Lidl repair procedures

marliepanda

twarde wrote: »

I got a replacement kettle. They sent it by UPS courier from Germany.

But that's not the point. My question is why can't I just take it back to the store?

Okay I'll break it down.

You can.

What Lidl can say after 8 months is 'prove its faulty because of the manufacturing and not you whacking it with a broom handle every day' you would then have to pay (probably more than £12) to get w report saying he kettle had dodgy wiring.

Then, and only then, are lidl legally required to do anything for you.

twarde

So are you saying that after any item is over 6 months old but has a guarantee of say 12 months I have to prove to the shop i'm taking it back to that it has a manufacturing fault by getting a professional report made?

marliepanda

twarde wrote: »

So are you saying that after any item is over 6 months old but has a guarantee of say 12 months I have to prove to the shop i'm taking it back to that it has a manufacturing fault by getting a professional report made?

Yes.

Guarantees are almost always provided by the manufacturer, and have nothing to do with the retailer. They can attach whatever terms and conditions they want, such as, send it back to us in a gift wrapped shoebox, or you pay for the postage etc. They can be 1 second, or 25 years. Its up to the manufacturer.

The retailer is liable for 6 years. The first 6 months all faults are assumed to be inherent unless the retailer chooses to prove otherwise. After 6 months (in law) the customer has to provide proof that the item was inherently faulty as opposed to just suffering from general wear and tear.

The retailer is in no way bound by manufacturers warranty/guarantees.

Ian011

twarde wrote: »

Following the repair procedure on the kettle documentation I had to make a 10 minute call on a 0871 number to Lidl customer services who then transferred me to the kettle manufacturers in Germany. They accepted the kettle was faulty but I had to post the receipt to Germany before they would send a replacement.

So it cost me £3.50 in phone calls and postage to get a £12 kettle fixed.

Does anyone know if I had a legal right to a refund from the Lidl store where I bought it rather than follow this complex and expensive procedure to get it replaced?

The Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 were published by BIS on 13 December 2013 and came into force on 13 June 2014. Regulation 41 requires an 01, 02, 03 or 080 number for post-sales helplines.

See http://legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2013/3134/regulation/41/made
and http://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/429300/bis-13-1368-consumer-contracts-information-cancellation-and-additional-payments-regulations-guidance.pdf for details.

In the event of non-compliance, Regulation 41(2) gives the caller the right to a refund of any excess call costs incurred over and above whatever an equivalent call to an 01, 02 or 03 number would have cost.

Breaches of the regulations can be reported to Trading Standards via the Citizen's Advice national Consumer Helpline on 0345 404 0506.

It is possible that a cheaper number is now available but if that were the case, there should be an announcement when you call the 0871 number telling you to hang up and re-dial the new number.

Additionally, since 1 July 2015 new Ofcom regulations require all 084, 087 and 09 numbers to be been accompanied by a declaration of the applicable Service Charge in close proximity to the number wherever it is advertised or promoted.

See http://www.ukcalling.info/industry
and https://www.cap.org.uk/Advice-Training-on-the-rules/Advice-Online-Database/Chargeable-08-numbers-General.aspx for details