How do I proceed with this warranty problem? Company ignoring me.

guestiee

Around 12 months ago I purchased a bathroom vanity unit from "thebathpeople" on ebay. They are part of Cubico UK ltd.

The unit was fitted last August and around 4 weeks ago we noticed that the wood was warping on both vertical and horizontal edges. The unit is described as splash proof and up to the rigours of a modern bathroom. It comes with a 10 year warranty. 

I contacted "thebathpeople" who explained the warping was due to our poor maintenance and water ingress had occurred due to standing water, so the warranty would not cover it. 

I replied questioning the logic of how standing water can occur on flat vertical edges. Gravity prevents this. I also requested the paperwork for the warranty so I could look through it. 

They told me that they would refer this to management. This was 3 weeks ago and I've not heard a thing. I have chased it 3 times, and still nothing from management. No response to my questions about vertical standing water and no warranty information. 

Can anyone suggest my best way to approach this problem. This vanity unit was over £300 and should not be damaged already in any normal bathroom situation.

Really looking forward to hearing your suggestions. 

DoaM

Standing water at the edge of the horizontal surface could seep into the vertical sides and cause warping? (I'm guessing - I've no idea what this vanity unit looks like).

The legal position is ... to enforce your consumer rights then they can require you to obtain a report that states (on the balance of probabilities) that the defect is due to an inherent fault (e.g. poor materials or workmanship). Whether they will is another matter. If you paid via credit card then you could pursue this as a Section 75 claim against the CC provider - any claim you have against the seller you have an equal claim against the credit provider - but they may also require you to get a report.

If you're pursuing this via warranty then you'll have to wait for them to get back to you. In the current situation it is unlikely that they're running at full staff strength.

guestiee

Thank you for your response. Very detailed and helpful. I paid via PayPal. 

Funnily enough they have responded to me today! They say it is not covered in the guarantee as it comes under misuse and abuse and can only be caused by water or steam. 

How water and stream in a bathroom can be misuse and abuse I'll never know. 

They've offered to contribute towards the cost of a new unit. Really unsure what to do...."misuse and abuse"

JJ_Egan

Its your consumer rights you use .

But check the water ingress as splashproof is not water proof .

born_again

guestiee said:

Thank you for your response. Very detailed and helpful. I paid via PayPal. 

So no S75 then.