Are Argos Goods Sub-Standard

Stumpy

andrew502 wrote:

I think the lesson to learn is not to buy cheap products (especially DIY products)! Having worked in Homebase for years I've found that while cheap brands may be as little as a quarter of the price of proper brands, they are considerably worse value. If you want a drill, buy Bosch, if you want a lawnmower buy Qualcast, you do get what you pay for.

The pint I'd make is that if you return a product because you don't want it, remember that someone else is going to have to buy it! Shops can't afford to throw away products returned under money back guarantees.

As far as I'm concerned, regardless of the make or price of something, it should at least be able to do what it was sold to do. Alright, you might expect a cheaper model not to keep going for as long as a more expensive model (although this is not always the case), but you would expect it to work for at least the length of the manufacturers guarantee.

And if you're returning a product because it doesn't work, I don't think the shop should be putting it back on the shop floor - that's just unfair on the next person to buy it (and gives the shop a bad reputation), and I'm sure must be against some regulations or other.

zeke

ben500 wrote:

I bought a tv/dvd/video unit and when I got it home it was just a box full of wood and screws no tv no dvd and no video

I bought one of these too and didn't even get the wood and screws!

drstonk

I have frequently taken items back to argos, the most recent was a triops set for my daughter which had been used, returned and sold as new
no apology, no excuse and crap customer service

mrcow

Surely a retailer the size of Argos would have strict agreements in place with their suppliers with regards to faulty/returned goods?

Selling returned/faulty goods as new? With a company this size I can't see any excuse

marnstars

After many problems with purchases from Argos, I simply ask for an item that has not been pre-sold and returned (be cheeky enough to ask, if not, they'll be cheeky enough to give it to you!)

You are buying new, that's what you should get.

littlemisscheap

"I bought one of these too and didn't even get the wood and screws!"

I am still stuck with the chipboard tv unit with glass front that won't stay in the front since day 1 it was opened - it's maple wood colour wallpaper stuck on and a couple of matching drawer units with shelves missing as I had moved into new home and made mistake of not unpacking items immediately!

Never buy furniture from Argos again! Put me off the rest of their stuff too!

On the other hand MFI threw away an entire chest of drawers when 2 parts missing and supplied a completely new one - delivered! Solid stuff too!

andrew502

Stumpy wrote:

And if you're returning a product because it doesn't work, I don't think the shop should be putting it back on the shop floor - that's just unfair on the next person to buy it (and gives the shop a bad reputation), and I'm sure must be against some regulations or other.

I wasn't saying that they would re-sell faulty goods, I doubt they would do that deliberately. I was saying that retailers can't afford to throw away working items that are returned under their 16 day money back guarantee. If you return stuff which you've opened then you can't really complain if you buy stuff and find that it has been opened.

Usually the reason for faulty stuff that being resold is that people haven't mentioned that it is faulty when they return it.

John_Gray

You have to be careful when returning goods that you don't get offered a smack in the mouth!

John

WelshLamb

John_Gray wrote:

You have to be careful when returning goods that you don't get offered a smack in the mouth!

John

I was going to take my daughter's Dora the explorer talking backpack back tomorrow because it's faulty.....:o :eek:

Stumpy

That's dreadful!! I can understand their initial stance about only being able to refund the current price without a receipt, but the way that woman was talked to was out of order. Think they should at the very least give her some gift vouchers as well, as an apology.

Have to say that some staff do get rather stroppy, although I haven't had any problems recently - but I refused to go into one, or shop at one, for over a year a while back, because of the way I was dealt with at one of them.

I think the problem with a lot of these places now is that the shop floor staff see customers as an inconvenience - they'd rather stand in the corner and chat with their mates.

Right - I'll get off my soap box now!

Just a thought - what would have happened if she'd taken the item back and the price in the shop had gone up? Would they have refunded her the extra as well? Hmmm. Doubt it.