Stuck between VAX and VERY

Vax_Vex

Hi everyone,

My first post and I could really use some help.

My mum bought me a Vax Mach Air Force 2 Total Home Upright Vacuum Cleaner U89-MAF2-T from Very at the end of October on a buy now pay 12 months later deal. She has run her catalogue for years, originally Littlewoods, and it has changed its name through the years.. currently Very. She is a very good customer of theirs, always clears her account and certainly does not return things. She had the hoover delivered to my address and it arrived at the beginning of November.

By December I was cursing the bloomin' thing as it suddenly cuts off when you are using it and then won't turn on until it has cooled sufficiently. I have phoned Vax three times as on the hoover is a sticker saying 'no need to go to retailer - call us direct'. From the first time until now and each time the advice is to take the filters out - clear out the numerous holes in the red filter unit which clog at the remotest whiff of dust - and wash the filters with soapy water and leave to air dry for 24 hours before the next use. The first lady I spoke to told me that as it is SO powerful it cloggs up really easily and therefore needs washing constantly. :jGREAT!!!! Now I know why it is permanently on sale at £80 cheaper than the RRP.

An awful lot of faff for a vacuum cleaner? Who would invent a vacuum that is so powerful that it can't handle a normal three bed house with only one carpet!!

On christmas eve it cut out again and I said to my mum that it would have to go back as it is only good for a door stop - and I need a hoover!

Today my mum has come to stay and she bought all the bumph from Very so we could ring up and get it sent back. It goes without saying that I don't want another one of this model - it clearly does not work! If it had a warning on the description saying that the filters needed washing out everytime you use it I would NEVER have chosen it. I have yet to actually complete a full vacuum of the whole of the house - it cuts out before you get the chance.

We rang Very. Very told us we needed a reference number from Vax to allow them to accept the return.

We rang Vax - they said that Very were 100% wrong to tell us that, and that they understood why we didn't want it repaired or replaced as we had only had it for two months - but said they did not give refence numbers or anything to catalogue companies and it was up to Very to sort out the return.

We rang Very. They said we should ring Vax as it is up to them to sort it out.

We rang Vax - the man on the other end of the phone said he 'couldn't say it was a known problem but one that he has heard of many times before.' He said 'Is it the red bits clogging up? I can suggest to you a dust deflector which I have found can solve this problem' ....hmmm, sounds like Vax know all about this problem to me?! I asked him why I would want to pay for a faulty machine, or have bits added to it, when it is only two months old and not actually capable of doing the job it was sold to do. He actually then went on to say that he felt Very were shirking their responsibility on this issue, and that he knew a lot about statutory rights and we were entitled to sent the vacuum back. I asked him to tell Very this - he said he couldn't do that. He said 'I would advise you to go on to google and get armed with statutory rights and then ring Very back.' I thanked him for his advice, and asked him his name so that I could tell Very who I had spoken to. He then said I could not go to Very and tell them what he had said, and that I should tell them that Vax had offered a repair. Confused yet??!! I was. A customer service assistant who tells you one thing and then writes a whole load of other things on their computer system!

So back we go to Very. We speak to a reasonable lady who apologises and says she will get her manager to call. Hooray... we think.

Manager calls - she tells us she needs to call Vax as it's their problem.

She calls us back - Vax will repair the item but we have to call them ourselves and ask them to repair it. But she tells us that Vax will explain to me when I call that the hoover is very powerful and the filters need washing out regularly to make it work properly.

Well - my mum and I are both furious. The vacuum cleaner is obviously faulty - or at very least does not work sufficiently due to its design. Have you ever heard of a vacuum that can't handle dust? I'd only been using for a couple of weeks before it started conking out. And I had a powerful cleaner before - so it wasn't sucking up excessive amounts of dust. I've got a three bedroom house for gawd's sake - not a mansion with seventy rooms. I HAVE ONE BLOOMIN' CARPET!!!

We have no idea what to do next. Very say pretty much 'tough luck' and Vax say they will repair it (good luck with that!) or replace it. But I am not happy about paying for an item that is clearly not fit for purpose, and I am definitely not happy about having another one of this model. Vax obviously know there is a problem with it.

I can't imagine John Lewis telling me to contact the manufacturer on returning a faulty item that is so new!

Can anyone help at all in any way?

visidigi

Stop calling VAX - from this point on refuse to speak to VAX.

This is VERY's problem to resolve and VERY need to resolve it.

Call VERY and advise that you wish to return the goods as not fit for purpose. If they refuse advise that you will contact trading standards via Consumer Direct to seek further advice at this time.

Vax_Vex

Thank you so much.

It's so frustrating when you get told the same thing over and over again!

Just brick walls.

Will try the CEO email - many thanks for that. Will let you know how I get on.

Very.co.uk_company_representative

Hi Vax Vex,

If you'd like us to look into your complaint regarding the Vax Vacuum Cleaner you can get your mum to email her account details to us at [EMAIL="Network@VeryHQ.co.uk"]Network@VeryHQ.co.uk[/EMAIL].

We will look into her account and be able to email her back with a response.

Many Thanks

Chris

Very Network Team

Vax_Vex

Well,

It's taken them a good while to sort out but they have now agreed to 'inspect' the machine - so are sending me returns labels. What that means, who knows? It won't even turn on now so it's absolutely useless.

Horrid machine, horrid company!

wealdroam

Vax_Vex wrote: »

Well,

It's taken them a good while to sort out but they have now agreed to 'inspect' the machine - so are sending me returns labels. What that means, who knows? It won't even turn on now so it's absolutely useless.

Horrid machine, horrid company!

Just for clarification, who are 'they'?

Can you please tell us who is going to inspect the machine and who is sending returns labels?

Is it Vax or Very?

Vax_Vex

It's very - sorry !

shopper150

I have the same issue with Vax. Unfortunately, I purchased the machine directly from them. THe machine has failed after 14 days of use (unfortunately I purchased the machine at the end of October, but did not move into my new house until December, so I can't return it as it was purchased over 28 days ago).

Vax customer service is dire. The machine is spewing out black carbon onto my carpet through an outlet which is on the bottom of the machine (in direct contact with the carpet). Therefore, I do not want the machine even if they repair it because there is still a risk of this happening again due to the machine's design.

I've been trying to resolve this with them for 3 weeks, but Vax are a nightmare. They dont call back when they say they will. And everytime I call them, I end up waiting 20 mins just to get thorugh (sometimes I get disconnected by them just as I get through).

APPALING COMPANY
AVOID VAX

bubbles0169

yes you can return it! it is faulty you have six months after purchase to prove it is faulty!
just read up on this and you should be able to get a replacment or have it fixed
taken from martins
S atisfactory Quality
A s
D escribed
F it for the purpose
A nd last a
R easonable length of
T ime
rules

DO take things back as quickly as possible


If something's faulty, in other words it breaks the SadFart rules, returning it speedily is crucial.

• Within four weeks. You can usually still get a full refund as you're unlikely to be seen as having 'accepted' the goods. After that only expect exchange, repair or part-refund.
• Within six months. The shop must prove goods weren't faulty when they sold 'em – after that you must prove they were.

Now hopefully it won't confuse matters – but these time limits define when you should take faulty goods back and are totally separate to the 'reasonable length of time' bit in the SadFart rules – which defines what counts as faulty in the first place.
For what is 'reasonable' it depends situation by situation – just imagine asking a sensible friend's opinion. If you asked 'is it reasonable for a £2,000 plasma telly to break after nine months', they'd probably say no, but it probably is for a 50p torch.