Argos replacement cover

denise38

I am not going to buy replacement cover again for items like hairdryers, toasters etc. I bought replacement cover for a Babyliss Patrick Cameron hairdryer . After it had been used for more than 5 minutes it would cut out if you switched it off. I had it replaced at 6 months old and got an identical one. Now less than a year later the same thing is happening. I have just read their terms and conditions and you only get a replacement once. If a product has a 2 year guarantee then the 3 year relacemenet cover is only good when the product is more than 2 years old. In my case even if I had the original it would still be in warranty and I wouldn't need the replacement cover. All the replacement cover does is spare the trouble of contacting maker.
I didn't realise when I bought the cover you could only get the item replaced once . Not much good if you buy a product with recurring fault. Thankfully I can still use the hairdryer I just have to wait 10 minutes before using it again and that my hair is short and I don't need it for more than 2 minutes. Just for when the girls have all had showers and are using the other dryers I need to use it on the younger one who unfortunately has long hair!!!
Had Argos told me at the time maybe I wouldn't have bothered given the fact I had a 2 year guarantee anyway!!!

C_Ronaldo

I dont know if this is any help but my mum had a dryer that was faulty(was at least 14 months old) and she took it back to argos with no receipt or box and they said they couldnt do anything with no receipt, they gave her the address of the manufacturer and she wrote to them saying teh dryer was faulty and she included the faulty one too and she got a new one free of charge

Pound

If you had it replaced after 6 months then it is replaced under Argos' guarantee they offer with all products. You haven't made a claim under your insurance so it can still be used to make a claim if it breaks later.

I might be wrong but I think if Argos replace something it's then guaranteed for another year. So if it breaks 11 months later Argos will replace it again and you don't have to claim under your insurance.

I'm pretty sure Argos' guarantee is almost always one year, not two.

Channard

Thing is, if you have a replacement and the cover ends, surely you should get the remainder of the money you paid for the cover. The whole 'one replacement' thing smells like !!!!!!!! to me. I know that PC World/Dixons/et al now do monthly cover. But when they did a lump sum one - without getting into the whole extended guarantees argument - if your PC needed to be completely replaced, you got the remainder of your cover money back.

I thought this was the case with all extended guarantee things, but I had a similar experience with Argos. Thankfully it was only on a cheap pair of headphones, on which the cover cost me £1.99 in total, but I'm glad it was something minor as I didn't know about this situation. What if an item needs repairing?

IvanOpinion

I generally believe that 'extended warranties' and 'replacement cover' is a waste of money these days .. the sale of goods act already provides most of the cover that most people will generally need.

I do remember DW had a set of gas driven Braun hair doofers that came with a 2 year cover .. they never lasted more than 6 months or so .. so every 6 months she took them back got another set which always included a free gas refill bottle (and on some sets there was a promotion that meant there were 2 gas refills in the pack). This went on for about 5 or 6 years .. the shop (Argos) just kept on replacing them.

ivan

Poppy9

I bought a Swan microwave from Argos which came with 3 years free cover. After 2 years it stopped working so Argos intially said it would have to be repaired. After 2 weeks they rang me and said to come into store to choose a new one to the same value as it wasn't economical to repair it. I paid about £60 for original microwaves but they had now dropped in price so for my £60 I bought a better spec one, again Swan and again with 3 years free cover. This one only lasted just over a year. Again Argos said they would repair but then replaced. So I bought another one with 3 years free cover and when it was nearly 3 years old I had it replaced again as it had started to rust inside along the back seam. Sadly though Argos no longer had any microwaves with free 3 year cover so I bought a £40 and spent the £20 difference on something else.

To the OP have you tried taking the hair dryer back to Argos?

denise38

Thanks everyone I have a ray of hope now. I hadn't thought about taking it back after I read the terms and conditions. I will now. Thing is it works again after you leave it for 10/15 minutes it works fine.
Will definately take it back and see what they say. If not I will get onto Babyliss.

Channard

I recently fired off an email to Argos regards this, because I'm getting a camera from there and I was thinking of getting the £21 three years cover. Apparently, if an item needs repairing, the cover continues. But if it needs replacing, either due to breakdown or accidental damage, that's it. Your covers gone.

Which seems a bit messed up - in my case, the camera costs £130. And the cover costs £21. The £21 is for two years after the manufacturer's warranty, so I'm really paying a tenner a year. At least I would be if I got it, I'm still undecided. So if the camera breaks down, all that money is gone.

This seems dodgy as hell, given most other companies give you a refund of any remaining cover if an item's unrepairable.

Whyme?_3-2

I agree with IvanOpinion. For most producys, its probably cheaper just buying a new model. We bought a hotpoint sishwasher for £120 5 years ago. At the time, the shop I bought it at (think it was Currys) tried to flog me replacement cover at the heady price of £50. for two years. Do the math.

yeslek

the 1 year guarentee starts again with the new product if replaced.

nikkik_2

Take it from someone who works there, most of the time the insurance is worth it. There are two main types when dealing with non furniture or mobile phone insurance. If the value of your item is £150 or more then the insurance is a Breakdown cover which is different to a Replacement Product Cover (i.e items under £150)

All Argos items have their 1 year manufacturers warranty (sometimes longer than 1 year if stated on the item) so if your product should be faulty or damaged through no fault of your own then Argos have to either replace it or send it off for repair; depending on the value of the item, how long you've had it, and generally what makes more economical sense. However, if it is evident or obvious that the product has been damaged through misuse or accidentally then we will not replace it for you - you may ask to send it for repair at your own charge though.

This is where a Product Replacement cover comes in handy. Firstly, it means you've got a safeguard on your item for 3 years instead of just the 1. Secondly, if you've damaged it yourself accidentally then you're still entitled to a replacement. And also, it guranatees and instant in-store replacement there and then instead of having to wait on lengthy repair times etc...

Breakdown cover covers all the same advantages except that instead of getting a replacement, Argos will pay for any costs you may incur for having to get the item repaired i.e call out charges, repair costs, loss of frozen foods etc... If an item is irrepairable, then you will recieve a replacement.

And correct, if you do use your insurance up, you do need to take out another one. It still makes sense though.

Obviosuly everyone still has their statutory rights in conjuction with or without any of the additional insurance services Argos offers. I know that was all a bit long winded but thought i'd enlighten you all, as you are 90% of the time worthwhile taking the additional insurances on more valuable items. Also, if you've had your item near the end of your 3 years and you've never had a problem with it, you can always break it and get a brand new one

P.S We're much more likely and willing to help and actually go out of our way to give you the best service if you're polite and don't try and tell us how to do our jobs. If you're rude and difficult with us, believe me, as i'm sure you know, we can make things incredibly awkward for you. Unlike our insurance, manners DON'T cost anything!