Toys R Us Faulty Product! Some advice please?

Carmen88

I bought my daughter a leappad 2 for her birthday from Toys R Us. I set up the Leappad days before her birthday so she could use it straight away when she unwrapped it. The item seemed fine so I wrapped it up for her birthday. On her birthday it worked fine for an hour or so then started to turn off randomly when it was in use. I presumed the batteries were not strong enough so I bought some Duracells but the issue still kept happening. The leappad would also only turn back on when it pleased.

That evening I decided to take the leappad back to the store to exchange it as it was obviously faulty and I have had dealings with Toys R us previously I knew they were fussy about returns.

When I got there the leappad started up okay. The person I spoke to explained to me that sometimes the 'tip' of the batteries don't make enough contact inside toys to initiate any power, he tested the batteries I had in the leappad and said they were full but advised me to use Toys R Us batteries as their battery 'tips' were a little longer and upon showing me the difference in their batteries and Duracells that did look to be true. I left the leappad at the counter whilst I went and bought the Toys r Us batteries, tested it again on the way out and it was working okay so I presumed that the batteries were the issue but the person told me if their was a problem just to return. May I add the only batteries they had of their own cost £10!!!

So I got home and was happy until the next day the issue started again. I continued to use Toys R Us Batteries but still the issue was there. I decided as I still had two weeks to return the item if it was faulty (28 Day return policy) that I would keep trying to use it and see if there was any pattern when the fault developed. There was no pattern, the Leappad just switched off randomly, sometimes after 2 minutes of usage sometimes an hour. So I decided to take the Leappad back again.

I took the Leappad back today and the person was great and asked me to keep using the product until she checked something with the manager. The manager then came over and started to play with the leappad for about 10 minutes, when I finally asked what he was doing and could I have a replacement. He said no I couldn't as he cant see a fault with it whilst using it. Again I explained this 'switch off' happens randomly and it can sometimes be an hour or so of play before it does anything and I couldn't wait around for an hour. He asked me to leave the Leappad with him for a few days as he needed to see the fault before he could do anything. I asked if this was a 'normal' procedure for a faulty item and he said yes. I explained I have never had this happen in any other store when returning an item. His attitude changed and he became quite cocky and rude. He said he would test the item for a few days and get back to me. I explained I wasn't happy about this as a previous dealing with Toys R Us at Christmas happened like this and the person told me the item was okay and he had sorted the fault and I got home and it was still broken. He said there wasn't anything else he could do. I asked why would I return an item if it wasn't faulty? He said that I may have not set it up right for example. Im not stupid and I know how to read instructions and follow them, I understand some people may not be quite technology minded etc but its simple instructions and if it hadn't been set up properly you wouldn't be able to use it, and by 'using it for a few days' that wouldn't really tell you that it hadn't been set up properly more than the 10minutes he used it for whilst I was there today. Anyway I got annoyed and left rather than getting into an argument and told him I would seek other avenues.

Okay so what I would like to know is: is this a rule that a fault has to be seen to issue a replacement?

This is their returns policy that I can see online:
What is your policy for returning a damaged or faulty item?
If you have received a damaged or faulty item from us you can return it for a repair, replacement or refund.

You will need to obtain a Returns Authorisation code to return a damaged or faulty item, please contact us.

Proof of purchase. For items purchased from toysrus.co.uk and returned to us directly or returned to a Toys “R” Us Store, the following applies:

• When no proof of purchase (receipt or delivery note) is provided, refunds for merchandise will be given at the discretion of management, in which case a credit note will be issued equal to the item's prevailing price.
• Identification is required for all refunds where no receipt is provided.
• If the item being returned was a gift, any refund will be given in the form of a credit note.

Because it doesnt mention the 'see the fault before we replace it' in the returns policy do I not just have the right to a replacement? Can any one offer any further advice that may be relevant.

I really don't want to leave my item with them but if I have to I will so how would I go about proving that my item was in a certain condition when I gave it to them incase it develops any further faults that they wont admit to. Is it me just been picky? If it is it is not my intention its just my previous experience puts me off doing this.


It would inconvenience me to be given a replacement in a sense by uploading everything back onto it and setting it up so I don't understand why anyone would report a fault for an exchange when there isn't one. Yes if i was asking for a refund I would understand.


Thank You in advance

mattyprice4004

You need to be able to demonstrate the fault, otherwise people would be taking things back at 11 months old and demanding a replacement, even though they couldn't demonstrate the issue.

justontime

If you take your item to Toys R Us to be tested they will give you a receipt as proof that they have taken the item. If they can't see the fault it may be sent away to be tested. The information you quoted is their online returns policy, if you go to the customer service desk at the store you will find their returns policy displayed on the counter, just ask if you can't see it. You will need proof of purchase and they will need to see the fault before they can resolve your problem.

Leo2020

Carmen88 wrote: »

Okay so what I would like to know is: is this a rule that a fault has to be seen to issue a replacement?

Ask yourself this, if you ran a shop and someone returned a faulty item would you just accept it back without checking it or would you want to see the fault for yourself? Currently, as far as Toys R' Us are concerned, the toy is working so it's not unreasonable for them to test it over a couple of days until the fault occurs.

Many retailers will want to see a fault before excepting a return, some might not but most will.

You have two options at the moment.

1. You don't let them keep it for a few days and you end up stuck with a toy that doesn't work

2. You let them test it, the fault occurs and they give you a refund or replacement (could get more complicated if the fault doesn't occur whilst they have it, but we can cross that bridge if it comes to it)

ThumbRemote

If you get nowhere further with Toys-R-Us and you need to demonstrate the problem yourself, use a camcorder at home while your daughter is playing on it.

williham

Leo2020 wrote: »

Ask yourself this, if you ran a shop and someone returned a faulty item would you just accept it back without checking it or would you want to see the fault for yourself? Currently, as far as Toys R' Us are concerned, the toy is working so it's not unreasonable for them to test it over a couple of days until the fault occurs.

Many retailers will want to see a fault before excepting a return, some might not but most will.

You have two options at the moment.

1. You don't let them keep it for a few days and you end up stuck with a toy that doesn't work

2. You let them test it, the fault occurs and they give you a refund or replacement (could get more complicated if the fault doesn't occur whilst they have it, but we can cross that bridge if it comes to it)

If they valued their customers they would replace it!

SuperHan

williham wrote: »

If they valued their customers they would replace it!

Nowadays, it's not worth valuing loss making customers!

They have the right to test the product to make sure it's faulty. If they don't find a fault, you can get an independent report saying it's faulty, and demand a solution under the sales of goods act.

My advice: Let them take it and test it, and hopefully you'll get the answer you want!

Leo2020

@williham

What if the problem was incorrect installation (not saying that it is in the OP case) but instead of the retailer testing it they replaced it no questions asked?

Answer: The customer would go home, set it up wrong again and have the same problem. The customer would then have to return to the store again, and if they replaced it again the same thing would happen. Which results in the customer wasting more money and time getting to the store and back.

Surely that is the crazy way of doing it? Making sure you know what it wrong with it first makes sense for everyone.

williham

SuperHan wrote: »

Nowadays, it's not worth valuing loss making customers!

100% wrong, companies that don't treat their customers properly will fail.

williham

Leo2020 wrote: »

@williham

What if the problem was incorrect installation (not saying that it is in the OP case) but instead of the retailer testing it they replaced it no questions asked?

Answer: The customer would go home, set it up wrong again and have the same problem. The customer would then have to return to the store again, and if they replaced it again the same think would happen. Which results in the customer wasting more money and time getting to the store and back.

Surely that is the crazy way of doing it? Making sure you know what it wrong with it first makes sense for everyone.

Op said the manager was playing on it for 10 minutes, if it's incorrect setup (very unlikely on something intended for kids) then sort it out whilst the customer is there and don't treat them like they're lying.

Leo2020

Really so you would always believe the customer no matter what?

Trust me customers lie. I know I run my own business (plus I have also worked in a Customer Services department for a large company) and I have had a lot of experience of people trying it on.

I have had experiences which have been the equivalent of stealing from me. It is one of the hazards of running your own business and there is nothing I can do in some cases, as I can't prove their lying. But where I can prove their lying then no I don't refund or replace. And why? Because I lose money doing so and why would I want to keep customers like that happy? You can say word of mouth but someone who tries to rip off a shop will probably tell all his/her mates about how easy it is to rip me off - I don't really want more customers like that.