Bathroom Cabinet Rusting

tesuhoha

Hi

Earlier this year my husband installed a downstairs shower room in our house. Everything we bought was good quality because we thought it would last longer and look good.

Unfortunately we purchased a bathroom cabinet from a company called Home Discounts Ltd who are affiliated with Amazon. So the purchase as far as I am concerned is from Amazon.

The stainless steel bathroom cabinet cost us £117 and was purchased on 7th April. Now to my mind, that is not a cheap cabinet.

I noticed a couple of months ago that the right mirror had started to rust at the bottom. I tried to clean it but it is obviously internal. We have kept the bathroom window open during the summer so it has not happened due to lack of ventilation.

As the left hand mirror is not affected I think that the right mirror is defective (not sealed properly). Obviously this has taken some time to reveal itself but the problem is getting worse and it is becoming unsightly.

I send an email to this company through Amazon asking them not to replace it but to send us a spare mirror door. I enclosed photos. They have just replied that they were sorry the item has 'become damaged' but it is outside of their returns policy and so can do nothing.

Is there anything I can do apart from give the item a stinking review? I don't want to have to replace the unit at that price but the rust is creeping up slowly and if it gets much worse I think I will have to or try to see if we can pay for a spare mirror.

tesuhoha

I've just sent an email of complaint to Amazon so fingers crossed.

Avoriaz

Tell Amazon that the Sale of Goods Act and consumer protection law overules their return policies.

Tell then that the cabinet is not fit for purpose and that you want a full refund. A bathroom cabinet mirror should not fail within a few months.

You could say that you are willing to compromise and settle for a replacement door if you are confident that it is a one off defective door and not an inherently poor quality cabinet.

If they don't co-operate then threatening legal action is your next resort. Post again if it comes to that.

tesuhoha

Avoriaz wrote: »

Tell Amazon that the Sale of Goods Act and consumer protection law overules their return policies.

Tell then that the cabinet is not fit for purpose and that you want a full refund. A bathroom cabinet mirror should not fail within a few months.

You could say that you are willing to compromise and settle for a replacement door if you are confident that it is a one off defective door and not an inherently poor quality cabinet.

If they don't co-operate then threatening legal action is your next resort. Post again if it comes to that.

Thank you. I have had an email from Amazon advising me to start a claim which I am going to do. I will take your advice with the wording on the form.

tesuhoha

Avoriaz wrote: »

Tell Amazon that the Sale of Goods Act and consumer protection law overules their return policies.

Tell then that the cabinet is not fit for purpose and that you want a full refund. A bathroom cabinet mirror should not fail within a few months.

You could say that you are willing to compromise and settle for a replacement door if you are confident that it is a one off defective door and not an inherently poor quality cabinet.

If they don't co-operate then threatening legal action is your next resort. Post again if it comes to that.

I have now sent Amazon the following reply:

Dear Sirs



Thank you for your advice. However, I have just tried to submit a claim as advised and have had the message that its too late to file a claim. My opportunity ended on 7th July.


I would suggest that the Sale of Goods Act and consumer protection law overrules your returns policies. The bathroom cabinet is not fit for purpose and after very reasonably asking for a replacement mirror door, which was refused, I would now like a full refund. A bathroom cabinet mirror should not fail within a few months.


Therefore, I look forward to hearing from you in the near future.


Yours sincerely

Avoriaz

Let us know how Amazon react.

Good luck.

tesuhoha

Amazon have replied that they are starting a claim for the order.

tesuhoha

I've just had this email from Amazon.

We are writing to you regarding your recent A-to-z Guarantee claim for order 204-5022827-7242730. The Amazon.co.uk A-to-z Guarantee refund policy only covers:

1) When the buyer provided payment to the seller, but the seller failed to deliver the item.

2) When the buyer received the item, but the item was materially different than as depicted in the seller's description.

We determined that you are not eligible for an A-to-z Guarantee claim as you did receive the item you ordered and you did not contact the seller to make return arrangements for the merchandise within 14 days of receipt. Your Guarantee claim for order 204-5022827-7242730 has been closed.

More information regarding Marketplace and Merchant returns are found by visiting the URLs below:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/help/customer/display.html/203-7438992-9845524?ie=UTF8&nodeId=1161010&qid=1191174001&sr=1-2

Thank you for your understanding.


Not sure where to go from here.

Avoriaz

Either Amazon, Home Discounts Ltd or both are responsible for dealing with your claim.

Who did you buy it from? Who did you pay and how did you pay?

If you paid by credit card then, as the cost was over £100, your credit card company may also be liable and they may be able to assist you.

I suspect that this is a situation where you are going to have to be persistent. Amazon are probably trying to palm you off in the hope that you give up.

Don’t give up.

Establish who is liable and then tell Amazon or Home Discounts Ltd, or both, that you are not claiming under their A-to-Z Guarantee but under the Sale of Goods Act. Tell them that you are rejecting your purchase as not fit for purpose and that, if they don’t refund your money (or provide a replacement door and mirror), you will take further action and will if necessary issue proceedings in the County Court.

Make enough of a fuss in a polite but determined manner and Amazon may cave in.

warmhands.coldheart

Couple of questions?

Is the cabinet actually in the actual shower enclosure? (Just checking)

you say the item is Stainless Steel. are you 100% sure of this? Just checking again. Stainless steel should not rust unless it is subjected to harsh chlorine or bleach cleaning chemicals. have you cleaned it with bleach or other harsh cleaning chemicals?

you say it's the mirror where the rust is appearing. I'm assuming you mean it's coming from the material the mirror is mounted on? could be a case of the cabinet is Stainless steel but they have used mild steel zinc plated screws in the assembly which could be the source of the rust.

tesuhoha

warmhands.coldheart wrote: »

Couple of questions?

Is the cabinet actually in the actual shower enclosure? (Just checking)

you say the item is Stainless Steel. are you 100% sure of this? Just checking again. Stainless steel should not rust unless it is subjected to harsh chlorine or bleach cleaning chemicals. have you cleaned it with bleach or other harsh cleaning chemicals?

you say it's the mirror where the rust is appearing. I'm assuming you mean it's coming from the material the mirror is mounted on? could be a case of the cabinet is Stainless steel but they have used mild steel zinc plated screws in the assembly which could be the source of the rust.

This is the cabinet (the discounted price has risen since we bought it).

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Croydex-Anton-Double-Stainless-Cabinet/dp/B004WO0GWC/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1378811206&sr=8-9&keywords=croydex+bathroom+cabinet

The cabinet is not inside the shower enclosure. It is over a basin which is opposite a window which is always opened after a shower. The shower also has the squeezee over it after every shower. It has been summer weather since we installed the cabinet so it has dried quickly. I don't use bleach to clean the mirror. I have only ever used Windowlene spray which is immediately polished with a duster.

I would add that there is another full length mirrored unit also in the shower room. It is also Croydex and was also purchased from Amazon around the same time. This unit is fine and there is no sign of rust on the doors.