Lifetime Guarantee - whose responsibility?

MrNotty

Hi everyone,

I bought a full set of expensive Circulon pans from BHS in 2007. They are dishwasher proof and have a lifetime guarantee. We hardly ever put them in the dishwasher and are careful with use/cleaning.

Almost immediately some showed a problem - the outside peeling and damage inside. In 2011 I took 3 back to BHS who were shocked and gave me replacements. Since then one that was replaced and two of the original set are showing similar damage.

We know this not be to be our fault or wear and tear - so please answer as if you believe this too.

I phoned BHS who were so helpful last time but got a new response. This is the manufacturer's problem and not theirs (I thought the contract was with BHS).

It might be the manufacturer will be honest - but I think we may spend time and money only to find they say its our fault/wear and tear. I have good photographs of the damage. So please before I contact BHS Head Office or Circulon - can someone advise me as to where the responsibility lies.

Thank you in advance

Esqui

BHS only have responsibility under SOGA (which, subject to many caveats, is for up to 6 years from purchase). A lifetime guarantee is in addition to your rights, and I would imagine comes from the manufacturer - so I'd be contacting Circulon

MrNotty

The original purchase just falls outside the 6 years (8/8/09). The replacements well within.

frugal_mike

The replacements are effectively extensions of the original. The 6 years did not reset when you received the replacements. You could potentially go on receiving replacements forever if that wasn't the case.

wealdroam

MrNotty wrote: »

The original purchase just falls outside the 6 years (8/8/09). The replacements well within.

Yes, but whichever way you look at it, the purchase was over six years ago.

The only rights you now have is with whoever is providing the lifetime guarantee... the manufacturer?

You will be relying on the terms of that guarantee.
Do you have the lifetime guarantee documentation?

wealdroam

frugal_mike wrote: »

You could potentially go on receiving replacements forever if that wasn't the case.

Interestingly, they could go on receiving replacements forever... it's a lifetime guarantee.

MrNotty

Thank you everyone. I do have the receipts and guarantee documentation. There is another thread on a MSE Forum with someone asking if anyone has been successful with Circulon. There is also a review on Amazon saying that their pans appeared to have damage and Circulon turned them down.

My guess is sadly (based on no contact with Circulon of course yet) that the guarantee will prove to be so much paper and unless I take them to the Small Claims court they'll just say it is wear and tear/damage by us.

paddyrg

Lifetime guarantees are often a bit naff. The lifetime of the product is up by the time you're asking for a warranty replacement, pretty much by definition ;-)

frugal_mike

wealdroam wrote: »

Interestingly, they could go on receiving replacements forever... it's a lifetime guarantee.

Lol I bet in the small print it says that lifetime refers to the product and not the buyer or some such rubbish.

meer53

Does anyone actually believe that a guarantee lasts a lifetime ? Cos i don't ! I think it's for the life of the goods, not a whole lifetime.

I've been using a set of saucepans for the last 30 years, they don't have a non stick coating though which is probably why i've not had any problems with them.

Elsewhere

I have some very expensive Japanese kitchen knives made by Global which have a lifetime guarantee.

The blade of one of the small knives broke - I'd had it for many years and didn't have any paperwork. I asked at a shop which sold the range about getting a replacement and was told that it would only be replaced if I could show that there was a manufacturing fault - the guarantee didn't cover wear and tear or misuse - which is fair, IMO.

The shop said that if there was a fault in the casting which caused the break there would be a dark mark in the sheared metal of the broken-off blade, and gave me an address to contact the manufacturer. I was quite surprised, to be honest, when I found a mark as the shop keeper described; I sent the knife away and two weeks later a new one arrived.

So sometimes "lifetime" is for life.