be double, because the manufactures are base in Yorkshire and this charge is for there dislocation.

deaglecat

Ok .. I have some practical experience of the complaints handling process at B&Q - you can waste a lot of time and effort waiting for callbacks, escalations etc only to be told that they will do nothing to help. It can be both frustrating and upsetting.

In my case, I took them to the small claims court (via online method). After weeks of no help... they called to settle a few days before the case was due to be heard.

Sad but I fear that if you really want remedy then you need to get tough with them.

I will still shop there... but no longer for any "big ticket" items - kitchens, bathrooms etc... fine for paint etc cos' they generally don't !!!! up that sort of thing.

YMMV

isplumm

Becas1980 wrote: »

Thanks Mark.
But it seems a big gamble to me. £180 its half the price of a new bath…
and if I leave in Cornwall the charge would be double, because the manufactures are base in Yorkshire and this charge is for there dislocation.

Hi,

THe issue you have is whether it is worth it - you say that the bath still has the plastic wrap on it? So you haven't installed it yet ....?? How has it been stored - could that have affected it?

Mark

Becas1980

We have the Bath about one year on its original packaged in our spare room. About 6 months ago we put in place in the bathroom. Its half installed but not fitted 100% yet, as still need the tiles to go around, which we were going to do two weeks ago and then we saw the crack.
Could it be the sun?? it has been really hot, but I dough it. The crack its on the side and it feels so thin around that side its unbelievable.

the point is if something has crack the bath and they blame on me I will have lost £180 for their fee, a £660 for a bath plus plumbers fee and I still need to buy a new bath. :mad:

B&Q says it does not have anyone qualified to come and check the bath, so it has to be the manufacturers... but why should I pay for this?? this is the question. for them its peanuts they can just give me a replacement and then deal with the manufacturers and the very unhelpful PJH

PS: Thanks YMMV for the very helpful information.

isplumm

Becas1980 wrote: »

We have the Bath about one year on its original packaged in our spare room. About 6 months ago we put in place in the bathroom. Its half installed but not fitted 100% yet, as still need the tiles to go around, which we were going to do two weeks ago and then we saw the crack.
Could it be the sun?? it has been really hot, but I dough it. The crack its on the side and it feels so thin around that side its unbelievable.

the point is if something has crack the bath and they blame on me I will have lost £180 for their fee, a £660 for a bath plus plumbers fee and I still need to buy a new bath. :mad:

B&Q says it does not have anyone qualified to come and check the bath, so it has to be the manufacturers... but why should I pay for this?? this is the question. for them its peanuts they can just give me a replacement and then deal with the manufacturers and the very unhelpful PJH

PS: Thanks YMMV for the very helpful information.

Because it is upto you to prove that it is an inherit fault with the bath & nothing to do with what you have done with the bath .... I assume that the crack wasn't there when you recieved it -was it there when you placed in new bathroom .... maybe something has been dropped on it?

Mark

Becas1980

Well Mark, it does not work like that. And if you talk to the Consumer Direct they tell you about the Sale of Goods act and your statuary rights. And B&Q its responsible to check the bath and not me to prove anything and even less to pay for it.
About the crack obviously we haven't drop anything...

Thanks for your time

isplumm

Becas1980 wrote: »

Well Mark, it does not work like that. And if you talk to the Consumer Direct they tell you about the Sale of Goods act and your statuary rights. And B&Q its responsible to check the bath and not me to prove anything and even less to pay for it.
About the crack obviously we haven't drop anything...

Thanks for your time

I am sorry, but I don't believe that CD are telling you the correct information .... look at this page ... http://www.which.co.uk/advice/understanding-the-sale-of-goods-act/your-rights/index.jsp

I have quoted a bit from it ....
Six months...and counting

If your claim is about a problem that arises within six months of buying the product, it's up to the retailer to prove that the goods were fit for purpose – or 'as described' – when it sold them. It is also responsible for proving that the problem was caused by you (for example, because you had an accident with the item that damaged it). Beyond six months, it's up to you to prove that the problem was the retailer's.
So you may need to prove that the fault was not down to wear and tear or damage you caused, and that the product (or a component) should have lasted longer than it did. To do this you may need an expert's report, for example from an engineer or mechanic.

It doesn't say that you have to pay for it .... BUT if you decide to take them to court, then you need that proof - they aren't going to pay for it - so you will have to & claim back from them .... if you win ... great, if you loose ... £180 down the drain.

Mark

Googlewhacker

Becas1980 wrote: »

Well Mark, it does not work like that. And if you talk to the Consumer Direct they tell you about the Sale of Goods act and your statuary rights. And B&Q its responsible to check the bath and not me to prove anything and even less to pay for it.
About the crack obviously we haven't drop anything...

Thanks for your time

Well you are being given duff advice by whoever you are speaking to. After 6 months it is upto you to prove that there was an inherent fault with the product not the retailer.

Can you not pay someone independant to inspect the bath for a cheaper price?

GlenT_2

A note of caution to anyone considering use of the B&Q reservation "service". I "reserved" a hedge trimmer last weekend for pick-up at my local store the next day. When I went the price was 20% up and when I complained I was shown the small-print that says that the price you pay is the price at the store at the time of purchase. I daresay its legal but I felt angry & cheated. I recommend that consumers avoid this service - if you want to buy on-line use DIY.com. ...and yes, I did complain immediately in store, online and by letter. No replies so far and I won't hold my breath.

chris_is_skint

isplumm wrote: »

Matthew ...

This email confuses me .... you have cancelled the order ... will you get your money back?

Did you wait three weeks before calling B&Q ... when you called the designer .... could they have been on holiday?

Have you contact details for the installation company ... could you not call them ....

Mark

I just love this... I LOVE how you have tried to make it sound like the customer has not done enough to make B&Q's sales process actually work!! You, my sorry sorry friend, are totally deluded.

When you pay SEVERAL thousand pounds for a kitchen or bathroom which costs a fraction of that to install the bitty of cash left over (you know, after you've been paid for getting yer sorry !!!! to the house and all the materials have been paid for) is supposed to be for the SERVICE - watch now... S... E.... R... V... I... C... E... that B&Q provide.

What? NO???? The Customer is supposed to provide their own service??? Ahhh, is that why its so cheap?

Oh...

:TYOU'RE A LEGEND - YOU MAKE ME FEEL ALL FUNNY:T