HP laptop unfixable after 14 months. Curry’s offer 50% refund

kaggi

I paid around £620 for an HP laptop 14 months ago (using a credit card) and the battery stopped charging recently.  I paid £60 for curry’s to look at it and see why this has happened and they have now confirmed it can’t  be repaired so have offered me £303 as a partial refund which I don’t think is enough for an item that is 14 months old.  How can I get a reasonable refund for this as I now need to buy a new laptop and £303 isn’t enough to do that? 

Valli

I stand to be corrected on this - but it may be worth looking into making a Section 75 claim.

I know that the retailer is entitled to offer less than the purchase price as you've had 14 months use of the item but less than 50% of the original purchase price seems harsh.

Just for clarification I assume you mean can't be repaired, not can, given the title of your thread?

kaggi

Thanks, I fixed the typo, the don’t think it can be fixed but now they’re not sure…. 

I have contacted my credit card company to start the section 75.  Now I’m just not sure where to go to buy a new laptop as I’m so disgusted with Curry’s PC world that I won’t be going back there.  

km1500

I would look at the Dell website - Inspiron range

user1977

kaggi said:

I now need to buy a new laptop and £303 isn’t enough to do that? 

Isn't it enough to buy a second-hand (but working) laptop - which is what you ought to have?

kaggi

user1977 said:

kaggi said:

I now need to buy a new laptop and £303 isn’t enough to do that? 

Isn't it enough to buy a second-hand (but working) laptop - which is what you ought to have?

I don’t expect the full amount back but less than 50% back after just over a year isn’t enough for an item that should definitely have a life expectancy of over 2 years.  

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head

OP their first offer will be low in the hope you accept, if a laptop was to last say 5 years then you'd be looking at £475 back so I'd haggle with them for a better figure.

Currys obviously agree the laptop has a fault that wasn't caused by the user (otherwise they wouldn't be offering anything) so I'd be asking for the £60 inspection fee back on top of that.

kaggi

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head said:

OP their first offer will be low in the hope you accept, if a laptop was to last say 5 years then you'd be looking at £475 back so I'd haggle with them for a better figure.

Currys obviously agree the laptop has a fault that wasn't caused by the user (otherwise they wouldn't be offering anything) so I'd be asking for the £60 inspection fee back on top of that.

Thanks, that would definitely be more acceptable but they’re being so difficult I’m thinking section 75 would be the best option now as it’s turning into a complete palaver.  

Undervalued

kaggi said:

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head said:

OP their first offer will be low in the hope you accept, if a laptop was to last say 5 years then you'd be looking at £475 back so I'd haggle with them for a better figure.

Currys obviously agree the laptop has a fault that wasn't caused by the user (otherwise they wouldn't be offering anything) so I'd be asking for the £60 inspection fee back on top of that.

Thanks, that would definitely be more acceptable but they’re being so difficult I’m thinking section 75 would be the best option now as it’s turning into a complete palaver.  

Whilst you may have a good argument for more than they have offered, you don't have a right to a full refund. So even if you did manage to get your money back via s.75 they could well pursue you for some of that back.

How much does an equivalent machine cost new now? What would a fully functioning one like yours cost second hand at the moment.

My reaction is that whilst £303 may be too little, £475 is probably ambitious. I agree they should refund the £60 fee.

kaggi

I’m absolutely fine with paying something for the usage but my issue now is they can’t find what’s wrong with it so it’s sitting with their engineers and they don’t know what to do.  They keep saying if it’s the battery that’s a consumable so if it is the battery they’ll return it not working.  But it’s an enclosed battery so if the battery is broken, the machine is broken as far as I can tell. 

 They don’t know when someone will know what’s happening so I’ve no laptop, no idea of the resolution so I can’t buy another in case they do find what is wrong and fix it,  there’s just nobody who seems able to help or give me a timescale of when someone will tell me what’s going on.  So, if I’m in limbo with no idea of when they will update me I think taking back some control and starting the section 75 is the best option.  

I’ve had a look and a refurbished one would be around £400 but mine was pristine so I’m not sure if another would have been as well looked after.  

macman

Next time buy from JL or somewhere else that gives you at least a two year warranty. After the 1 year HP warranty expired your only statutory rights are those under CRA 2015. Currys don't owe you anything unless you claim under this. And after one year, you need to prove a pre-existing fault by way of an engineers report. You need to give the retailer one chance to fix it before you can ask for a partial refund, and the Act doesn't specify how long they can have to attempt the repair.
You are entitled to get a refund to the current value of the laptop-not to it's replacement cost. Maybe £400.