John Lewis won't repair or replace my new TV

Thomas_the_tank_engine

hpuse wrote: »

Have you checked whether the warranty manual really says USB is not covered?....
I think that is misinformation and I really hope they did not get it all messed up your call to an accidental damage claim.

I will go through the warranty over the weekend but it would be strange if it was excluded. I told them what the fault was when I rang JL. If the USB was excluded from the warranty then surely they would have told me there and then rather than go to the expense of sending out a repair company to pick it up. The whole thing doesn't make sense to me as its only the USB board that needs replacing not the whole TV. They already went to the expense of engaging the repair company so for the sake of a few extra quid why not replace the USB board.

paddyrg

^^^ Forget all talk of warranty, guarantee etc. The only thing you should be discussing is SoGA and not let anyone sidetrack you with talk of warranties. Next time you speak with JL, explain there's clearly been a misunderstanding and that you're seeking remedy under SoGA. If the call centre operator doesn't understand ask to escalate the case until you speak with someone who does understand the STATUTORY rights you have in law.

aqua111

Tell them you are taking them to the Small Claims Court.
Send them a letter stating this unless the matter is resolved within 14 days. Your Household Insurance Policy will probably have a Legal Advice Line and they will help.
I have used this method twice and was successful both times without even going to court.

Valli

hpuse wrote: »

Have you checked whether the warranty manual really says USB is not covered?....
I think that is misinformation and I really hope they did not get it all messed up your call to an accidental damage claim.

Given the TV has been owned by the OP for less than 6 months what the warranty OR guarantee does or does not cover is irrelevant, Hpuse. The OP has sufficient protection here under the Sale of Goods Act.

You, OP, can seek a remedy under SoGA.

JL can offer to repair, replace or refund.

Blackbeard_of_Perranporth

hpuse wrote: »

Ah, Valli, I can guess the contempt ; you will be tempted to challenge anything and everything I write :rotfl:



http://www.which.co.uk/consumer-rights/problem/what-do-i-do-if-i-have-a-faulty-product

Is every post you put on these bored flawed?

The consumer has a reasonable time to inspect the goods, and, return for a full refund, at the discretion of the supplier. Normally this is about 28 days, in most cases, this is over and above the SOGA.

Two months the goods would be deemed accepted by the customers.

Ah, must check that as sport advice!

Thomas_the_tank_engine

I sent a complaint email to John Lewis and received a call from customer services. It seems that they are classing it as accidental damage. I was asked if I had used a USB stick before, the implication being that I broke it because I didnt know what I was doing. I've worked in IT for 30 years so I think I know one end of a USB stick from another. They said they would speak to the repair company again but I am not optimistic. They asked if I wanted to pay for the repair myself and quoted me £230. :eek: The TV only cost £379 !

RichardD1970

hpuse wrote: »

Warranty = Retailer
Guarantee = Manufacturer

Isn't that helpful enough to understand?:rotfl:

Not correct. (Again)

What is a guarantee?
In law, a guarantee is an agreement given by a trader to a consumer, without any extra charge, to repair, replace or refund goods that do not meet the specifications set out in the guarantee.

What is a warranty?
A warranty (or extended warranty) is broadly defined in law as a contract for cover for goods, which is entered into by a consumer for (money) monetary consideration. A warranty is a form of insurance policy which provides cover for the unexpected failure or breakdown of goods, usually after the manufacturer's or trader's guarantee has run out.

http://www.tradingstandards.gov.uk/cgi-bin/brighton-hove/con1item.cgi?file=*ADV0054-1011.txt


OP hope you get it sorted.

aqua111

Just excuses from them!!!!
As I said previously,threatening Court action has worked for me.
In one example I was refunded the whole cost of a Holday when I became exasperated by the many excuses I had to listen to.
I did not even have to go to Court!!!!!!!!!

vyle

I guess they have to ask if you put it in correctly, because they can neither psychically know how long you've worked in IT, nor if you're familiar with IT at all. And considering that different manufacturers mount their USB ports in different directions, guessing the correct orientation of the USB sticks is sometimes a guessing game even if you do know how to tell the top and bottom of a USB.

Hell, in day to day life, I've seen people trying to shove USBs into HDMI sockets and destroying them, so it's never safe to underestimate the abject stupidity of a customer.

That being said, the engineers JL send stuff to are the same as pretty much anywhere else. They are authorised repair agents who serve numerous retailers, so whether you got the TV from JL or from who knows who else, you'll have got the same reply.

The key for your fight, if they choose to fight it, is if they can prove that you applied undue pressure to the port, and that the housing was suitably resilient to normal pressure.

The cost of the repair, as I'm sure you're well aware, is not just for the parts, but for the time the repair agents have already spent inspecting it, as well as the time and manpower of replacing the parts. The normal cost for IT repair agents in my neck of the woods is about £70 per hour, for a minimum of an hour and I expect TV guys charge similar.

One way to look at it is that they've got an engineer who is far more qualified to comment on a TV's state than anyone in the shop. They're saying it was broken, as opposed to faulty. They have no stake in either outcome because they get paid either way. Are you sure that you can prove that you put the USB stick in the right way up and didn't force it?

P.s. in the future, wherever you choose to shop, don't buy LG. There's a reason why they're cheap and my shop tends to joke that LG stands for Lousy Goods.

p.p.s. The JL warranty is 5 years of normal warranty cover, which is why it isn't red carpet, accidental damage cover. It's just a warranty that stretches over five years, rather than one ,so covers whatever you'd normally be covered for on the manufacturer's terms.

lady123_2

Why not phone john lewis head office in London, ask to speak to the managing director of customer services.
You may not get to speak to him or her directly but there will be someone is his/her office that will deal with the complaint properly.