watch battery warranty?

doozeruk

I bought a watch from Argos a couple of weeks ago in the clearence and very nice it is too However it started loosing time earlier in the week and has now completley stopped. I am guessing it is the battery. Do you think they are obliged to replace the battery under the 16 day warranty?

Thanks

jgjet

doozeruk wrote:

I bought a watch from Argos a couple of weeks ago in the clearence and very nice it is too However it started loosing time earlier in the week and has now completley stopped. I am guessing it is the battery. Do you think they are obliged to replace the battery under the 16 day warranty?

Thanks

Either way take it back, could also be faulty although sounds to be the battery.
A Battery should have a guarantee if sold seperate, only thing is Argos don't sell them!!!!
Discount maybe, or might swap it for another??

pavlovs_dog

the battery is not covered under the guarantee, so argos are not liable for it

as it is a clearance item, the option to replace wont be there.

you should be offered for it to be sent away for repair-and if their is a genuine fault with the watch this work will be carried out free of charge under the warranty (provided you have your receipt as proof of purchase). if however, it is discovered that it is simply the battery, then you will be given the option of them replacing the battery for you (which you will be charged for), or returning the watch so you can arrange a battery replacement yourself

doozeruk

Wow! thanks for the comprehensive replies.

I dont mind replacing the battery myself, I have done so in numerous watches and have looked at the one in this watch too. I would have replaced it if I had had the right size :mad:

I will take it back on Saturday and then fill you in with the result, thanks.

doozeruk

pavlovs dog was quite right, they would have exchanged it, but didn't have one in stock, would have refunded too, but I really want to keep the watch, so they have sent it away for new battery/repair whichever the case may be, 2 week turnaround :eek:

thanks

pavlovs_dog

doozeruk wrote:

pavlovs dog was quite right,

can i get that on paper? :rotfl:

pavlovs_dog

and just to clarify doozer, it can take up to 21 working days to turn an order around, but something as simple as a watch battery should be quite a quick job. make sure you keep hold of your repair note (the white bit of paper) and keep an eye on your phone - they'll be in touch as soon as it gets back into store

withabix

I think argos could be liable to replace the battery as you could reasonably have expected the battery in a brand new product to last 'a reasonable amount of time', which such a short period clearly isn't.

Some manufacturers (especially for battery-powered toys these days) get around this by stating on the packaging that the supplied battery is 'for demonstration purposes only'.

pavlovs_dog

it clearly states in the guarantee and instruction leaflet that is supplied with any watch bought from argos that the guarantee does not cover the battery. or the glass for that matter, and in many cases the strap

pavlovs_dog

besides which, a watch manufactured, by sekonda for arguments sake, could have spent months sitting in a sekonda warehouse before being supplied to argos, where it could have spent many more months still in an argos warehouse before getting to spend week after week in an argos stockroom. there is no telling how long that battery has been powering the watch for, hence the "reasonable amount of time" argument does not stand.

RightRevBod

Not sure if it is the case (no pun intended) with this watch, but many "waterproof" watches are only guaranteed to be waterproof while they are still sealed. Once they have been opened to change the battery, then they are not guaranteed to be waterproof.

With this in mind, I think it reasonable to expect that the battery would last somewhat longer than two weeks after purchase. If Argos choose to store it for many months before selling it, then that is hardly the subsequent purchaser's responsibility.

My wife still has a watch that I bought for her 6(7?) years ago, still going strong on the original battery.

Depending on the watch (i.e. not a built in radio/mp3 player, etc.) I believe that it is reasonable to expect the battery to last for a year, or maybe 6 months as a minimum; unless there is some warning/statement that battery life will be shorter.

My opinion (for what that is worth) is that Argos should do a free repair - including a replacement battery, if that is what it takes to make it work.