Void warranty due to water damage...

FamilyMan

Yet another update. OK, last time I had just read the letter from Lloyds and was feeling very dejected. This is their plan, to wear you down. Since then I've had a bit of break and have been back on the case. I wrote back to Lloyds pointing out that under the Sale of Goods Act that if the product was less than 6 months old then the onus is not on me to prove fault, it is down to the shop. They wrote back saying that their decision was final and fair.

I contacted the Citizens Advice Bureau and spoke to one of their consumer advice specialists. He assured me that my interpretation of the law was correct and the onus was indeed on them. As this is obviously totally unprovable one way or another my case must be upheld. The only thing I have been doing wrong is asking for a refund, under these circumstances they are only obliged to provide me with a replacement. Though this isn't really want I want, it's definitely better than what I have at the moment which is nothing.

I need to write to PC World again explaining this, basically changing my demand for a refund to a replacement. If then they don't comply I can take them to court.

So, all along the law was on my side, but not one person, out of half a dozen, would support me. After this is settled I will report all the people involved and name them personally to the DTS and also, in the case of the Lloyds representatives, to the Financial Ombudsman. Hopefully that will upset them as much as this case has been upsetting to me. It amazes me how there are so many cretins employed that are unwilling to do the basics in their jobs.

libra10

After all the hassle you've experienced dealing with these people, you definitely deserve to either have your money refunded, or a new product which actually works.

Thanks for the update, best wishes.

Lifeforms

Do you even have it back yet?

I've posted on here, but also watched when updates have been done, and it's incredible reading just what hassle is done and the fact that all they have to say is water damage and you have no way of reversing that. Being held hostage with them having the goods and refusing to return either because of no payment or whatever.

Please do keep updating this thread, it could prove quite useful for others who will get into the same situation in the future.

FamilyMan

@Libra10. Thanks for the support. I agree, unfortunately the hassle is something I'm never going to be compensated for. I think they work on the premise that some people will eventually give up. Yes, I would have preferred a refund but according to the consumer expert at the CAB, my only option is a replacement (which is obviously better than nothing).

@Lifeforms. No, I haven't got the laptop back, because they wanted £65 just to return it, which I always thought was completely unfair. And, according to the expert at the CAB, it is. They have to give me a replacement, there is no need for me to get it inspected by a third party. If it had been over 6 months old, that would have been a different story (for anyone following this who may unfortunately be in a similar position).

So, hopefully by next week I'll have a new laptop or it's off to court.

This is such a terrible state of affairs to get into, considering I'm the customer of both Lloyds and PC World, who both should have helped me, not hindered me.

Oh, by the way, I should never have contacted Sony. So, I shouldn't really be too down on them. I only contacted them in the first place because PC World told me that they couldn't help and I should contact Sony directly. Another piece of useless and, as it turns out, criminal advice from PC World.

PC World are definitely the worst evil in this scenario, but Lloyds have proven themselves to be equally as !!!!less. That should be f e c k less. That's not a rude word, MoneySavingExpert!

FamilyMan

Out of interest, this has been going on for over 4 months now, because they insist on everything to be done via post, not email, as they know this prolongs the process. You normally get responses after 2 weeks or more. This is to deter you from taking it further as you get more and more frustrated with it.

As I say, hopefully this will be finished soon, but if anyone else is reading this who is in a similar position... don't give up! You may need to take a break now and again but keep persevering.

In fact, what I have learnt from this, my advice to you is to contact the Citizens Advice Bureau as soon as you can, they are very helpful. Also you are then not in a position where you are trying to interpret the law for yourself or hoping what is reasonable is lawful, they'll be able to tell you exactly if you are in the right or not. And they are totally impartial, not like the liars whom you are trying to combat!

FamilyMan

Another update! OK, so I wrote 2 final letters, after speaking to the CAB expert, 1 to Lloyds and another to PC World. I received a response from Lloyds last week but was working away so I only had the chance to respond today. In the letter Lloyds asked me to contact them by phone. I spoke to a lady who confirmed that, yes, we were correct about the law and, yes, it is covered under section 75 of the consumer credit act (why I received not 1, but 2 letters from Lloyds telling me the complete opposite she couldn't comment on). The situation is now this, Lloyds are going to contact PC World on my behalf to see if they are going to remedy the situation as they are obliged to do under the sale of goods act. If they refuse, Lloyds will pay the £65 to get my laptop returned, further they will pay for it to be inspected by a third party. What happens from there will be discussed later as necessary.

Why you have to constantly write letters and get ignored month upon month before someone realizes you are entitled to support I have no idea.

Anyway, things are starting to happen, four months on! Unbelievable!

Oh, and of course, no response as yet from PC World.

Lifeforms

I doubt PC world will even respond to you at all if lloyds are now going to get involved.

Have Lloyds said what they will do if they get no response? Also please tell me you have serial numbers and such of your laptop to send on to Lloyds so they are sure they even get the right laptop back. Not that I don't trust them, but after 4 months I do wonder if they even still have it, I would have assumed after getting nowhere Sony should've returned back to PC world. Either way make sure it really is your laptop coming back and ask Lloyds to take photographs of the laptop upon arrival in case of "accidental through the post" damage.

Claremac

Wow! New to this thread and am currently deciding between buying from PC World or from Dell with their 1-year next-day fix-at-home warranty. This thread is helping to sway me to Dell! Well done, OP, for your persistence and I really hope you get a good outcome.

Claremac

Only just realised that the Currys/PC World you probably bought it from is my local one (County Oak?) so that puts me off even more!

Lifeforms

To be fair to idk who really... This isn't so much a pc world thing, or a dell thing, or a currys thing. It's a water sensor discrepancy thing which can and does happen to anyone with any product, mobiles, tablets, cameras, laptops etc. It's just the way it's been dealt with, or not even resolved yet, that is shoddy, and the blame lies both with PC world and Sony in that respect. It could equally be PC world and Dell, or PC world and Asus, or even PC world and apple. (shop name) and (manufacturer) covers the lot. It's whom you feel more comfortable buying from, I guess now, rather than something that may have years of business behind them. If they'll screw you over (dell, sony, pc world, tescos, apple, etc, etc) they'll do it good!