Go Outdoors - Where do I stand?

chris01010

Hi,


Hopefully someone can help to clarify where I stand with regards to a tent I bought from Go Outdoors. I will paste in my initial email to there customer service and there reply, hopefully this will contain all the information needed.


My email:


Could you please tell me where I stand with regards warranty for the Voyager 6 Tent and Porch I bought from you.

We purchased the tent just under 2 years ago and used it once. We didn't use it again until (last Saturday) 16/08/2014 as my wife became pregnant and it wasn't practical to do so. In the meantime, we also purchased the porch for this tent at the recommendation of one of your sales staff.

When we went camping in Camber sands this weekend, we pitched both the tent and porch on the Saturday. We managed to sleep in it that night, but the next day there was a blustery wind. We returned from lunch to find the tent virtually collapsed and the porch pulling against the tent.

One of the cross poles had snapped at the metal connector and one of the pole sections had split. Also the pole sleeve was torn where the connector had snapped.

The porch had also been damaged, window ripped at the seam and one of the poles at the connection between 2 sections had bent.

The product description on your website quotes:

"It's stable enough to stand up to very windy conditions, with the cross-pole design giving it extra strength and flexibility."

I am just grateful that my 10 month old son was not in the tent at the time!

All other tents (barring 2, one of which was another Voyager) on the site were still standing. Needless to say we had to leave that day (only after I had to break camp in the rain!) after only one night into a three night break, of which I will not be getting an refund.

Our Discount card number is #######

I look forward to reading your response.

Regards

Chris Smith


Their reply:


Dear Chris,

Thank you for your email.

Unfortunately, our warranty period is only for 12 months and even then tent poles are not covered in guarantee or warranty due to the necessary force needed to break or damage the pole/s. There are no outdoor retailers that offer guarantee or warranty on poles. This information is also available and clearly stated in the tent guarantee leaflet received when purchasing the tent.

The warranty covers all manufacturing faults of the fabrics, parts and workmanship. The warranty covers the functionality of the product for its normal, intended use as specified in Go Outdoors consumer literature or website. It does not cover poles, malfunction of any fabric or component that has resulted from improper or unreasonable use or maintenance, accidents, damage due to excessive winds/weather, improper re-packing or natural degradation due to sunlight.

Our stores are more than happy to offer repairs and replacement parts for poles at a small cost. They will also send the tent off for repairs, footing the courier costs but the repair charge will be your responsibility.

I apologise for the inconvenience and any upset caused by this matter.

If you have any further questions or queries please do not hesitate to contact us.

Regards,
Emma Brown
Customer Service Team
GO Outdoors Ltd.

DevCoder

I'd be snapping their hand off to be honest.

It's always best to leave emotion out of complaints, what if's and could have's should not be in complaints. It didn't happen so has no bearing on the complaint.

Takeaway_Addict

You need to prove the fault was inherent as it is over 6 months and not down to mis-care or normal wear and tear (yes you say you used it only once but how does the company know this is the truth?)

You need to get a report from a reputable company/person to say that it was an inherent fault and then go back to Go Outdoors. They can then refund, repair or replace as they see fit and they can provide a partial refund to allow for the time it could have been used.

If they still refuse you would need to go via a small claims court.

So yes, I would take their offer, its not worth the hassle IMO. And they don't really care about 'what if's'.

callmechar

Most tent shops/suppliers do not guarantee their poles. Poles break. Perhaps it was the way you pitched it?

chris01010

OK thanks for the replies.


krisdorey/ takeaway - agreed but the complaint was written the day after returning from a ruined trip. Next time I'll leave it a few days.


Callmechar - the tent was pitched as per the instructions included with the tent.

Marktheshark

Your enquiry was about a warranty.
A warranty is a contractual matter between a seller and purchaser.

Your legal rights are statutory, the sale of goods act stipulates products must be fit for purpose they are sold.

George_Michael

chris01010 wrote: »

We purchased the tent just under 2 years ago and used it once. We didn't use it again until (last Saturday) 16/08/2014 as my wife became pregnant and it wasn't practical to do so.

The first time you used the tent, did you take any bedtime reading?
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sex-Tent-Couples-Getting-Naughty/dp/0899974325/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1411249906&sr=8-1&keywords=sex+in+a+tent