Ongoing oven repair- what are her rights?

Inaka

My mother in law brought a new oven 13 months ago, in May while the oven was under warranty she reported a fault. An engineer was sent out but did not have the required parts in his van to complete the repair. She was told the parts would be ordered and a return visit scheduled. A few weeks later she received a email at 6.15pm with a return visit for 7am the next day. This was unsuitable for her as she works and would be unable to get the time off. She attempted to phone and use the companies online portal to cancel but was unable to. The appointment was then missed.

She has tried contacting the company multiple times on the phone to reschedule, however due to their long wait times, busy life schedules and sickness (including a hospital stay) she has been unable to get through. She finally got through today (04/07) and has been advised that because she didn't cancel the scheduled repair and the item has now gone over the warranty period she will have to pay for its repair. 

Is this correct? If the issue started while the item was still under warranty and my mother in law has made every attempt to contact the company, shouldn't this repair still fall under her 12 month warranty? What are her rights here if any?

Aylesbury_Duck

Inaka said:

My mother in law brought a new oven 13 months ago, in May while the oven was under warranty she reported a fault. An engineer was sent out but did not have the required parts in his van to complete the repair. She was told the parts would be ordered and a return visit scheduled. A few weeks later she received a email at 6.15pm with a return visit for 7am the next day. This was unsuitable for her as she works and would be unable to get the time off. She attempted to phone and use the companies online portal to cancel but was unable to. The appointment was then missed.

She has tried contacting the company multiple times on the phone to reschedule, however due to their long wait times, busy life schedules and sickness (including a hospital stay) she has been unable to get through. She finally got through today (04/07) and has been advised that because she didn't cancel the scheduled repair and the item has now gone over the warranty period she will have to pay for its repair. 

Is this correct? If the issue started while the item was still under warranty and my mother in law has made every attempt to contact the company, shouldn't this repair still fall under her 12 month warranty? What are her rights here if any?

Her warranty rights are described in the warranty terms, and if missing an appointment and going over the warranty period means it's no longer in warranty, that would be that - although it is mean.

However, she does have consumer rights, which are her statutory rights with the retailer.  I suggest she contacts the retailer in the first instance.  They may help straight away, but they may also make her jump through a hoop or two.  After six months, the onus is on her to provide evidence the oven is faulty as a result of design or manufacturing defect (as opposed to wear and tear, or misuse).  She would have to get someone independent to inspect it (a local appliance repairer would be fine) and if the report says it is faulty in that way, then she has a case for a partial refund, a replacement or a repair from the retailer.  She can also claim the cost of the inspection and report.  But in the first instance, it's worth speaking to the retailer to see what they say.

Inaka

Aylesbury_Duck said:

Inaka said:

My mother in law brought a new oven 13 months ago, in May while the oven was under warranty she reported a fault. An engineer was sent out but did not have the required parts in his van to complete the repair. She was told the parts would be ordered and a return visit scheduled. A few weeks later she received a email at 6.15pm with a return visit for 7am the next day. This was unsuitable for her as she works and would be unable to get the time off. She attempted to phone and use the companies online portal to cancel but was unable to. The appointment was then missed.

She has tried contacting the company multiple times on the phone to reschedule, however due to their long wait times, busy life schedules and sickness (including a hospital stay) she has been unable to get through. She finally got through today (04/07) and has been advised that because she didn't cancel the scheduled repair and the item has now gone over the warranty period she will have to pay for its repair. 

Is this correct? If the issue started while the item was still under warranty and my mother in law has made every attempt to contact the company, shouldn't this repair still fall under her 12 month warranty? What are her rights here if any?

Her warranty rights are described in the warranty terms, and if missing an appointment and going over the warranty period means it's no longer in warranty, that would be that - although it is mean.

However, she does have consumer rights, which are her statutory rights with the retailer.  I suggest she contacts the retailer in the first instance.  They may help straight away, but they may also make her jump through a hoop or two.  After six months, the onus is on her to provide evidence the oven is faulty as a result of design or manufacturing defect (as opposed to wear and tear, or misuse).  She would have to get someone independent to inspect it (a local appliance repairer would be fine) and if the report says it is faulty in that way, then she has a case for a partial refund, a replacement or a repair from the retailer.  She can also claim the cost of the inspection and report.  But in the first instance, it's worth speaking to the retailer to see what they say.

Thanks. I'll pass this onto her.