New LPG cooker from Argos?

Fred_McKenzie

Apologies in advance if this is a long post.

We needed a new cooker - an LPG one. We looked in the Argos book, saw a few we were interested in, checked that they were suitable for LPG (great, Argos offered a new LPG kit through their manufacturers helpline too!).

A Bush AG66 cooker came on discount and the price was going up again on the 25th June and we just managed to save the money for it by the 24th June, my husband rang up that evening and bought it. I have the order number and it is arriving on the 3/7/13.

I rang on Tuesday to the Manufacturer's helpline for Bush and asked what I had to do to organise the free LPG kit.

First they told me that it wasn't the manufacturer's helpline, it was the repair line, to be brutally honest I think they thought I was crackers and seemed bewildered by this madwoman ringing up about a free conversion kit for LPG.

They didn't do free LPG conversion kits, even though I read to her the footnote on page 846 saying that I had to ring them to organise this free LPG kit. The girl said that she would make enquiries for me and I would get a phone call within the next 4 hours.

5 hours later I had had no call so I rang them again at 3.30 pm - another name explain again etc etc I am sure that you all know what it is like.

They told me again that there was no LPG kit available free, there was a charge for it. I read out to them what it says on the item page:-

"Product is suitable for Calor Gas - adapter kit available from the manufacturer directly. LPG gas adaptor is available free of charge from supplier via the manufacturer's helpline - see page 1736"

Nothing on page 1736 about it but on page 1735 there is a 'Contact the Manufacturer Direct' page and I had rang the Bush number under the White Goods section on there. They told me then that they had nothing to do with Argos, they merely worked as a repair line in some way for Argos but were not employed by Argos.

They put me through to Customer Services where they were very nice but patently didn't believe me that it said on page 846 that this kit was available free through the manufacturers helpline. I was told that it didn't say that on the Web site, but I hadn't gone on the web site. I had looked in my catalogue a current Spring/Autumn 2013 catalogue. One gentleman I spoke to Patrick was his name had a catalogue and he found the footnote on page 846 and so could see what I was getting at. Unfortunately we got cut off and the next girl who answered said that in her catalogue on page 846 there were no cookers, only blenders, she wondered if I had an old catalogue, hers was Spring/Summer 2013 as was mine I said. She could only think then that because I lived in a different area perhaps my local area had a different copy of the Spring/Summer 2013 catalogue? Can you believe that? I can't see Argos paying for different catalogues for different areas surely?

To cut a long story short I was put back to the 'Manufacturers helpline' 2 or 3 times and each time they put me back to Customer Services. I got cut off and goodness knows what else, never spoke to the same person twice etc etc and ended up with a splitting headache and was ready to scream.

In the end I spoke to a lady called Lauren, she eventually told me that what had finally been agreed with management was that as I had proof that this kit was available free through the manufacturers helpline, if I would take my copy of my catalogue to my local Argos today and show someone there where it said that this kit was available free, they could then ring back to the white goods office and they would then arrange for me to have my LPG kit.

This morning we took the 20 minute trip to Argos. We went in and first of all checked that all of the catalogues in there said the same thing, on page 846, there it was in black and white - free LPG kit from manufacturers helpline!

We approached the Customer Service Manager and she took the details, read the notice in my copy of the catalogue and went to ring them to say that yes, I could prove what I had been saying and she had read it herself. She came back and said that the lines were down but she would ring the Bush Manufacturer's line herself. She was away for ages, ringing and re-ringing and we sat reading newspapers becoming thoroughly bored and getting some very odd looks from staff.

We went out in the end to the bank and returned to find that she was off the phone at last. Was it good news? yes it was, she could tell me that I had to go online and look for one of these kits they could be found very easily - Google might help - and she had even found a number for Corgi because she thought that I might find that helpful as well. I thought I would explode to be perfectly honest, I was absolutely furious. 40 minutes round trip especially to do as they told us, then around 30 minutes sitting wasting time while they iffed and butted. They obviously think that we are a couple of old codgers who they could pat on the head and we would go home and make a mess of something else the next time.:(

I returned home and contacted the Consumer helpline run by CAB here, don't know if it is everywhere. I was advised to write to Argos sending the letter by recorded delivery and tell them that under the Misrepresentation Act 1967 they were using misleading advertising and I would require them to honour their advertisement regarding this LPG kit which was available for this cooker, otherwise I would be requiring damages. (I will have to word that a bit better in the letter hopefully!) She gave me a Reference number for my enquiry (ok to include that in my letter to Argos?) and said that she was also passing this onto the Trading Standards office locally. She advised that I didn't bother ringing Argos again, just send the letter.

So that is it really, the moral of t he story is don't believe a lot of what Argos says in their 'helpful' catalogues because if it sounds good value it probably isn't available at all.

I could ask for a refund and cancel the sale, but I need a new cooker, I don't see why on earth I should cancel it when Argos have apparently been embroidering the truth, although what they get out of it I have no idea. What on earth use is a mains gas cooker to us here? We can't be the only people who have been trying to get one of these free kits can we?

The funny part of it is that no one has mentioned to me how much this LPG kit is, it could be very cheap, more likely very expensive and we have also got to pay a gas fitter to fit it - if and when we finally get one, so I shall need every penny for that. So my cooker will be delivered hopefully. I have no idea where I am going to put it because I will still be needing my old one to cook on! But I'll manage somehow.

I am appalled at the amount of time and effort I have had to put into this not to mention the phone calls, an hour and a half yesterday afternoon alone! I will be asking for expenses too you can bet your bottom dollar on that one.

anmarj

is it this one?

http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/4898751.htm

according to the description it comes with the conversion kit

Fred_McKenzie

Oh thanks for that, yes that's the one. They told me yesterday that online it didn't offer a free conversion kit and I had not bothered to look for one myself. I find the Argos site online hard work for some reason so don't use it. I'll put that link into my notes for my letter. :T Much appreciated anmarj.

Fred_McKenzie

Can I just ask people's opinion on when to send this letter to Argos Head Office? Part of me wants to send it tomorrow because I am so angry and part of me is worried that I won't get my cooker if I do that, that they'll cancel the sale and refund the cost to save the hassle.

Would I be better waiting until the cooker has finally arrived here do you think?

Poppie68

Doesnt the conversion kit come within the packaging of the cooker?


EDIT: after reading the link provided above...it seems to indicate that the LPG and a calor gas adaptor kit come supplied with the cooker.

baza52

General information:

• Suitable for use with LPG (liquified petroleum gas) - adaptor kit included.
• Suitable for use with calor gas - calor gas adaptor included.
• Size H90, W60, D60cm.
• EAN/MPN/UPC/ISBN: 5060234043537.

unholyangel

Wait and see if it comes with the kit. If it doesnt, send the letter. If it does, oops.

paddyrg

I'm with unholyangel here, see what actually turns up before spending more energy on what might have been a non-issue all along.