Faulty cooker-where do I stand?

hairyfeather

I have a 'Stoves' freestanding gas cooker, had it for about 3 years now. It has developed a fault, I can turn on the gas rings with the lid closed. It is meant to have a safety shut off, but this has failed. I called them and they want £130 for an engineer to come and repair/replace it, but I said Im not happy paying for something that, I believe, is a recall. That's why I have come here, to ask advice please.

He said if I was in rented accommodation it would be condemned. I am worried as I have a 3 year old child.

gb12345

hairyfeather wrote: »

I have a 'Stoves' freestanding gas cooker, had it for about 3 years now. It has developed a fault, I can turn on the gas rings with the lid closed. It is meant to have a safety shut off, but this has failed. I called them and they want £130 for an engineer to come and repair/replace it, but I said Im not happy paying for something that, I believe, is a recall. That's why I have come here, to ask advice please.

He said if I was in rented accommodation it would be condemned. I am worried as I have a 3 year old child.

Why should it be a recall - is that model known to have a problem with its shut off? Is it an inherent fault?

Unless you can prove that the fault was there when you got it then you are out of luck after 3 years.

bris

Why would you turn the rings on with the lid shut? a 3 year old won't be able to do it so it's a minor fault, no worse than a cooker without a lid.

hairyfeather

I found that the fault was there because someone hadn't turned the knob fully 'off' and i went into the kitchen and there was heat coming from the top, thats when I realised. The lid is now brown/black with a burn mark and if I hadnt have realised/gone out, who knows what might have happened?

wealdroam

hairyfeather wrote: »

I found that the fault was there because someone hadn't turned the knob fully 'off' and i went into the kitchen and there was heat coming from the top, thats when I realised. The lid is now brown/black with a burn mark and if I hadnt have realised/gone out, who knows what might have happened?

Realistically you have two choices:
1) always check that all burners are fully off before closing the lid.
2) pay to have the thing repaired.

You could approach whoever sold the cooker to you and seek a remedy from them, but I fear that, as mentioned above, you will be asked to prove that the fault was inherent, i.e. that the fault was present at the time of sale but perhaps not apparent at that time. Do you still have a receipt of other proof of purchase?

hairyfeather

I know the fault wasnt inherent as I watched the guy install it and show me this safety feature.

Forgive me if Im wrong but I thought 'not fit for purpose' meant something? Of course I will make sure the burners are all off before I shut the lid.

Slowhand

hairyfeather wrote: »

I know the fault wasnt inherent as I watched the guy install it and show me this safety feature.

Forgive me if Im wrong but I thought 'not fit for purpose' meant something? Of course I will make sure the burners are all off before I shut the lid.

I think you are misunderstanding both 'inherent' and 'fit for purpose'.

shaun_from_Africa

An inherent fault basically means that it was due to a manufacturing defect (either faulty parts, parts not suitable, or something incorrectly installed).
The fault itself doesn't have to be apparent at the time you purchased the goods as a manufacturing defect can cause a problem many months or years down the line.

Think of the recent saga concerning Beko appliances.
These were all working perfectly when manufactured, purchased and installed, but the overheating problem only started a year or two after this time.
This is a perfect example of an inherent fault not apparent at the time of purchase.

To be able to get any recompense under the sale of goods act, you will have to be able to prove that the valve failed through no fault of yours but was down to a manufacturing defect, something which will be extremely hard to do after 3 years.