Victorian plumbing faulty tap and guarantee

Sosa

Hi All,

I'm just after some advice as I feel Victorian Plumbing are being unreasonable in this instance and not sure where I stand.

I had a full bathroom refurb about 3 years ago and got a lot of products from Victorian Plumbing.  The bath mixer developed a drip/trickle and it turned out I needed to replace the ceramic cartridges.  VP didn't stock any spare parts so it was a bit of a mission finding these.  Whilst dismantling the taps it became clear the plastic spline adapters were an issue and it was really difficult to take the tap heads off and then reassemble after installing the new cartridges.  One of the tap heads will not grip the spline now and just goes round and round meaning the tap is unusable at the moment.

I've tried to find a replacement spline online but it seems clear the ones originally supplied with the tap weren't really suitable anyway.  I contacted VP as the tap came with a 5 year guarantee.  The exact same product is still advertised on their website, with the same name and product code.  However they have told me that the supplier of my tap has recently gone into administration and so they cannot honour the guarantee,  Apparently their new supplier manufactures the tap in a different way so they cannot provide any spare parts (I have looked up this supposed new manufacturer and they are a Chinese company and don't even have a UK website or contact details).

Am I wrong to think it is unreasonable that they are adverting the tap as being the same and with a 5 year guarantee but won't honour it because they happen to have a different supplier now? They have refused to even offer a discount on a new tap.

I'd appreciate any advice you can give.

Aylesbury_Duck

What do the terms of the guarantee say?  Do they include anything such as "as long as parts are available", or similar?

Ergates

Your contract is with VP not with their supplier - any issues they are having with any of their suppliers are not your problem and do not affect your statutory rights.

Sosa

Hmm, well it says this on the website if you look hard enough which I suppose means they could be in the right?

The manufacturer guarantee found on a product is offered and honoured by the product's manufacturer. The guarantee offered will cover against any manufacturing defects found on the product when it is used in a normal domestic or commercial (only when stated commercial use) application.

Serviceable parts are not part of a product's warranty. In addition, neglect or abuse of products will make null and void any warranty period. In bathroom products that are complemented by a finished surface e.g – chrome, gold or any others available the guarantee period will apply to the surface finish, this does not apply to any damage to surface caused by abuse. In the event of a fault developing please contact us, we will then advise what the manufacturer's procedures are.

Manufacturers will ask for the following to have been adhered to :
Product was fitted as per the manufacturer's fitting instructionsNo Modifications or misuse, neglect or mistreatment

You will also require a proof of purchase.

My issue is that the tap they are currently selling on the website looks exactly the same and has the same name and product code - which I feel is misleading.

Aylesbury_Duck

It may be, but other than making them aware of it, there's nothing more you can do.

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head

Sosa said:

Hmm, well it says this on the website if you look hard enough which I suppose means they could be in the right?

The manufacturer guarantee found on a product is offered and honoured by the product's manufacturer. The guarantee offered will cover against any manufacturing defects found on the product when it is used in a normal domestic or commercial (only when stated commercial use) application.

Serviceable parts are not part of a product's warranty. In addition, neglect or abuse of products will make null and void any warranty period. In bathroom products that are complemented by a finished surface e.g – chrome, gold or any others available the guarantee period will apply to the surface finish, this does not apply to any damage to surface caused by abuse. In the event of a fault developing please contact us, we will then advise what the manufacturer's procedures are.

Manufacturers will ask for the following to have been adhered to :
Product was fitted as per the manufacturer's fitting instructionsNo Modifications or misuse, neglect or mistreatment

You will also require a proof of purchase.

My issue is that the tap they are currently selling on the website looks exactly the same and has the same name and product code - which I feel is misleading.

How much is the tap? Is it worth a punt to buy and take apart to see if it's actually the same? 

If it isn't you may be left with the new tap at your cost to completely swap over.

The issue is that after 6 months the retailer can request the consumer demonstrates the goods didn't conform to the contract, in this instance that the affected part has prematurely perished through use rather than misuse or damage. 

I'm not sure how long a tap should last or whether it's possible for the user to damage the part you are having trouble with but the retailer can provide a part refund based on how long you've owned the goods vs how long they should last which leaves you with the decision of whether it's worth the trouble to push them to do something, either way at a minimum it's certainly worth asking the retailer to escalate the matter to a higher level of customer service, beyond this you'd be looking at a letter before action and small claims.