Headphones 2 months out of warranty, broken.

foxes-tigers

I purchased a pair of headphones from Apple store in Sydney, 26th March 2011. A rather expensive pair of B&W P5 headphones. Unfortunately last week the headband on one of the sides has come apart (couldn't post links to pics as a new user)

This is very obviously where two metal pieces have been soldered together, thus very clearly a default in the manufacture of this specific unit.

I have contacted B&W today to arrange a repair, I received an email from them today stating;

"Dear Paul,

Following on from our conversation earlier today I can confirm that we can certainly bring your P5 Headphones into our Service Centre to investigate the issue you have described, however as the P5’s are now over 2 months outside of their manufacturing warranty a charge of £75 will apply.

This charge is inclusive of VAT, parts, labour and carriage."

I guess when I bought them in March 2011 I expected more than 4-5 years of use considering they cost me nearly £300.00. I don't feel I should have to pay another £75.00 especially considering you would describe them as a premium product.

Any help/ advice to how I respond to the email from B&W is much appreciated.

Thanks

Cycrow

you could try taking them back to an apple store, do you still have your recipt ?
They might be willing to help.

but as its out of warrenty, theres not really alot you can do. 2 years is a decent length of time for most electrical goods

foxes-tigers

Cycrow wrote: »

you could try taking them back to an apple store, do you still have your recipt ?
They might be willing to help.

but as its out of warrenty, theres not really alot you can do. 2 years is a decent length of time for most electrical goods

I do still have the receipt. I know in this instance I can/ should go back to the manufacturer.

What I am specifically referring to here is the Sales of Good Act - Fit for purpose / reasonable life. I expected that because I paid nearly £300 for a pair of headphones, I should rightfully expect them to last more than 4-5 years without any issues.

I want to send a response to B&W and was hoping someone could help point me in the right direction before I start bleeting.

1. Can I use Sales of Goods Act (even tho they were bought in Aus) I felt they have similar consumer rights to us here in the UK.
2. Would you agree/disagree that 2 years and 2 months for a pair of headphones that cost £300 is a reasonable lifespan?

Thanks

Paul

bigadaj

You may struggle for both of the reasons you've highlighted. It might seem a lot but they hav e offered a repair even though it'll cost you, potentially analogous to a car which could cost many times more.

wealdroam

OP, read my reply on your other thread.

Now, to your questions:

foxes-tigers wrote: »

1. Can I use Sales of Goods Act (even tho they were bought in Aus) I felt they have similar consumer rights to us here in the UK.

No.
The Sale of Goods Act only has any meaning between the buyer and seller... i.e. between you and Apple Australia.
And that assumes there is a SoGA equivalent in Aus that you could use in the Aus courts against Apple Australia.

foxes-tigers wrote: »

2. Would you agree/disagree that 2 years and 2 months for a pair of headphones that cost £300 is a reasonable lifespan?

Who knows.
Probably.

Except as hinted below, there is nothing you can do in the UK courts to resolve this.

By posting here, can we assume you made the purchase with a credit card?
Have a read of MSE's Section 75 Refunds article to see if your credit card company can help you.


Just to mention, this is wrong...

foxes-tigers wrote: »

I know in this instance I can/ should go back to the manufacturer.

The manufacturer owes you nothing more that what their warranty offers.

[Deleted User]

I have the same headphones and while I've not had any major problems with then, I'd be pretty !!!!ed off if they broke like that after two years. Unfortunately I don't think you'll have much luck pursuing this, your best bet will be to try and have B&W repair for free as a gesture of good will. I find it a bit cheeky that they are willing to charge you £75 without even having 'investigated' the issue yet - who's to say it's not a quick 5 minute fix with no requirement to exchange parts?

The one time I contacted their customer service department, I wasn't overly impressed. As the OP known the headphones come with two cables, one plain on and another with a mic/controls for an iPod. I noticed that the jack on the plain cable was coming away from the wiring a little (they were brand new) so I called B&W to ask for a replacement be sent out. They wanted me to send the original receipt and the faulty cable before they would replace it. While I guess this isn't unreasonable, for the sake of a headphone cable with a cost to them that must be pennies, I thought it was a bit tight. Especially for such an expensive pair of headphones that are marketed for their build quality. I didn't bother in the end as it wasn't worth my time.

I feel very strongly about companies standing behind their product so I won't buy from B&W again. Compare this to Zippo - I bought an antique zippo at a car boot sale a few years ago. Off the top of my head it was from the late fifties and the hinge was broken. I sent it in to them for repair fully expecting to be charged for the work and was surprised when they said it was covered by their lifetime guarantee - they fixed it and returned it free of charge.

Hominu

foxes-tigers wrote: »

2. Would you agree/disagree that 2 years and 2 months for a pair of headphones that cost £300 is a reasonable lifespan?

That question, as put, is not answerable. We don't know how often you used the head phones for example, or how you used them or stored them.

For example, if you used them several times a day every day then I would consider that 2 years is a reasonable lifespan. However, if you only used them once a week and carefully stored them away afterwards, then I would expect longer.

foxes-tigers

Hominu wrote: »

That question, as put, is not answerable. We don't know how often you used the head phones for example, or how you used them or stored them.

I used them approximately 2-3 times a week sometimes less. They were stored in the pouch that came with them. I am pretty particular not to abuse my things, especially as they cost so much.

jonesMUFCforever

If you had used them a few hundred times over a couple of years you are going to find it very difficult to prove there was a fundamental fault with them when you purchased them.
So to answer your fundamental question of whether S75 covers you IMO no.
They have given you an option - up to you to use it IMO.

By the by - can you really tell that much difference between a £300 pair of phones than a £30 pair?

chattychappy

IMHO it comes down to Australian law. If there was a breach of implied terms under Australian law then S75 might help. S75 covers foreign contracts, but probably doesn't inject English law into them. S75 is a struggle, CCs don't pay out easily.

If you could prove they were indeed faulty at purchase then English law would give you 6 years to make a claim. Australian law might well be different.

[Deleted User]

jonesMUFCforever wrote: »

By the by - can you really tell that much difference between a £300 pair of phones than a £30 pair?

Yes you can although it's probably not enough of a difference for most people to care about. Also, it really depends on the source of the music. If you're listening to crappy quality MP3s then there's no point as good headphones will just highlight the poor quality recording. If you have a good quality source then good headphones make a big difference, some songs can sound completely different.