Comet - faulty TV 23 months on...

loopyanna

I bought a TV from Comet just under 2 years ago. Listed at £1700 but on sale to £1000.

It has developed a fault, a band down the right side of the screen which is brighter than the rest of the screen.

E-mailed Comet who want me to pay £30 for an engineer to come out and look at it.

I have quoted SOGA and that a £1000 tv should last more than 2 years, they have come back with the exact same resposne! Grrr... Have gone back to them and asked that the matter is referred to their supervisor/manager in the hope that they will have a basic grasp of concumer rights.

If that gets me nowhere, what would you suggest i do? I suppose the last step is getting engineering evidence to show the the fault is inherrant (sp!) and wasn't caused through accidental damage or anything i have done and then issue a claim in the small claims court... I'd rather it didn't get that far to be honest but i will do it if necessary...

Anyone had similar experience with Comet? What was the outcome or how did you finally get your point accross? Anyone got any other ideas as to how i can move the matter forward (assuming that the supervisor comes back with the same "automated" e-mail for a third time?!?)??

Many thanks for any advice

Anna.

Esqui

In between getting the report and going via small claims, I would at least give Comet the opportunity to act on the report.

woody01

I have quoted SOGA and that a £1000 tv should last more than 2 years

Unfortunately that is just your opinion and nothing more. It can easily be ignored.

I suppose the last step is getting engineering evidence to show the the fault is inherrant

The fault wasn't inherent (or MAHOOSIVELY unlikely to be), as it could be argued it has been fine for almost 2 years.

then issue a claim in the small claims court

What would you expect them to do?
If you exhaust options the first two things, then it will have no chance of winning in court

WHat make is the TV?
I would go straight to the manufacturer and beg. If they wont do it free, then just pay up for repair as it seems you have no other recourse.

loopyanna

Thanks for the responses. Esqui, I will certainly give Comet the chance to act on the report, i won't be rushing off to issue. Thanks for the input

Woody, thanks for your comments. What is your opinion? Do you think a £1000 TV should last more than 2 years?

A lady issued proceedings against curry's a few years back after a £400 washing machine failed after 18 months and the judge found that it should have lasted longer. Whilst it is my opinion (regarding the TV's life span) i don't think that it is an unreasonable one. In that case the judge ordered curry's to pay for the repairs, compensation for clothes which were damaged in said machine as well as her Court costs.

I don't think that the length of time the fault has taken to manifest shows that it wasn't inherent.... and this is why i would be getting an engineer to confirm the position before going any further.

I would be asking the Court to order Comet to pay for the cost of repairs and my legal costs in addition. I agree that if i cannot show the fault was inherent then i will not succeed in Court - but i have stated that i will only pursue that matter if i have the relevant evidence in support of my position. It would be up to a judge to decide whether £1000 worth of TV should last more than 2 years.

The TV is Toshiba. However, i have rights under the SOGA against the retailer and therefore have no reason to go back to Toshiba.

Quite simply i refuse to be so defeatist. Retailers have no idea of consumers rights and alyways fob you off "It's no longer in guarentee" or "you need to go back to the manufacturer".... It's their responsibility to ensure that they sell me something that is free from defects and will be fit for purpose for a reasonbale length of time!

Esqui

My opinion, though by no means expert, is that a TV should last a good few years - certainly longer than 23 months.

woody01 wrote: »

The fault wasn't inherent (or MAHOOSIVELY unlikely to be), as it could be argued it has been fine for almost 2 years.

Not neccessarily. A lot of people (don't know if you are included) take 'inherent' to mean 'the fault was there at the start'. When in fact, it could be a poorly manufactured component which wore out before it should or something. Just because an item has been fine for a length of time, doesn't automatically preclude an inherent fault.

loopyanna

Thanks Esqui, i couldn't find the words with regards the explanation of inherent fault but that is exactly what i was trying to say!

I notice from your sig what you do, lol! You got any specific advice of how i can put this to the comet customer service guy so that he might stop sending me the exact same reply?? Or should i just give up and go to head office do you think?

alexlyne

Pretty sure that EU laws state all that electronic products (and maybe other products, I can't remember) must be covered by a 2 year guarantee (even though nearly everything these days only state 1 year on packaging). A store will cover the first year, after that, try going to the manufacturer - if you have proof of purchase, there shouldn't be a problem.

loopyanna

Hmmm thanks Alex.... will check that right now!

OlliesDad

alexlyne wrote: »

Pretty sure that EU laws state all that electronic products (and maybe other products, I can't remember) must be covered by a 2 year guarantee (even though nearly everything these days only state 1 year on packaging). A store will cover the first year, after that, try going to the manufacturer - if you have proof of purchase, there shouldn't be a problem.

This is a half truth. What the EU guideline suggests is what we have already in place in the Sales of Goods act. The EU reccommends up to two years, but as we live in the beautiful UK, we have 6 years.

What has been stated above does still apply and you may need to have proof of the inherent fault.

loopyanna

Just a quick update.... Comet are arranging for one of their engineers to come out and look at the unit - free of charge - and we'll take it from there

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