House of Fraser not complying with warranty

RR8

Hi all,

I'm having trouble with House of Fraser and would really appreciate any advice on this issue! 

I purchased a KNOMO backpack from House of Fraser during lockdown and only recently started using it for work. I noticed issues with the bag straps where I have to continually adjust them back to the size I want after each use. All KNOMO bags have a two year warranty and my bag is still within the warranty period. I emailed KNOMO who advised me that as I purchased the bag from House of Fraser they are responsible for the warranty of the bag.

I contacted House of Fraser about this by email who initially told me that that it was my responsibility to verify and confirm fault with the bag through inspection from an independent company. I contacted KNOMO again who were happy to help and sent me an email verifying fault with the bag straps and noting that this has been a common manufacturing fault with their bags. House of Fraser are now ignoring the initial procedure they told me to complete and now want me to send the bag back to the warehouse to verify fault. I have told them that I have already confirmed fault with the bag by KNOMO and want they to comply with the warranty of the bag. House of Fraser refuse to do so without 'checking fault at the warehouse'. I am reluctant to send the bag back to them as it's an expensive bag and I don't want it to get lost and there's no way of warehouse staff being able to check fault with the straps and they're certainly not better placed than the bag manufacturer to verify fault.

Not sure what else to do, I have tried to call someone to explain the issue but there's no way of speaking to someone as they no longer have a phone service. I've also asked for the issue to be dealt with by a manager but the people on the email chain refuse to give me any details of how to lodge a further complaint about the customer service or how to speak to a manager. 

Sorry for the ramble, grateful if you could advise.

Bradden

Not entirely sure what the issue is.. having to return the item to the retailer before the can replace or refund it seems reasonable buit maybe I'm misunderstanding your question.

TadleyBaggie

It's not unreasonable for them to request inspection the item. Although the manufacturer has said a fault may exist, they haven't actually inspected the item physically to confirm this is actually the case.

RR8

Thanks for your response, I'm happy to return the item if they agree they're going to comply with the warranty and replace or refund it. I don't understand why they want to verify the fault at the warehouse first, as mentioned don't know how they can do that better than the bag manufacturer. It just seems like they want to get out of replacing/refunding it after I following their initial ask of proving fault with the item.

powerful_Rogue

Lockdown spans quite a period of time, can you be more specfic?

Are you mix and matching Consumer Rights with warranty? As the process described sounds like HoF are using the consumer rights process. What do the terms of the warranty state?

How did KNOMO verify the fault without even seeing the bag? I'm not surprised HoF want to check the bag themselves, and if the fault is as obvious as you say, then it shouldn't be difficult for them to pick up on this.

Either way, you're going to have to return the bag at some point, they're not just going to let you keep it and provide a remedy.

Also worth keeping in mind that if this is the consumer rights route, HoF could refund,repair or replace. You can state a preference, but they get to chose the most economical option. If they do refund, they can deduct a percentage based on the use you have already had.

Emmia

I have a knomo backpack, and just pull the straps to tighten as I want each time i put it on - this means I can adjust it to account for different thicknesses of jackets / tops etc. It takes a second, and I don't personally see it as a fault.

I'm going to be honest, I agree with the OP that HOF will struggle to identify this issue as a "fault" - what resolution are you seeking to this problem?

user1977

OP, what do you expect them to do? Give you a refund/replacement while you've still got the original bag?

RR8

Again, happy to return the bag if it's going to be replaced/refunded.
My main point of concern is that the warehouse staff are not best placed to verify issue with the bag straps. It looks like it's new but as I mentioned the straps don't stay in the right place when adjusted. How can someone that is not the bag manufacturer prove this fault? I'm happy to have the bag checked by someone who is qualified to do so. 

Emmia

When exactly did you buy the bag?

[Deleted User]

RR8 said:

It looks like it's new but as I mentioned the straps don't stay in the right place when adjusted. How can someone that is not the bag manufacturer prove this fault?  

It can't be that hard. You have identified the fault and are not a bag manufacturer, I assume. 

And the bag manufacturer has identified the fault without even seeing the bag. 

RR8

To the question of what resolution am I seeking, I want HoF to acknowledge that they are going to honour the warranty of the bag and refund or replace it. Again, I'm willing to send the bag back to HoF and have it checked again by KNOMO etc if they acknowledge that they're going to honour the warranty. It seems strange to me that they want to check it themselves once I've proved fault with the bag.