Aria.co.uk returns questionable?

KEGG

Hi, currently having a bit of a quandary.

I bought an item from aria.co.uk to which I assume is faulty. My assumption was based on the fact that for a computer build the only item that wasn't brand new was the mother board (mobo). In terms of compatibility everything was OK. So upon the computer not working it was identified that the most likely culprit was the mobo. Being eligible to RMA (Return Materials Authorisation) I returned the mobo to which was received on the 3rd Nov.
Their policy states:

We are pleased to inform you that your package for Return Order 7*** has been received by Aria and passed to our technical department for inspection. This process can take up to 28 working days.

Now it is the 2nd Dec, over 28 days, and I have not had an answer as to whether the item was faulty or not. So I got in contact with them to quote their policy and ask for advice. Their answer was that they have had the item 21 "WORKING" days. And that I should wait for the allotted time period.

Personally I find this to be unreasonable as I have now had an unworking PC for more than a calendar month. Which is frustrating beyond belief. Could it not be argued that due to them being a primarily internet company and accepting orders every day of the week that using the term "working days" would be unreasonable. More to the fact that 28 working days actually equates to 36 days in total.

What possible options do I have as I am unhappy with their response and service?

unholyangel

You say the only thing not new was the mobo so you presume that to be faulty as everything else is fine. I'm no expert on computers, but how do you know one of the new parts wasnt broken?

How old is it? When did you purchase it?

KEGG

I can see your point. But logically the first port of call would be to the part that wasn't brand new other than brand new items.
The item was purchased on the 2nd August, but wasn't built into the PC until I had the last item arrive at the end of Oct. The item was also an OPEN BOX item:

"All our ARIANET Open Box Products come with a 60 Day Warranty only from time of purchase. All items may be OEM, Refurb, second user, discontinued stock, or a brand new replacement product direct from the Manufacturer. They may come retail boxed (the item may have outer packaging that shows signs of damage) or white boxed, and may or may not come with drivers, manuals, cables and accessories."

In addition I have checked and tested other parts of the computer with a friends and they all seem to be fine. The only other, and most crucial part, is the CPU (Computer Processing Unit) which I am unable to test with lack of mobo.

frugal_mike

I don't think there's anything that stops them stating working days (and the snippet you have provided does clearly say working days). Their systems may take orders on non working days, but their systems also take orders through the night too. They can't have people working there 24/7.

Having said that, 28 working days is an odd number to pick. It is not a whole number of working weeks, and could easily be confused with meaning 4 weeks instead of 5 and a bit. I have no idea why they picked that number, but i guess they know how long it will take them to repair.

Legally, the Sale of Goods Act states that they must provide a resolution in a reasonable time (if indeed there is a fault) and without causing significant inconvenience. There is no strict definition of what is reasonable so it depends on the specifics of the case.5 weeks is probably pushing it, but probably not unreasonable.

I also agree with unholyangel. My last pc was delivered new with both a faulty fan and a faulty graphics card. (Edit: I see you've tested the other parts now).