Online Audio Company - Faulty Unit Damaged in Transit - Where do I stand?

macd909

Hi All,
A long story short but I am after unbiased opinions on the following - I bought a Hifi system from an online retailer in October 2019. The unit came with a 2 year warranty. In January 2020 the unit developed a fault, it would switch off 10 seconds after being turned on, so the unit was useless at this point. I contacted the online retailer and after asking me to return the unit at my own expense, I read their website which said that items failed within 6 months would be arrange and collected by their courier DPD. They reluctantly agreed. I didn't have the original packaging but I re-packaged the unit and protected it well, the customer service contact even mentioned this. However once it had arrived, they sent me photos that there was damage to the back of the unit caused by the transit. They have said that due to this that the unit has been assessed and is beyond economical repair. I asked if the original fault could be at least fixed as I could live with the cosmetic damage on the back of the unit, they are now saying that due to this damage, the entire warranty of the unit is void and all they can do is return the unit as is, presumably for me to throw in the bin. 
What are people's opinions of this customer service? My opinion is that the unit wouldn't have had to be returned without the fault in the first place and that the damage caused by transit is separate to the actual functioning of the Hifi and should be fixed. 
Thanks all. 

mattyprice4004

They arranged the postage, they agreed the packaging was fine and thus you're not liable - the company who booked the postage are. 

macd909

Thanks for the reply - I'll quote the wording they used: 
"Though you did make a good attempt to ensure that the unit was well padded it was the exposed power plug that damaged the unit." - the power plug wasn't exposed when packaged, but this fact is my word against theirs I guess. 

shaun_from_Africa

macd909 said:

Thanks for the reply - I'll quote the wording they used: 
"Though you did make a good attempt to ensure that the unit was well padded it was the exposed power plug that damaged the unit." - the power plug wasn't exposed when packaged, but this fact is my word against theirs I guess. 

The power plug may not have been exposed but if it was placed against the chassis of the unit and that part of the packaging received an impact, the plug may well have been forced into the casing thus causing the damage.
This is why whenever electrical items with a plug fitted are supplied packed in boxes, the plug is normally well away from the body of the item. 

macd909

Sorry that was what I meant, I had firmly tucked the entire plug behind soft cladding, away from the body of the item. 
As I can't prove this fact, do you think that the entire warranty should be voided as a result?  

JJ_Egan

Warranty is down to the terms and conditions . Often voided due to user damage .

Warranty is not your Consumer Rights .