Camera not working, PC World being difficult. Advice needed please!

babe_ruth_3

can anyone explain why the retailer has to be responsible for a faulty camera and not the manufacturer who made it?

Rex_Mundi

babe_ruth wrote:

can anyone explain why the retailer has to be responsible for a faulty camera and not the manufacturer who made it?

Sale of Goods Act 1979.

When you purchase a product, your contract is with the retailer you bought the item from, not the manufacturer of the product. This means that if the product goes wrong, it is up to the retailer to sort out a repair/refund.

Frogling

Thanks to everyone for their advice on this matter. I went into PC World and argued the case in point, first with a member of staff and then with the Store Manager. The staff member looked like he was going to wet his pants when I mentioned the words 'Sale of Goods Act' (mind you, he was so young that he looked like he'd barely come out of nappies lol!).

The manager tried to stick to the 'contact the manufacturer' spiel but, thanks to the excellent advice I got from my fellow MSE'ers, I stood my ground and, after a good 10 minutes of heated discussion with the manager, he agreed to send the camera off for repair. I also made it clear that I would expect a like-for-like replacement if the repair wasn't feasible, at no additional cost to my SIL.

I don't mind saying that I was feeling on a high when I walked out of the store. Plus, according to my SIL, quoting various Acts and using big words makes me sound like a lawyer! :rotfl:

ben500

Frogling wrote:

Thanks to everyone for their advice on this matter. I went into PC World and argued the case in point, first with a member of staff and then with the Store Manager. The staff member looked like he was going to wet his pants when I mentioned the words 'Sale of Goods Act' (mind you, he was so young that he looked like he'd barely come out of nappies lol!).

The manager tried to stick to the 'contact the manufacturer' spiel but, thanks to the excellent advice I got from my fellow MSE'ers, I stood my ground and, after a good 10 minutes of heated discussion with the manager, he agreed to send the camera off for repair. I also made it clear that I would expect a like-for-like replacement if the repair wasn't feasible, at no additional cost to my SIL.

I don't mind saying that I was feeling on a high when I walked out of the store. Plus, according to my SIL, quoting various Acts and using big words makes me sound like a lawyer! :rotfl:

Well done! It shows it does pay to assert your rights. One word of caution though this is PC world we are talking about, be very careful when dealing with these people they will ban you at the drop of a hat, keep your voice to a monotone if possible, do not gesture with your arms towards aisles or shelves as this can be construed as aggressive behaviour when viewed on camera without sound, literally take a step back from whomever you are discussing your plight with, their staff are quite skilled at inflaming a situation to the point where they can call in security and have you ejected from the premises this will make it far more difficult for you when dealing with head office, better still do not deal with them face to face, if possible make all communications through snail mail, email etc.

mikewebs

GREAT NEWS!! Congratulations!

babe_ruth_3

Rex_Mundi wrote:

Sale of Goods Act 1979.

When you purchase a product, your contract is with the retailer you bought the item from, not the manufacturer of the product. This means that if the product goes wrong, it is up to the retailer to sort out a repair/refund.

Do the manufacturers not have ANY responsibility then for the items they make. In other words can they make any old cr*p sell it to the retailer and then the retailer has to foot the bill when a customer brings it back.

Seems a little unfair to me that the manufactures have no responsibilty

Rex_Mundi

babe_ruth wrote:

Do the manufacturers not have ANY responsibility then for the items they make. In other words can they make any old cr*p sell it to the retailer and then the retailer has to foot the bill when a customer brings it back.

Seems a little unfair to me that the manufactures have no responsibilty

The retailer could send the item back to the manufacturer for a refund of what they paid. They would have a contract with the manufacturer for the supply of goods. If there is a problem with the goods, they need to address this with the company themselves. If a manufacterer keeps supplying shoddy goods, any decent retailer would stop using them.

As consumers, we are covered by the Sale of Goods Act. This states that our contract is with the retailer we used to buy an item from. Not the manufacturers. Sometimes a manufacturer will also offer their own warranty with a product. If this is offered, it doesn't take precedence over our rights under the Sale of Goods Act. The warranty would be included in addition to our rights under the act. The act covers goods for 'the reasonable lifespan of a product' up to a maximum of 6 years.

kev1n3

a great reference site for consumer rights http://www.tradingstandards.gov.uk/cgi-bin/calitem.cgi?file=ADV0043-1011.txt