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Comet and SOGA again!
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The 28-day (or thereabouts) period is there to give much more than enough time to avoid legal arguments about what is reasonable. They go far over what is reasonable, in order to avoid doubt. The counter example we have at work is skis (I have no idea why). If you bought a pair of skis today, it would be reasonable to give you, say, 5 months in which to reject them as faulty, because you have no opportunity to check they conform to contract....it's summer, they're for winter.
Well, not quite. 72 hours they will exchange right away. 72 hours to 28 days they will exchange after confirming a fault (they say "if they can economically repair" but that, from experience, is limited to tiny things like resetting and power cycling, not taking it apart). Bosch do something similar with their white goods.
Of course, it does really depend on how quickly they can come and attend to confirm the fault. If you have to wait a week for someone to come and go "That's not working", that'd be silly. Two days, max, or I get tough one the few who do this.
Well I guess I will see what happens on Monday.
As a consumer I am obviously not happy with an electronic device that develops two seperate faults with 28 days. As an Engineer I look at that as a clear example of a unit that has questionable build quality with potential reliability implications.
It is on this basis coupled with Comets replacement policy as stated by the engineer and by their own call centre in Clevedon that I want a replacement rather than a repair. I don't want to spend the next few years having to have a TV with highly questionable quality control issues in and out of repair shops, a very real possibility based upon my experience so far.
One last point, anybody that thinks a few days is ample time to accept a Plasma Television doesn't know very much about the technology.
These TV's include anti reflective coatings that don't necessarily bond evenly to the glass surfaces until the TV has been run for some hours. This makes it impossible to determine if the sort of fault my TV has is temporary or permament until the set has been used for a certain amount of time. This is precisely why it is unreasonable to give consumers just 72 hours or less to decide if they will or will not accept the goods.0 -
If the plasma panel needs replacing then I would suggest it would be cheaper/easier for them to just replace the tv.
One of my old plasma screen went, and insurance company wrote it off, when the heard it was the panel it was needing replaced and gave me a new tv instead. This was an old plasma as well.0 -
One would assume this would be the best course of action. When you consider the cost of taking away and returning the TV, the cost and transportation costs for the new panel, labour to strip out and replace the old panel, testing time, soak testing time to identify the fault with the USB relay, it makes no sense whatsoever to undertake a repair.
Of course there is the possibility that Comet are getting paid by suppliers like Panasonic to repair faulty goods in which case they have a strong motive for always trying to get customers to accept repairs rather than replacement don't they, particularly on large items like TV's? Cynical I know but you have to question the motives behind repairs on brand new items.0 -
I'll say this again there is a very good chance you WILL get a replacement. And again why not contact Panasonic, that's what the warranty is for after all.0
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Why not use the Panasonic warranty?
My contract is with the retailer, not panasonic. Panasonics warranty is a last resort option and offered in addition to my statutory rights.
Under UK trading law however Comet, not Panasonic, are legally obliged under SOGA to address the issues I have with the TV I purchased from them.
Manufacturers warranties are useful if you buy from a wholesaler where SOGA doesn't apply or in the event that a retailer went into liquidation. In all other instances the retailer is responsible for addressing issues with the goods they sell.0 -
Why not use the Panasonic warranty?
My contract is with the retailer, not panasonic. Panasonics warranty is a last resort option and offered in addition to my statutory rights.
Yes, your contract is with the retailer, but if you use them they will arrange to send an engineer (who may or may not be an expert on Panasonic TV's).
They might then have to order a spare part from Panasonic themselves, get it delivered to the them then arrange for it to be fitted, which could extend the time you are left waiting.
Contacting Panasonic directly on the other hand may well result in either getting it fixed far quicker or possibly getting it exchanged for a new unit.
If I had to choose between a Comet engineer or a Panasonic engineer, I know which would be my first choice.
Just because you have rights under the SOGA doesn't mean that you must use them if there are other options available which may give a better/quicker result.0 -
Why not use the Panasonic warranty?
My contract is with the retailer, not panasonic. Panasonics warranty is a last resort option and offered in addition to my statutory rights.
Under UK trading law however Comet, not Panasonic, are legally obliged under SOGA to address the issues I have with the TV I purchased from them.
Manufacturers warranties are useful if you buy from a wholesaler where SOGA doesn't apply or in the event that a retailer went into liquidation. In all other instances the retailer is responsible for addressing issues with the goods they sell.0 -
Why not use the Panasonic warranty?
My contract is with the retailer, not panasonic. Panasonics warranty is a last resort option and offered in addition to my statutory rights.
Under UK trading law however Comet, not Panasonic, are legally obliged under SOGA to address the issues I have with the TV I purchased from them.
Manufacturers warranties are useful if you buy from a wholesaler where SOGA doesn't apply or in the event that a retailer went into liquidation. In all other instances the retailer is responsible for addressing issues with the goods they sell.
I didn't realise manufacturer's warranties were so useless.
Thanks for the info OP.0 -
Whilst i'm aware what i'm about to say doesn't help you, I think this just further highlights why shoppers should _never_ spend money with Comet and other chains (Currys etc) like them.
Pay the little bit extra, and go to John Lewis (or even Amazon, whom I have had great service from previously). With John Lewis you would now be walking out with a brand new replacement TV no quibble.
NB: I have no association with the above named companies, other than the customer experience i've had with each.0
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