TJ Hughes won't give refund for faulty saucepan - any advice?

Minerva69

I bought a set of 3 Anthony Worrall Thompson saucepans from TJ Hughes in mid January this year. They have a 10 year guarantee. Last night when I was using one, the metal knob on the pan lid fell off as I was draining some vegetables, I was really lucky not to get boiling water all over my hands :mad: The knob had been loose and I had tried to tighten it up with a screwdriver, but it didn't work. The knob on one of the other pan lids is also loose.

As I have only had the pans for 4 months, I thought I would be able to get a refund under the guarantee, as they appear to be faulty. The guarantee states that "In the unlikely event that a fault should occur, simply return the item to the relevant point of purchase with the original receipt of purchase".

I had saved the receipt with the guarantee, so today I took the pans back to the TJ Hughes store I bought them from. I explained the problem and asked for a refund. The customer services assistant said I couldn't have a refund, only an exchange, as the "10 year guarantee didn't apply to the store". I said I didn't want an exchange as I thought the pans were faulty and it would just happen again.

I asked to speak to a manager, a man came (who didn't give his name or job title). He looked at the pan with the broken knob and said "this can be put back on and tightened up with a screwdriver". I explained I had already tried that, it hadn't worked, and the knob on one of the other pans was also loose. I asked him for a refund and pointed out the pans had a 10 year guarantee. The man said they had had no other pans returned of that design so mine couldn't be faulty. He offered to replace the knobs but I refused, as I believe the problem would happen again. I asked for a refund again but the man refused. I said I was going to take this further, he was very rude and walked off, I asked for his name so I could make a complaint and he gave it as he was walking off. I asked the Customer Services person for her name but she refused.

I am thinking of writing to TJ Hughes head office and/or contacting Consumer Direct. Do I have any rights under the Sale of Goods Act or similar to get a refund?

isplumm

look up SOGA - Sales of Goods Act - I think you should be able to ask for your money back .... you've had them less than 6 months ....

I am sure other people will be able to advise better than I can ...

Thanks Mark

substandard

I thought SOGA specified refund, repair or replacement, but that it's the shop's decision which.

In this case, I think replacement is reasonable. If the same fault recurs then you'd have a stronger case for refund.

pinkshoes

As it's just one handle that has come of, I think a replacement or repair is perfectly acceptable. If it happens more than twice, THEN a refund would be required...

cattie

I think these saucepans must be rubbish, a friend bought some from a shopping channel & a handle broke off soon after.

She didn't bother complaining, as I would have done, silly woman. She just went out & bought herself a new set, not trusting the others to be safe to use any more.

bishopsgirl

I bought some Anthony Worrall Thompson cake tins and they were very poor quality. They were supposed to be non stick and everything stuck. Replaced them with some Tesco had on offer cost -1/4 price of Worrall Thompson and were far far better.

CHR15

TJ Hughes is one of the cheapest tackiest shops around!!

Great for those last minute Xmas stocking fillers but jeez! the cutlery is made of tinfoil.

It's a glorified pound shop. Cheap nasty goods in shiny boxes.

There are some on Fleabay.. RRP £90, yours for £40. This shows how cheap they are, the seller isn't selling them for a loss.

Minerva69

daily wrote: »

Why didn't a screwdriver work?

It wouldn't tighten up fully for some reason and the knob on the lid was still loose. One of the other pans is the same and it's only been used a handful of times. That's what makes me think they're faulty. I contacted Consumer Direct and they gave me some helpful advice. Am now composing a complaint letter to TJ Hughes, will see what happens after that. I don't think the pans are safe so have already bought an alternative!

mrcow

Keep us posted.

I fail to see why the manager would be so dismissive about this. Surely they would only be returning the faulty stock to the manufacturer anyway? There's no question that the pan is faulty after such a short time of use.

rich_months

Your contract of sale is with the seller, not the manufacturer.

I know this thread is a little old, but make sure you get them replaced!