An expensive Plasma .... But 5 years ago

Matty007

Friends,

Could you please offer your thoughts.

My Mum bought 2 plasma £2000+ each TV's from a local retailer, one for her and she very kindly got me one too !!!!

Mine has been fine and but her's has been playing up.

The retailers 'technician' came around and said that the repair would cost in excess of £300 and it might be worth considering buying a new one.

Now my Mum is not a vulnerable old lady and it didn't surprise me that a free repair wasn't offered after the 5 year period.

But it still begs the question of whether you feel it would still be reasonable to expect a free repair after such a length of time, even knowing that we have rights up to 6 years.

Also if I do go down the 'Sales of Goods Act' would it be reasonable for me to contact the retailer and deal with any negotiations on my Mum's behalf.

Over to you guys.

Many thanks.

Matty007

Mark_Hewitt

I would say 5 years is not an unreasonable length of time for a television to last. I suspect you'd get short shrift if you tried the SOGA with the retailer.
Most of the big names are bad enough even if the TV is only a few weeks old, never mind 5 years!

A £2000 TV from 5 years ago I suspect would be around £500 in today's money?

Matty007

Thanks for that, is not the £2000+ price tag, the issue here ??

Regards
Matt007

Hintza

The price of adopting technology early I'm afraid.

Mark_Hewitt

Matty007 wrote: »

Thanks for that, is not the £2000+ price tag, the issue here ??

But you have to consider what £2000 would have bought you 5 years ago. Although Plasmas have been around for considerably longer than 5 years, it was only then that they were coming into consumer use brackets so you were still very much an early adopter.

Price in itself is not an indicator of quality, but it can be taken into account when making a judgement.

But the point is that you simply aren't going to get anyone to pay for your repair under the SOGA after 5 years, so it's either a repair, or more sensibly, a new TV.

vyle

After 5 years, even if you went SOGA route and won, she probably wouldn't get much at all.

A 5 year old plasma will no doubt pale in terms of specification compared to what you can get now and will cost considerably less.

How big was the TV?

delain

I read somewhere when I looked into it that some retailers won't give extended warranties on Plasma TV's because they're so unreliable. (I might be wrong, it's just a vague feeling) so you probably won't get far.

She'd do better to buy a new TV.

Matty007

Thanks guys, I appreciate your thoughts.

I think I will see what happens here, all your points are most helpful, although I might not accept some points and I hope you dont mind me questioning some of them.

Delain I am not sure whether selling unreliable goods is a valid defence by retailers when selling goods.

Vyle, if she went the SOGA route and won, surely she would have her current Plasma mended which is her preferred goal.

I guess the point here is whether the retailer is deemed responsible after 5 years.

Many of you think not and that's interesting.

Thank you again.

Matty007

DCFC79

A tv to last 5 years is quite good, pity they dotn last longer though, ive got an old crt which is 10 years old and still works albeit theres a patch of discolouration on the screen

derrick

vyle wrote: »

After 5 years, even if you went SOGA route and won, she probably wouldn't get much at all.

Matty007 wrote: »

Vyle, if she went the SOGA route and won, surely she would have her current Plasma mended which is her preferred goal.

I guess the point here is whether the retailer is deemed responsible after 5 years

SoGA is applicable "up to" 6 years against the retailer for remedy, not much point having a time limit in law if it is not going to be accepted!

DCFC79 wrote: »

ive got an old crt which is 10 years old and still works albeit theres a patch of discolouration on the screen

We have a 12 year old Toshiba 33" still going strong, although had to have 1 repair about 2 years ago.


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maninthestreet

I have a 19 year old Hitachi still going strong - the NICAM stereo failed a few year back, but when I bought a Freeview PVR three years ago, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the SCART connection supports stero sound, and I get stereo sound when using the TV with Freeview PVR. I'll keep the TV until my transmitter switches over to digital only in 2012, then I'll buy a HD-ready flat panel.