Am i entitled to a refund or credit note?

trouserjazz

Hi, new to the forum and this is my first post so go easy

This is a bit of a long one. Basically, 4 months ago i purchased a handbag and matching purse from a well known designer store. I figured if i spent more than i normally would the quality of the item would be superior and last twice as long, so i splashed out. Of course, you know where i am going... The handbag zip broke whilst i was food shopping, rendering the handbag useless.

Of course i wasn't happy after spending so much money and the handbag breaking after only 4 months usage. I took the handbag along with the receipt back to the store, spoke to the manager and was offered a repair. I accepted this, and was told due to it being just after christmas, it would take up to two weeks. Not a problem i said, and as i didn't live local, we arranged to post the bag out to me and i made a point of them ensuring they would also post back my original reciept with the bag - as this also had the purse i has purchased on.

Just over 2 weeks later i receive a phone call to tell me my handbag has been repaired and is going to be posted out the next day special delivery. They also tell me the replaced zip is not the designers zip. I am a bit sceptical about this, but figure i will wait to see what it is like when it arrives. 6 days later and still no handbag, i was pretty sure special delivery was the next day before 11am? I call the store and they tell me the handbag has not yet been posted, and their excuse for this is "We have not been able to get to the post office yet". Wonderful excuse i thought. Very inventive.

This morning my handbag has finally arrived. Wrapped in only a paper bag, it is completely ripped open with handbag falling out and a piece of royal mail tape attempting to hold it together. The zip is atrocious. Seems as though they have found the cheapest zip they could find, which would be fine, if it was the same colour as the rest of the zip!! It looks awful. And whats more, my original receipt is not included with the package like i asked.

I call the store, and my first thought was to ask for Head Office details. I am told the head office is in Switzerland and they do not know the contact details. Right. Ok. After more excuses, i am told by the manager the receipt was posted in a seperate envelope first class. But i explain they got my post code wrong on the bag package, so it will be wrong on the envelope too. Got to wait and see if that ever arrives.

What this long winded story comes down to is, i am told i can have a refund for the handbag, but only with my original reciept. I want the purse to be either refunded or a credit note, because it matches the handbag, and without the handbag, i dont want the purse. They say they will not do this. Do i have any sort of rights in asking for the purse to be either refunded or at least a credit note? I understand there is nothing wrong with the purse, but the whole reason of buying the (expensive) purse was to match the handbag!

Really unimpressed with the service from such a high end designer.

McKneff

Absolutely no rights on the purse, presumably you have used it, and as you say, there is nothing wrong with it. sorry

I dont see any reason why you cant still use it to be honest. Why not just buy another bag to match the purse or nearest.

Other than that, sell it on ebay or somewhere.

stugib

trouserjazz wrote: »

I want the purse to be either refunded or a credit note, because it matches the handbag, and without the handbag, i dont want the purse. (

Do they still make the style of bag?

custardy

McKneff wrote: »

Absolutely no rights on the purse, presumably you have used it, and as you say, there is nothing wrong with it. sorry

I dont see any reason why you cant still use it to be honest. Why not just buy another bag to match the purse or nearest.

Other than that, sell it on ebay or somewhere.

well that depends
given its an item that bought for form as well as function
its looks are a part of the package

OP,how is the zip awful?
does it work
is it very different from the original zip
was part or all of it replaced?

trouserjazz

Thanks for your replies.

Unfortunately i am told they do not make this style of bag any longer, otherwise i would have been happy to just exchange the handbag, and due to the design it would be very difficult for this purse to match another handbag. It is used of course, however i stopped using the purse after having a problem with the handbag just in case.

I could sell it on ebay but im never going to get anything near what i paid for it new. I suppose that's the way life goes eh!

It was this from the MSE consumer rights that i thought may have applied to some extent:
"Whether to ask for a repair or replacement is your choice. Yet the retailer can say no if the cost for them is too high. Instead, they can offer compensation; usually a partial refund or credit note. No matter what the solution, consumer law means you should be put back into the same position that you were in before things went wrong. "

trouserjazz

Custardy,

The zip does work, however, the previous zip was leather and metal with the desginers logo embossed on it. The replacement zip is a completely different shade of gold to the rest of the zip and other detailing on the handbag for that matter, has no leather or logos on, and to be quite blunt feels really cheap and nasty. I can take some images if needed.

lateandlive

Trouserjazz - pictures would probably be good. You should be put back into the same position, and in this instance the way to do this is to give you a new bag (which we've established they can't do) or to repair your bag for you. My interpretation is that the repair has to be of satisfactory quality so as not to devalue the product. Therefore, it's fair to assume the zip wouldn't be an IDENTICAL match to the original, however I'd expect it to be decent quality and to be sympathetic to the rest of the item.

As regards the purse, I'm afraid the fact it matches the bag is irrelevant. it was bought as a seperate product and performs all the functions required of it.

Judith_W

Name and shame the company. I would think you might want to argue that unless they replace the purse you would not be in the same position as before - i.e. with matching bag and purse. I don't think this would stand up totally but might be a good starting point. Also sometimes worth writing to CEO or similar, if it is a quality brand they would just want to sort you out and make you go away.