Shower Valve Had 10 Year Guarantee When Purchased - Retailer Now Says It Had 5 Year

Lip_Stick

Well good luck with whatever happens, keep us updated. Happy to have helped you, just hope it’s not been a pointless exercise.

kibopuppydog

Lip_Stick, A special thank you to you for all that you've done for me. 'Pointless exercise??" Far from it, my boxing gloves are dusted down for January! Bare with me for a few weeks for my update - how could I not give you this in view of your support.

DiddyDavies

kibopuppydog said:

DiddyDavies - yes, I agree with you on the 1st point. As for collecting data, why would they need to do this if they get this info at the time of purchase.

At the time of purchase, there's normally no obligation to give any personal details such as an address or e-mail and even if they insist that people give these, they could be made up simply to avoid being stuck on a mailing list.

kibopuppydog

DiddyDavies, agreed for shop purchase, but when buying online (as I did), one has to provide this information (a) because they are mandatory fields and they have to be provided or you can't make the purchase,  (b) if not provided they can't send you the goods  :>)

Spank

I'm not sure if the length of the warranty has to be relayed tbh.

I will say this though, why are simple valves failing so quickly? they should last for decades.

DiddyDavies

Spank said:

I will say this though, why are simple valves failing so quickly? they should last for decades.

It could be due to hard water where the OP lives causing calcium or lime build up inside the valve body or it may be the case that as with many items, the manufacturing has been outsourced to whichever company was able to provide the cheapest quote for making the parts, something that could well result in a drop in quality (which could also explain the reason for the warranty time being lowered).

I've recently replaced a bathroom extractor fan (it's an inline fan that sits in my attic) and I bought the replacement from the same place I purchased the original unit about 10 years ago.
Despite it being from the same supplier and having the exact same part number and model numbers, the new one is far flimsier and lighter than the original and I wouldn't be surprised if this was due to the manufacturing being undertaken by a different company.

Were_Doomed

OP has already said they're in a soft water area and there is no calcium/lime build up. So it's likely to be cost cutting.

kibopuppydog

Hi Spank & DiddyDavies, As Were_Doomed said, my shower valve has never seen any hard water. The last valve that failed was clean when I took it out. Both seizures, in my opinion, is down to poor quality materials/products. The irony is that despite cost cutting, consumers are still having to pay through the nose for these products. I paid around £140 for the valve, but if I were to buy a replacement valve that would set me back £97 !!! (+delivery), (and even that is a discounted price, full price £137 - I've researched which valve my unit takes - should you be interested search "Di Vapor GUOSP01").  This cost is ridiculous, and what does one get for the money, a rubbish component, churned out of China, that lasts about 2-3 yrs.  The cost is the reason why I'm determined to ensure that my full guarantee will be honoured, and that I have a working unit. After 10yrs, I'll rip it out and replace it (with a different superior quality unit - if it's possible to be sure of this!).

kibopuppydog

Hi again, does anyone know how long this discussion will be kept open, particularly if there is a period of inactivity? For completeness sake, I would like to report back on what happens when I contact VP in January, and I don't want to return and find that this discussion has been closed. I'm happy to periodically (how often??) say hello on here if it keeps this discussion open long enough for me to report back. Anyone know??

DiddyDavies

kibopuppydog said:

Hi again, does anyone know how long this discussion will be kept open, particularly if there is a period of inactivity? 

Looking back through the forum, it seems to be well over 2 1/2 years of inactivity before a thread is locked.
This page:
Consumer Rights — MoneySavingExpert Forum
shows the last thread closed due to inactivity was last updated in Feb 2018.