Electronic item failure after 17 months - should I pursue this?

jgallcash

Hi all,

We purchased a Tomme Tipee perfect prep machine for our young son 17 months ago. It is essentially a machine that makes babies bottles at the right temperature without the need for cooling the milk. It’s not exactly a throw away item at about £70ish.

I understand that the manufacturer gives a 1 year warranty and in actual fact we had a machine break on us within a couple of months so this one is the replacement. It’s given up the ghost after 17 months and I wondered if I should try to pursue this in terms of a replacement? I’m trying to ascertain whether or not 17 months is a reasonable timeframe for this item to last. For the first six months it might have been used four times a day but since then it’s been strictly once a day. The thing is that we still use the item but at his age I am loathe to purchase a new one.

Does anybody have any thoughts?

cono1717

You'd need an independent report to prove that it's an inherent manufacturing defect, if that report comes back to say that it is the retailer will need to refund, repair or replace the item as well as refund the cost of the report.

So the question is are you wanting to go through the hassle of that.

shaun_from_Africa

cono1717 wrote: »

if that report comes back to say that it is the retailer will need to refund, repair or replace the item as well as refund the cost of the report.

Bearing in mind that if they offer a refund, this doesn't have to be the full £70 purchase price.
They can make a deduction to cover the 17 months use you've had from item and this may well be a fair proportion of what you paid.

agrinnall

Have you actually raised it with the retailer yet? I'd do that before spending any money, they may offer you an acceptable solution straight off.

Hermione_Granger

As most, if not all experts recommend that bottle feeding should never go on beyond 18 months, it's a reasonable assumption that you would have been planning on stopping soon and if this is the case then I wouldn't put too much time, energy or stress into getting a resolution to the problem.

agrinnall

Hermione_Granger wrote: »

As most, if not all experts recommend that bottle feeding should never go on beyond 18 months, it's a reasonable assumption that you would have been planning on stopping soon and if this is the case then I wouldn't put too much time, energy or stress into getting a resolution to the problem.

Perhaps the OP has had another child since then, or has one on the way.

glentoran99

jgallcash wrote: »

Hi all,

We purchased a Tomme Tipee perfect prep machine for our young son 17 months ago. It is essentially a machine that makes babies bottles at the right temperature without the need for cooling the milk. It’s not exactly a throw away item at about £70ish.

I understand that the manufacturer gives a 1 year warranty and in actual fact we had a machine break on us within a couple of months so this one is the replacement. It’s given up the ghost after 17 months and I wondered if I should try to pursue this in terms of a replacement? I’m trying to ascertain whether or not 17 months is a reasonable timeframe for this item to last. For the first six months it might have been used four times a day but since then it’s been strictly once a day. The thing is that we still use the item but at his age I am loathe to purchase a new one.

Does anybody have any thoughts?

Not sure if it helps but I had one for 3 years and it was perfectly good, and sold it on and its still in use. Used for a year, didn't for a year, then used it again for another year before selling it on

lincroft1710

What is the actual problem with the machine?

SouthUKMan

I've just posted a similar reply to another person's question. You have a right to expect goods to last a 'reasonable' length of time. What is considered reasonable is subjective. If you had bought a £12 bottom of the range bottle warmer, then it is arguable that a year and a half of use is reasonable. However, £70 sounds like a top of the range model to me so your expectation should be that it will last longer. Any reasonable retailer should begrudgingly accept this argument and for the sake of £70 should replace the item if only to make you go away. Yes, you can go down the route of hiring an independent expert to prove the item is inherently faulty, and then take out a claim at the small claims court...however it probably isn't worth the hassle for £70. Given this, I personally would opt for a firm but friendly conversation with the retailer, accept that you have had 17 months use out of it, and strike a deal with the retailer where maybe they discount a replacement by a third or so.