Carphone Warehouse Fob Off !

Jet2fan

Hello wise ones !

Could anyone please assist me with regards my rights about a faulty product.

Bought my daughter a cheap tablet on the 4th Jan 2014 (a Hipstreet Aurora 2).

Approx 6 Months 3 Week ago.

Yesterday, it refused to hold charge / turn on.

Today, took it into Carphone Warehouse... They did indeed agree that the tablet was broken.

They said that their repair people do not have the ability to repair Hipstreet products and that it was up to myself to contact the manufacturer and organize a repair. !

He then confirmed this with a call to head office.

My view on this is simple... Under one year, the retailers problem.
My contract is with the retailer, not Hipstreet.

Why should I have to pay postage / do the donkey work / contact the manufacturer when surely it is Carphone warehouses problem.

I will be contacting trading standards tomorrow to find out my legal rights.

Does anyone on here know the legal position ?

Please note: Hipstreet is a Canadian company and I fear being asked to send the product back to Mountie Jack and the time and hassle that would involve.

Jim_Jupiter

A product is supposed to last a reasonable amount of time. A super top of the range washing machine for example will be expected to last a lot longer than a pair of headphones from pound stretcher.

That said I would agree a tablet, even the cheapo ones, would be expected to last longer than 6 months and 3 weeks, so you should still have rights to a remedy through the retailer.

The only snag is that it is older than 6 months; at this point the onus is on you to prove the tablet is inherently faulty and it's not broke through misuse.

wealdroam

Here is a short extract from MSE's Consumer Rights guide:

Know who's responsible

When returning items, beware shops trying the oldest trick in the book: saying they're not responsible for the shoddy goods and you must call the manufacturer. This is total nonsense!

If a company fobs you off by saying “go to the maker instead”, it's wrong. It's the retailer's job to sort it.

It doesn't matter if it's an iPod from a high street shop or a designer frock from a department store. If something's broken, torn, ripped or faulty, the seller has a legal duty to put it right as your contract is with it.

The whole article is worth reading.

shaun_from_Africa

Yes, your contract is with CPW and you could insist that they deal with the matter, but it may well be far easier and quicker for you to go directly to Hipstreet.
They offer a 1 year warranty and if the tablet was not too expensive, they may simply replace it for you.

As already mentioned, CPW could ask you to prove that the fault was due to a manufacturing defect and if you managed to do this, they might send the tablet off then if/when it was repaired or replaced, return it back to you, something that may drag out,
They could also opt to give you a partial refund . (making a deduction from the selling price to cover the 6 months use you have had).

It won't cost you anything to e-mail or telephone Hipstreet (0800-051-8330), and this may save you time and stress.