Shower glass broken within guarantee - manufacturer/store saying they won't cover replacement

Gavin83

thesqueezedmiddle wrote: »

Thanks for the responses. Aqualux have said that it was not a manufacturing fault as the glass is "designed to break" in this way and there could be various reasons why it exploded.

If this kind of glass is prone to breaking (which was not conveyed at time of buying - I specifically asked for a fitting that would minimise chance of breaking and asked if plastic or thick tempered glass would be better - I was told the extra thick version I bought should last many years) then the manufacturer or retailer should account for replacement costs in their budgets if this is not an unexpected issue. If the fault is not the consumer's and it is genuinely a random issue that has happened, in my opinion the retailer or manufacturer should try to see to it that it is fixed. I have not been offered a replacement, but merely "help finding a replacement that will fit" that I will then have to pay for.

The reality is I will have to replace the whole unit as, due to the damage to the bearings and metal fixtures a simple swap and replacement of the panel is out of the question. In what world is having to replace a whole shower unit within 3 years of buying and installing it due to a "common" event a reasonable cost for a consumer to bear?

The glass isn't prone to breaking. You're misunderstanding what they're saying, this isn't a common issue, only when there is damage to the glass. What the manufacturer is saying it's designed to shatter into tiny pieces instead of large shards, which is obviously more dangerous. They're probably legally obliged to do this, but they're essentially saying there's nothing wrong with the glass. I'm not sure how they can say this without having inspected it but frankly it's somewhat irrelevant, as is your opinion of what you think should happen.

You've been given sound advice here, speak to an independent engineer and get a report completed if you're confident it's a manufacturing fault. Until you do that the retailer won't deal with you.

calleyw

thesqueezedmiddle wrote: »

Thanks for the responses. Aqualux have said that it was not a manufacturing fault as the glass is "designed to break" in this way and there could be various reasons why it exploded.

If this kind of glass is prone to breaking (which was not conveyed at time of buying - I specifically asked for a fitting that would minimise chance of breaking and asked if plastic or thick tempered glass would be better - I was told the extra thick version I bought should last many years) then the manufacturer or retailer should account for replacement costs in their budgets if this is not an unexpected issue. If the fault is not the consumer's and it is genuinely a random issue that has happened, in my opinion the retailer or manufacturer should try to see to it that it is fixed. I have not been offered a replacement, but merely "help finding a replacement that will fit" that I will then have to pay for.

The reality is I will have to replace the whole unit as, due to the damage to the bearings and metal fixtures a simple swap and replacement of the panel is out of the question. In what world is having to replace a whole shower unit within 3 years of buying and installing it due to a "common" event a reasonable cost for a consumer to bear?

What Gavin83 said. It has to be damaged in the first place for it to break.



You can't say for sure that no one in your household has never banged or hit the shower screen at some time to cause some damage that later led to it breaking. Most people might hit or knock it and think nothing of it. As it will be micro damage that you cant see.



It wont always break at the moment of impact. Think of a car windscreen. A stone flies up and chips it. It causes damage that at some time in the future it will most likely break e.g in the winter when applying heat to defrost the windscreen.


As the shower screen is now in pieces not sure how you can prove it was a manufacturing fault.



Yours


Calley x

somethingcorporate

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spontaneous_glass_breakage

ANDYJL1968

My Aqualux shower screen shattered just as the plumber offered it up. Glass everywhere !
Aqualux gave me the same quote of it did what was supposed to i.e shatter and that glass isn't covered by the guarantee. Homebase,who I bought it through, tried to help but got nowhere, no offer of a replacement part as Aqualux say they don't do them. Seems I have to accept Aqualux's apology and buy the whole cubicle again.

George333

ANDYJL1968 wrote: »

My Aqualux shower screen shattered just as the plumber offered it up. Glass everywhere !
Aqualux gave me the same quote of it did what was supposed to i.e shatter and that glass isn't covered by the guarantee. Homebase,who I bought it through, tried to help but got nowhere, no offer of a replacement part as Aqualux say they don't do them. Seems I have to accept Aqualux's apology and buy the whole cubicle again.

Do you have a particular question you need answering?

Ectophile

ANDYJL1968 wrote: »

My Aqualux shower screen shattered just as the plumber offered it up. Glass everywhere !
Aqualux gave me the same quote of it did what was supposed to i.e shatter and that glass isn't covered by the guarantee. Homebase,who I bought it through, tried to help but got nowhere, no offer of a replacement part as Aqualux say they don't do them. Seems I have to accept Aqualux's apology and buy the whole cubicle again.

Homebase trying to help would have meant giving you your money back. Pushing you on to Aqualux, who you have no contract with, is definitely not trying to help. It's fobbing you off.

Jumblebumble

Ectophile wrote: »

Homebase trying to help would have meant giving you your money back. Pushing you on to Aqualux, who you have no contract with, is definitely not trying to help. It's fobbing you off.

Aqualx seem to be less than upfront as their warranty does not talk about the glass which must be around the top guarantee claims
I would issue a claim against Homebase and Aqualux as joint defendants
( I once did this when a shop sold me a faulty car battery and then claimed the manufacturer said that it was not faulty but would not let me check with person who told them this
It was an MGB and had 2 6 volts in series and no one could explain how one battery held it's charge and the other did not.)

Neither fancied a day out with a district judge)

https://www.aqualux.co.uk/en/warranty/index.asp
General Terms and Conditions of Sale
Thank you for purchasing this Aqualux Shower Surround

We are sure you will enjoy years of trouble free use from your new Aqualux Showering Product, which has been designed to meet the highest quality, performance, and safety requirements.

Please take a few minutes to complete the entire questionnaire and send it to register your new Aqualux product.

Please print out this page and retain for your own reference.

Terms & Conditions

Upon receipt of your registration card we will provide a 10 year guarantee on the goods purchased in accordance with the the and conditions listed below.

The Aqualux 10 year guarantee registration card must be completed in full and reviewed by us together with proof of purchase within 30 days of purchase.
The Aqualux 10 year guarantee expires 10 calendar years from the original date of purchase.
We will replace free of charge any part of the goods purchased which in our reasonable opinion are proven to be defective during the guarantee period subject to the provisions of the following clauses.
Where goods purchased become defective during the first 12 months of the guarantee we will replace such goods;
After the expiry of this 12 month period, we will replace, free of charge, any part of the goods which in our reasonable opinion are proven to be defective beyond reasonable wear and tear excluding perishable components such as seals etc.
We will not be liable under the terms of this guarantee for any consequential loss or damage caused by us or our employees in circumstances where:-
There s no breach of a legal duty of care owed to you by us or by any of our employees or agents; or
Such loss or damage is not a reasonably foreseeable result of any such breach; or
such loss or damage results from a breach by you of any term of this contract.
We reserve the right to replace the defective part of defective goods with a similar part or similar goods in current production provided that such as replacement part or goods are of the same or similar quality.
If you modify or alter the goods in any way whatsoever without our prior written consent, this 10 year guarantee will be invalidated with immediate effect.
This guarantee is personal to you and may not be transferred to a third party under any circumstances without our prior written consent.
If you have a complaint about the goods, please write to our Customer Care Department, at Fetim Group UK Ltd, Regus Building, Blythe Valley Business Park, Central Blvd, Solihull, B90 8AG, UK.
This guarantee only applies to goods purchased and installed in the United Kingdom and Eire.
The above terms and conditions do not affect your statutory rights as a consumer in respect of faulty or misdescribed

pimento

George333 wrote: »

Do you have a particular question you need answering?

Are you desperate to answer one?

Perhaps Andy is just giving us the benefit of his experience in a very similar scenario.

badmemory

It would make me wonder if Aqualux are one of those companies who delete any negative feedback. Thank goodness my shower cubicle isn't one of their's

ANDYJL1968

No questions to answer, as stated, giving you the benefit of my experience so people can make informed choices.
Just to update, I queried this with my credit card company to see if they could do anything having purchased it using their card. They said proving the plumber didn't damage it is the difficult bit and it's the get out that both companies would probably use in their defence. What annoys me is that i just wanted a replacement panel not a whole shower cubicle but Aqualux seem reluctant to even do that.