shop contract

lmhowe50

Yesterday I took my tablet to Gadget Fix in Leeds Owner said tablet needed reflashing cost £35 I had to pay £25 deposite cash and sign a contract agreeing that £25 was non refundable if they could not do the work Just got e mail saying cannot drowsy tablet due to manufacture site been down and unable to get firmware So I cannot get tablet mended and have lost £25 Surely they would be other sites to get firmware Is contract binding I cannot afford to lose money buy another tablet I read reviews today Shop got bad rep I feel conned

aerostar

What was wrong with the tablet ? and make and model ?.

Probable only needed a reset or factory restore which can normally be done by yourself quite easily.

lmhowe50

I had tried to go back to factory settings a few times using on off sound switch but kept going back to android icon I do not have access to computer just my tablet which is cheap maxtoucch brand and old mobile phone I think I had downloaded wrong software to get get agreement and I think tablet was bricked I am mad because the shop does not seem to be trying anymore to fix it and I signed a contract agreeing for them to keep cash deposite I have since sent them 2 e mails but no answer When I pick of up on Friday it will be useless

droopsnoot

The deposit you paid will cover the time they have spent so far. It is often difficult for customers to accept that it takes time to diagnose a problem, whether or not they can then go on to fix it, and it's not necessarily reasonable to assume that they're ripping you off. That £25 probably covers an hour at their normal charged rate, possibly a minimum charge (few places will charge by the 15-min or 30-min period for a one-off). If they're not trying any more, maybe that's because the time your £25 deposit paid for has been used up, and they don't want to get into a further argument about you paying for more time when they still might get the same result.

I'm not excusing the company (never heard of them) but have been in similar situations where we do some work, after an hour discover that the customers equipment cannot be fixed (can't get parts, for example, if it's a printer) and customer expects us to have spent that time for no remuneration.

Hard to say whether the contract is binding without seeing it (and I couldn't help there, even if I did see it). The fact that they've produced a contract for you to sign suggests that they've been in this position before (and it's not unusual, to quote Sir Tom), or maybe they're part of one of the buying groups and have access to documents like this. Can't help to take it to the CAB and ask for their opinion though - it wouldn't be the first time a small business has used a bar-room expert to draft a contract and made it unenforceable as a result.

almillar

1. Still no make and model of tablet
2. If the manufacturer's site was down, surely they can try again...

droopsnoot

OP said it was "maxtoucch" brand before. First link for a firmware update from their site chains to another website called oasis-bs.com, and gives a 'page not found' error.

Robisere

Checking the gadgetsfix.com Google reviews, gives a different picture to the reviews on their own site, which incidentally stop after October 01 2012.

Appears to be the story of a good company which has deteriorated, perhaps a "main man" has departed and the place can't hack it anymore. Just my opinion of course, based on available evidence, but there are some really irate people on those Google Reviews.

Cheap tablets are just that, btw. Chinese companies are flooding the Western market with cheap stuff, some is good but some is cheap and nasty. These are inexpensive consumer items which are intended to be replaced regularly: pity of it is, that fact is not generally advertised and people like yourself, with very little to spare for the tech, are taken in.

It's a hard lesson to learn, but if you want a good, usable, tablet, I advise saving for a reputable brand and do some internet research.

almillar

Never buy from a 'manufacturer' for which you can't find a website! You've lost the money on the tablet, and the £25 for the shop's time. I hope you'll agree it wasn't very good value.