Refurbished laptop bought, faulty within a week, help?

toofy

Hi,

posting for my son.. he purchased a * refurbished laptop from an ebay store ( Microdreams.co.uk) on 29/08/15. It seemed to be working when initially turned on, however when turning on for the third time, the screen went black. He contacted the seller through ebay and after various troubleshooting they advised to return the item . He did so on 23/09/15.

He hadn't received a response by 3rd October and so messaged them and again on 5th, only receiving a bog standard response that they had received the item. On the 14th October they replied saying they had found liquid damage inside, and this therefore invalidated any warranty with the laptop. My son DID NOT cause this damage, there was no visible damage to the outside of the laptop for him to suspect any damage when initially bought. Is there any thing he can do to recoup his money (£300) or obligate this company to in fact repair or replace the laptop? When he has looked into opening an Ebay dispute it is showing as out of time? Is it possible for him to open a dispute through Paypal also?

Any advice appreciated..many thanks..

forgotmyname

Open an ebay or paypal dispute but not both.

Did he send it back tracked?

toofy

Hi, thanks for the response.. we opened an Ebay dispute, however Microdream replied that it was not covered by their "warranty" and should therefore be claimed under household insurance. They would return the laptop at a cost of £10 postage.

This "damage" they have identified DID NOT happen at our end - my son worked for over 4 years at a Currys store, is studying a Masters degree in electrical and electronic engineering and is well aware of what would be covered by a warranty. I cannot reiterate this enough that he did not cause any damage to the laptop, and would therefore have not chanced his arm in sending it back to them if he were liable. They asked him if he had upgraded the system, which he hadn't. The laptop had a warranty seal which he did not break to check anything as if he had done so it would have invalidated the warranty.

I feel very aggrieved at this company, to the point that I think they sell "refurbished" laptops that are more than likely already damaged, and therefore recourse is impossible as they are already aware there is a fault with their product = total scam. Ebay have contacted the seller and have now closed the dispute as the seller has said they will return the faulty item back to my son.

My son thought he was buying a quality second hand product, unfortunately it seems he purchased an already broken laptop with no recourse, and now out of pocket by £300. His only option is to try and repair it himself, which defeats the purpose and what he was trying to avoid by not tampering with their warranty seal.. If anyone is thinking of buying from this company, avoid at all costs..

Is it possible to now open a Paypal dispute? or does opening with Ebay now discount escalating it further with Paypal?

Nessun_Dorma

Isn't it up to the retailer, within the first six months, to proof the damage was caused by the consumer?

JJ_Egan

Nessun_Dorma wrote: »

Isn't it up to the retailer, within the first six months, to proof the damage was caused by the consumer?

Presume that the vendor has as said in the OP opened the product and found water damage .

Nessun_Dorma

JJ_Egan wrote: »

Presume that the vendor has as said in the OP opened the product and found water damage .

But that is not necessarily proof that it was caused by the consumer.

toofy

Hi, my son has been contacted by the vendor, they have said it can be returned to him at a cost of £10, and to put it through house insurance as they will not cover it under warranty?? At this point he just wants the laptop back, broken or otherwise..

My son has asked them to invoice him through paypal for the £10 postage, but they won't do this, they want him to arrange over the phone using his credit/debit card.. he is very reticent to give these details under the circumstances, how can he get the laptop back? I would like to know if there's any way he can pursue this further?

any help appreciated, thanks..

toofy

From what my son has experienced it appears they knowingly sell defective products which carry a warranty seal that if opened to investigate a problem will invalidate their terms of warranty. And when the defective product is sent back to them they can claim it has been damaged by the buyer, therefore wiping any liability from them.. catch 22 for the buyer..

m0bov

Given its refurbed, its possible the spillage happened before, unless there was visable marks on the laptop its probable it happened before and the exterior was cleaned. As above, its up to the retailer to prove its you, plus they have had it for sometime before contacting you.

toofy

The retailer had it returned to them on 23/09/15, yet only notified my son of the "detected damage" on 14/10/15, 20+ days in their possession, should I contact Trading Standards to pursue this? Ebay have referred it to the vendor, but closed the case. Can my son contact Paypal and put a claim through them?

Nessun_Dorma

toofy wrote: »

Hi, my son has been contacted by the vendor, they have said it can be returned to him at a cost of £10, and to put it through house insurance as they will not cover it under warranty?? At this point he just wants the laptop back, broken or otherwise..

My son has asked them to invoice him through paypal for the £10 postage, but they won't do this, they want him to arrange over the phone using his credit/debit card.. he is very reticent to give these details under the circumstances, how can he get the laptop back? I would like to know if there's any way he can pursue this further?

any help appreciated, thanks..

He could arrange for a courier to collect. That would negate the need for any interaction with the vendor.