return of separate purchases

chukk

Can anyone help please ? A few months ago we bought a dining table from Sainsburys. Lovely table & very happy. So we also bought the matching chairs that have be bought separately. Also very happy. Saldy the table has started to split. I reported it to sainsburys who informed me it is now discontinued. They can take it back for full refund but can't replace it, or will give me £20 if I keep it. The split is too bad to kepp really so I want to return it. However they won't take the matching chairs back as they are a separate item and not faulty. I am going to be stuck with 2 chairs that don't match a new table. Can they do this ? Do I have any rights in this situation ? thanks for any help

CoolHotCold

Nope no rights, if they are separate items there is no obligation from Sainsburys to take them back.

wealdroam

chukk wrote: »

Do I have any rights in this situation ?

You have the right to sell the chairs and put the money raised towards the purchase of some chairs to match your new table.

paddyrg

Spend the £20 on some filler and keep the set? I don't believe they have to accept the faultless chairs back as they weren't bought as a set with the table.

chukk

thanks for replies.

ThumbRemote

Kepp trying with Sainsburys. Try writing to their head office, butter them up a bit - tell them how you always bought from them because of their excellent customer service etc etc. Then say how disappointed you are that the table has split, and as such you are left with chairs that don't match. You appreciate that they have no legal responsibility to take the chairs back as well, but you wondered if as a good retailer they would refund anyway so you weren't left disappointed.

All you stand to lose is the cost of a stamp.

aldredd

I wonder, hypothetically speaking, if you bought 2 items together, but it was clear that they were to be used / were sold as 'a set', would this change your rights?

For example, you pick a table, and a sales assistant says 'ahh, look, we also have the matching chairs to go with it', and you make the purchase.
Could you not then argue it along the lines of it being a condition of sale?

Probably not - and almost certainly not in Sainsbury's where they were probably picked off a pallet, but interested to know.

unholyangel

You could call consumer direct. What might influence the outcome is whether they were bought together at the same time or whether seperately (ie like the chairs a week later).

If you are going to write to head office, I would advise against emotional expressions (for example, expressing your disappointment) as pretty much all advice on consumer issues/complaint writing advise against this. The main points are to keep it simple, straightforward and polite.

chukk

thanks for all the replies. I have contacted head office and they just quoted the same thing unfortunately. Time to take the £20 I think. A lesson learned for the future !