Faulty Microwave....Options?

Deladuro

Hi Folks,
Before I do anything else I though I'd check on here to see what people thought would be the best approach....

I bought a microwave oven from John Lewis Online in June 2012 - with a 1 year guarantee. (Panasonic NN-SD440W)

Yesterday it just went off. Not whilst being used, so no bangs or smoke, I just happened to notice that the LED display was off. Checked the fuse and the socket but no fault there.

Contacted John Lewis tech department who wrote a very nice email back saying...
"[FONT=&quot]Upon investigation I can advise that there are no known issues with these microwaves. Your microwave was supplied with a 1 year parts and labour guarantee which expired on 24 June 2013, as this is the case if you wish to discuss the possibility of repair you would need to speak with Panasonic directly."


Do I have any legitimate recourse against John Lewis in this instance? Should I take it up with Panasonic.
I've read a bit about the various 'Sale of Goods', EU directives and even the 'Prescription and Limitation (Scotland) Act 1973' but am just getting a bit befuddled.


What should my next move be?
(apart from getting my 20-year-old Daewoo microwave up from the cellar....)

[/FONT]

unholyangel

You may need to get an independent report stating the nature of the fault. Best bet would be to speak to JL again and ask them specifically what they require as "proof" that the item is inherently faulty as per SoGA (forget EU directives, especially the 2 year one as its often misunderstood as being something its not/being enforceable against anyone other than our government).

Deladuro

I got the microwave looked at by the local Panasonic Service Centre who confirmed that there was a manufacturing fault - DP circuit whatever that is.
Anyway, JL have offered £20 towards the £65 repair or £50 towards a new microwave.
Is this as good as I can hope for?

LilElvis

As the manufacturer has confirmed that the fault was inherent, ie present at the time of purchase, then John Lewis should pay for the repair in full. When you call the JL Technical Support team (the one that deals with electrical purchases) ask to speak to a supervisor as the call centre staff are only authorised to provide a remedy up to £50. I discovered this when I was resolving a similar problem with a faulty product out of warranty.

frugal_mike

The three options open to John Lewis are repair, replace or refund (possibly partial). You can state which option you prefer, but cannot usually insist on an option that is disproportionately costly compared to the others. It may be the case that the repair is more expensive than a partial refund. The reduction in refund will probably depend on the expected lifespan of the oven, for example if it was 50% through its expected life then you might expect a 50% refund.

£20 towards the repair is rubbish through.

robatwork

How much would an equivalent new replacement cost?

DevCoder

£130 new from john lewis, so they are offering roughly 40%.

The part itself is about £18, so their £20 offering is covering the cost of the part.

ThumbRemote

As frugal_mike says, they need to provide a refund, repair or replacement. They aren't offering any of these at present.

Note they must also refund you the cost of the inspection.

Deladuro

I've emailed the service centre as the 'report' that I forwarded to JL was actually more of an invoice. It said the part that was required, but didn't actually say that this was an inherent fault - although that was the verbal report that was given to me.

I'll see what they say....

Deladuro

I had an email back from the service repair centre. They say "[FONT=&quot]I have spoken to the engineer who is working with your Panasonic microwave, he has informed myself that the fault with the microwave is normal breakdown and this fault happens from time to time"

Any idea what this means in terms of any right to recompense?
Does it mean
a) that there is a problem with the component, that I've done nothing wrong in terms of abusing or misusing the unit and a company like Panasonic should be able to incorporate components that last for a reasonable amount of time.....and there must have been something wromg with the component from the beginning for it to stop working after 18 months of light domestic use
or b) tough luck - you're fortunate to be getting any offer from JL at all.....

[/FONT]

Compmehappy

Amazed that exactly the same thing has happened to me. Here is where I am.

Dear Sir/Madame

I am writing for information only at this point as I do not have any specific details to hand.

In January 2012 my wife and I purchased a Panasonic microwave via yourselves. Last night it failed for no known reason.

Having checked the paperwork it shows a 1 year guarantee however checking on your website I can see a somewhat ambiguous quote.

"Most manufacturers typically offer a one year guarantee, but we extend that to two years at no extra cost to offer you extra value. Our own brand John Lewis appliances (excluding microwaves) carry a total of three years, because we can be absolutely confident of their quality"

To clarify. As this is a Panasonic and not own brand, are we covered for two years on this item? Or are you stating that all microwaves are only covered by a one year guarantee?

Any advice much appreciated

Kind regards

Dear Mr Nolan

Our reference: 140314-000751

Thank you for your email regarding your Panasonic microwave. I am sorry to learn that the unit failed last night for no known reason.

I can advise that as of October 2013, all electrical appliances purchased from John Lewis are supplied with a second year warranty courtesy of John Lewis. As your item was purchased before this date, regrettably the microwave would have only come with a one year warranty.

To find out the details of your local Panasonic engineer, please click on the web link

If you have any further questions or queries, please do not hesitate to contact our Technical Support team on 0844 693 1799 or reply to this email quoting the above reference number. Our opening hours are 8am to 9pm Monday to Friday, 8am to 8pm Saturday and 10am to 6pm Sunday.

Yours sincerely

Mark Forsyth

Thank you very much for your swift response.

I note that you now stock the same model at the same price but with a two year guarantee
And ours was purchased under a 1 year guarantee.

Would you than agree that by selling this item with a two year guarantee the partnership expects that the product should be of such a standard that it would be reasonable to expect that product to last for at least that length of time without fault?

To suggest that you do not expect the product to last the duration of the guarantee would be negligent towards the customer and/or bad business economically as you would be repairing/replacing products you sold under at two year guarantee that you never expected to last two years.

I suspect such company as John Lewis who we bought from in good faith would recognise the consumer rights I hold that any product purchased should "last a reasonable length of time"
To sell a product that did not do so and deny recompense should by default breach my consumer rights.

I'd be interested to hear your opinion on this matter. Below is the details of the proof of purchase

Kind regards