Is the power lead part covered under warranty?

sarahRJ

I bought a Transcend Drive Pro 200 car camera in February. All worked fine until yesterday when it stopped working. I have isolated the fault, the power cable (Cig lighter to camera) is no longer working. No obvious damage, it just doesn't work any more. Ebay business seller referred me to manufacturer. Manufacturer claims warranty only applies to camera not to accessories. The lead was part of the sale, in the box, listed on the box contents. I would think that a power lead should be expected to last as long as the item that it powers. Am I right and if so what should I do? Thanks

wealdroam

sarahRJ wrote: »

I bought a Transcend Drive Pro 200 car camera in February. All worked fine until yesterday when it stopped working. I have isolated the fault, the power cable (Cig lighter to camera) is no longer working. No obvious damage, it just doesn't work any more. Ebay business seller referred me to manufacturer. Manufacturer claims warranty only applies to camera not to accessories. The lead was part of the sale, in the box, listed on the box contents. I would think that a power lead should be expected to last as long as the item that it powers. Am I right and if so what should I do? Thanks

As the manufacturer's warranty is in addition to your statutory rights, it can have restrictions... like the one you have found.

Your statutory rights lie with whoever sold the thing to you.
So you could of course seek a remedy from the ebay seller.

However it looks like a replacement lead can be had for less than £10 on Amazon. Maybe that is the easiest option.

By the way, the ebay business seller is wrong to refer you to the manufacturer.
MSE's Consumer Rights guide says:

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.

And for completeness, here is an extract from your user manual:

This Warranty only applies to the product itself, and excludes integrated LCD panels, rechargeable batteries, and all product accessories (such as card adapters, cables, earphones, power adapters, and remote controls).

shaun_from_Africa

Is the seller based in the EU?
A lot of these cameras come from Chinese or Taiwan based ebayers in which case their advice to contact the manufacturer is probably correct as you will have little or nothing in the way of consumer rights against the seller.


Have you had a look inside the plug that goes into the cig lighter socket? It might be something simple such as a blown fuse.

sarahRJ

Thanks for all your responses. It was supplied by a UK ebay seller. It just strikes me as odd that an essential part of the product - it won't work without a power lead - sold as a boxed package, yet very little requirement for it to be of good quality. My cheapest solution is a USB car socket adaptor as I already have a spare USB lead - that's only £1. But the point for me is that this would seem to be a grey area.

wealdroam

sarahRJ wrote: »

But the point for me is that this would seem to be a grey area.

No, this isn't a grey area.

As I tried to explain, a manufacturer's warranty is an 'extra' if you like. There is in fact no obligation for the manufacturer to offer any warranty at all.

Your rights to a remedy are with whoever sold the goods to you. The Sale of Goods Act says the goods must last a reasonable time, and it gives you the right to seek a remedy from the seller for up to six years from the date of the sale.

Nothing could be clearer.

But having said that, for the amount involved you can surely find some better way to fill your time.

bod1467

shaun_from_Africa wrote: »

Have you had a look inside the plug that goes into the cig lighter socket? It might be something simple such as a blown fuse.

This was my first thought on reading the OP.