Faulty TV purchased from Comet, nobody accepting warranty

AshVanRooney

Hi.

On 8th November 2012 I purchased a UMC 39" LED TV from Comet. Knowing that they were going into administration I asked the girl who served me what would happen if it was faulty and she advised that the receipt is my warranty with the manufacturer, so I placed it in the box for safe keeping. As myself and my girlfriend were in the process of buying a house, we stored this at my parents house.

We opened the box and checked the TV for any exterior damage and it was in perfect condition. Jump forward to 29th January 2013 and we are setting up the TV in our new home ready for Sky installation the day after. After being very gentle with the it and following every one of the manufacturers instructions, I turned it on to make sure it was working. At this point we could see a very large distortion in the image in the bottom right-hand corner, from what looks like a pressure crack on the internal display.

Inside the box was a leaflet for the company the warranty was held with (Sky Media UK) and it advised to call them if there was any faults. So I have done exactly that and have been advised that they cannot honour this as Comet agreed to take the technical faults on and Sky Media only offer helpline support. I went to CometInformation website and this advised that any fault with a UMC tv I had to call the number of Sky Media.

I am now at a complete loss. I am being sent round in circles and Sky Media want £265 to repair it (we only paid £270 for the whole thing) and I literally dont know where to turn.

Please help.

shaun_from_Africa

Did you pay for the TV with a credit card?
If so, contact your card issuer and explain the problem and tell them that you want to make a "Section 75" claim.

This is Section 75 of the consumer credit act, and it basically means that the card issuer is jointly liable with the retailer for breech of contract or breech of statutory rights.

http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/shopping/section75-protect-your-purchases

AshVanRooney

shaun_from_Africa wrote: »

Did you pay for the TV with a credit card?
If so, contact your card issuer and explain the problem and tell them that you want to make a "Section 75" claim.

This is Section 75 of the consumer credit act, and it basically means that the card issuer is jointly liable with the retailer for breech of contract or breech of statutory rights.

No I paid for it with a debit card. Does the same apply?

spacey2012

Depends which debit card.
They did clear the warehouse of all the faulty stuff and take good advantage of the no refunds period.

AshVanRooney

spacey2012 wrote: »

Depends which debit card.
They did clear the warehouse of all the faulty stuff and take good advantage of the no refunds period.

It was a Barclays debit card

KeepFighting_2

Why not try contacting UMC Direct and asking them who you should go to their website is
http://www.umc-slovakia.sk/contacts/

CoolHotCold

I fear that a cracked screen would not be covered anyway, even if Comet were trading.

You may have to chalk it up to experience that you never turned it on as soon as you brought it and buy a new one. A cracked screen after more than 2 months of ownership would be a uphill struggle if Comet were still trading.

AshVanRooney

CoolHotCold wrote: »

I fear that a cracked screen would not be covered anyway, even if Comet were trading.

You may have to chalk it up to experience that you never turned it on as soon as you brought it and buy a new one. A cracked screen after more than 2 months of ownership would be a uphill struggle if Comet were still trading.

How come? Surely if it wasn't done by myself its a quality control issue?

SuperHan

It may have been done by a member of staff in the store, and the manufacturer won't cover accidental damage, no matter who it's done by, in their warranty. Furthermore, you have no rights with the manufacturer, as you have not entered in to a contract with them, instead the contract is with the retailer.

Your claim is with Comet, and it is up to them to repair/replace/refund, but obviously that isn't going to happen. A lot of manufacturers aren't honouring warranties on products bought from Comet for various reasons, so you are not alone.

However, you are just going to have to chalk it up to experience and call it an expensive lesson. For future reference, if ever spending over £100, especially at a retailer that is in a precarious situation, use a credit card for the extra protection provided. Other wise, there is no one to approach for a solution if and when things go wrong.

AshVanRooney

SuperHan wrote: »

It may have been done by a member of staff in the store, and the manufacturer won't cover accidental damage, no matter who it's done by, in their warranty. Furthermore, you have no rights with the manufacturer, as you have not entered in to a contract with them, instead the contract is with the retailer.

Your claim is with Comet, and it is up to them to repair/replace/refund, but obviously that isn't going to happen. A lot of manufacturers aren't honouring warranties on products bought from Comet for various reasons, so you are not alone.

However, you are just going to have to chalk it up to experience and call it an expensive lesson. For future reference, if ever spending over £100, especially at a retailer that is in a precarious situation, use a credit card for the extra protection provided. Other wise, there is no one to approach for a solution if and when things go wrong.

I don't use credit cards so wont be able to do that. But thanks all the same

wealdroam

AshVanRooney wrote: »

I don't use credit cards so wont be able to do that.

In my opinion you would be wise to review your stance.