Broken dining room chair leg - what are my rights?

Primrose

One of the chair legs on our dining room suite has just snapped of with a very jagged break. The susite is only just over 3 years old and was a fairly expensive one made in Scandinavia. The suite design has probably now been discontinued.
What are my consumer rights here? Any suggestions how best to proceed? Obviously I'll contact the retailer tomorrow but need some ammunition in my armoury first so I can argue my case for getting a satisfactory resolution. Thanks

phill99

The problem is proving that it was a design fault or poor workmanship. rather than some fat bloke abusing it.

I'm not convinced you will get very far.

Primrose

It simply just snapped in a jagged break where the chair leg is attached to frame for the seating surround. And I'm definitely not overweight which might otherwise have been an element which could have put it under pressure.
I'm unsure of how the rules apply about an item needing to be "fit for purpose" and what length is a reasonable time for a quality dining room chair to be expected to last.

Primrose

Is there a Trading Standards recommendation for furniture and reasonable length of life? I'm intrigued where the "six months" reference came from and whether it's from some source I can quote to the supplier.

keystone

After three years I think that unless you have proof of an inherent fault either of design or manufacture then you have no chance. You are absolutely wasting your time with a "fit for purpose" claim too.

Don't you just hate those people who think its cool to lean back on a dining chair such that the two rear legs carry all the weight and put lots of stress in the wrong places and at all the wrong angles such that failure at some stage in the future is inevitable?

Cheers

jellie

Primrose wrote: »

Is there a Trading Standards recommendation for furniture and reasonable length of life? I'm intrigued where the "six months" reference came from and whether it's from some source I can quote to the supplier.

Sale of Goods Act. It merely says that goods must last for a reasonable length of time, taking into account what the goods are and what they are used for.

I think you'll struggle to prove the chair is defective, particularly if it's just the one, as you'd expect a manufacturing fault would show up in the others too and also because it's not a join which has failed.

wealdroam

Primrose, have a read of MSE's Consumer Rights article, if you haven't done so already.

Lots of good stuff in there.

keystone

wealdroam wrote: »

Primrose, have a read of MSE's Consumer Rights article, if you haven't done so already.

Lots of good stuff in there.

OP will find the 6 month period mentioned in there.

Cheers

Dunroamin

primrose wrote: »

one of the chair legs on our dining room suite has just snapped of with a very jagged break. The susite is only just over 3 years old and was a fairly expensive one made in scandinavia. The suite design has probably now been discontinued.
What are my consumer rights here? Any suggestions how best to proceed? Obviously i'll contact the retailer tomorrow but need some ammunition in my armoury first so i can argue my case for getting a satisfactory resolution. Thanks

ikea?.....

keystone

Dunroamin wrote: »

ikea?.....

LoL. OP has clearly made up their mind that the shop is completely at fault and they are due compo under any and all circumstances. Don Quixote is alive and well and forgets that he has insurance for this.

Cheers

Primrose

Keystone, I find that comment rather impolite. I am not blaming the retailer but have to start somewhere with my complaint. It was an expensive dining room suite and I am upset because I was simply reaching across the table to get the salt when the leg snapped. I don't lean back on chairs on two legs and treat good furniture with disrespect. I was simply trying to find out how best to deal with the problem to get a satisfactory conclusion, ie hopefully to get a replacement chair. I don't think a good quality teak chair leg should suddenly snap like that after only three years of use, especially when it hasn't been mistreated. Our previous teak chairs lasted for 30 years!