GHD hair irons safety case result

mirandamayhem

The maximum fine in this instance would be £5k.

mirandamayhem

lushkat wrote:

I wasnt aware of this, and last week I sent a pair of GHDs back to be repaired at the cost of £23 which I have paid. They had sparks coming from the power cord, but the warranty period had ended.

What should I have said regarding the Sale of Goods Act, bookworm? And what are my chances now of getting my money back? I havent received the irons back yet?

If something is out of warranty it doesn't mean you lose your statutory rights. The item shouldn't have been faulty in that way after such a short time anyway. But don't see you getting your money back if you've already paid out.

bookworm1363

mirandamayhem wrote:

If something is out of warranty it doesn't mean you lose your statutory rights. The item shouldn't have been faulty in that way after such a short time anyway. But don't see you getting your money back if you've already paid out.

Well, I don't know about that...

It seems to me that if lushkat were to write to them stating that since paying out for repairs, she has found out that the fault was a known one, that she knows about the above mentioned court decision, and the terms of SOGA clearly state that an item should be of reasonable quality and fit for purpose, etc... (lushkat, pm me if you want me to send you copies of the letters I actually sent them), and therefore feels that item should have been fixed FOC, and asks for a refund or threatens with small claims court, especially since they've just been stung and know they could not win this, they'd be quite likely to pay back, imo.

bookworm1363

Astaroth wrote:

I am not saying it isnt worth it but £35k for costs and a max fine only being £2250 seems wrong to me.

I agree with the 2nd part of your sentence, yes. Considering that these things cost upwards of £100 a piece, just over 2k fine is totally inappropriate and even with the 35k costs, will not be a sufficient deterrent from them manufacturing sub-standards goods.

It's especially worrying as they are known to be the best on the market. (for straigthening hair, obviously, not for safety!)

trisontana

They must have sold thousands of these things, because, unless my memory fails me, GHD were the sponsors of "The Salon" on Channel 4. So lots of advertising there.

lushkat

We received the GHDs back in the post this morning- but they hadnt repaired them.... they have replaced them with brand new irons.

What do you think of that???

mikemoate

As I had bought a set of GHD for my daughter at Christmas I was obviously concerned about this and sent an e-mail via their site to Jemella. Nearly a week later I got the reply below. I don't know if it will set people's mind at rest but i have tucked it a way in case future use is required; and warned my daughter to be very careful when using the irons, never leave them unattended when switched on, and to turn them off at the wall if anything untoward should happen.

From Jemella

Thankyou for your e-mail dated 18th May concerning the recent articles
regarding the ghd styling iron and Gloucestershire Trading Standards.

The ghd iron is a high quality product and we pride ourselves on the
reliability of the products in our range.

We can confirm that the fault with the styling irons in this case was due to
a minor non-compliance, which was not related to the cable of the styling
iron as reported in recent press articles.

They were not part of a faulty batch of styling irons and were manufactured
over 3- years ago. This is an obsolete styling iron, which cannot be
purchased on the market.

Jemella Ltd have been guided by a government approved notifiable body to
clarify that the Jemella Limited product complies with relevant electrical
standards and this body has always stated that the product was safe. West
Yorkshire Trading standards have also stated that the product was safe and
still maintains this position.

If you have any further concerns or questions concerning your styling irons
then please do not hesitate to contact us.

Anna Green
Customer Care Administrator
Jemella Ltd

Miss_Penny_Pincher_2

Thanks for that. I have some styling irons which I got for Christmas 2 and half years ago I think. A couple of times I have noticed small sparks coming out from the on/off switch when it is on so I quickly switch it off. Since I heard about the girl who got burnt it is scary to use them!

gembo84

Wasn't aware that they were taken to court.

I'm on probably about my 4th pair of GHDs now, they never seem to last very long - I have had sparks and all sorts happen to them. I think the first time I sent them back and they asked for about £25 to repair. The quality had gone down anyway so I just threw them out and bought a new pair (although they have these problems I have yet to find straighteners which straighten my hair so well).

Again it happened, (cant remember exactly what the problem was) but a friend offered to write to them - wish I could remember what they said but they sent me a brand new pair. He has dealt with it twice now, both times they initially asked for this £25 but eventually sent me a new pair. I think you just have to be really firm with them, tell them that you have looked after your GHDs perfectly (as they often claim it is the way you put them away - wrapping the wires round while it is still hot etc)...

As I say I'm on my 4th maybe 5th pair now, and I know that they lose their quality after about a year - but I still keep getting them, have yet to find a pair of straighteners as good. I have got the salon ones now though actually and they seem to be still working very well - almost a year old.