Comet and my consumer rights if any

Debtfreedom

A month ago we purchased a television from Comet and paid by love to shop vouchers.Last week the television packed up.We took the television to the local Comet store and they said you will have to contact the manufacturer which we did.We were advised that Comet owe the manufacturers money and that they would not fix the television.So with this we went back to the Comet store and asked to speak with the manager asking for a refund.Which of course they didnt want to give.We stood in the shop until the manager got so annoyed and threatened to call the police if we didnt move :mad:.So my question is, do we have any rights or do we have to get in line with the other companies owed money by Comet?

SuperHan

I'm afraid it's a case of getting in line. If they agree to refund (which they won't...) you will become a creditor of the company, entitled to only pennies for every pound owed. You could possibly maybe ask Comet to take the product from you to repair, but if the shop shuts down in the interim you're in an even worse place than you are now.

System

The manufacturer should sort it out. The fact the tv is rubbish is their fault. Keep on pressing them and I am sure they will fix it eventually

Debtfreedom

goater78 wrote: »

The manufacturer should sort it out. The fact the tv is rubbish is their fault. Keep on pressing them and I am sure they will fix it eventually

They really dont want to know they said comet owe money to Sony,Panasonic,JVC the list is endless.
I will keep ringing them but dont hold out much hope

vyle

Essentially, when a company buys gadgets from a manufacturer, they're buying the warranties, too, which is why grey market goods from other countries can be so cheap. No manufacturer's warranties, no inflated prices.

If comet hasn't paid the manufacturer (who is it by the way?) then they haven't bought the warranty, I guess, and as the manufacturer has no legal obligation to the consumer, they don't have to lose money to fix it.

I guess it's a lesson not to buy goods from a company in liquidation, however cheap they might look.

maninthestreet

Yoour contract is with Comet, but as they might ne around for long, your chance of getting a refund, repair or replacement are probably slm.

Hintza

A lot of the big chains are taking over the warranties on new items. ie they pay less for the items and deal with any claims in house and the manufacturer is not involved at all.

I suspect this practice could get really ugly if another few big retail names go down the tubes.

shocky_2

I'm afraid Comet has gone into administration. This means they are bankrupt and don't have enough money to pay their debts. It would actually be illegal for them to give you a refund, because all creditors must be treated equally.

If you paid on credit card, the bank is equally liable as Comet so you can ask them about a chargeback. Visa/mastercard debit cards also have chargeback schemes.

If you paid in cash, then unless the manufacturer will fix it you are stuck. You could lodge a claim with the administrators but don't expect to get paid in full.

Uncertain

youngsolicitor wrote: »

I'm afraid Comet has gone into administration. This means they are bankrupt and don't have enough money to pay their debts. It would actually be illegal for them to give you a refund, because all creditors must be treated equally.

What is the position if they replace the faulty item (assuming they have another one in stock)? I assume that would also be treating creditors unequally?

Given that the law requires them to repair or replace faulty goods should they be trading with consumers if they can't honour this?

Would it not be better to sell the whole stock to another company who would then trade normally?

Debtfreedom

vyle wrote: »

Essentially, when a company buys gadgets from a manufacturer, they're buying the warranties, too, which is why grey market goods from other countries can be so cheap. No manufacturer's warranties, no inflated prices.

If comet hasn't paid the manufacturer (who is it by the way?)

UMC is the manufacturer

SuperHan

Hintza wrote: »

A lot of the big chains are taking over the warranties on new items. ie they pay less for the items and deal with any claims in house and the manufacturer is not involved at all.

I suspect this practice could get really ugly if another few big retail names go down the tubes.

This is very true. A lot of retailers pay a discounted price on the premise there is no manufacturers warranty. At the customer end, the experience is the same because the retailer underwrites the warranty and performs any necessary repairs. Like Hintza says though, this gets ugly when the retailers are liquidated!