John Lewis - Beats Headphones

ccdorset

Hello,

In March 2021 I purchased some Beats Headphones from John Lewis for £189.

Over the past few months, the ear cushions have gradually started to break apart and I've had to purchase replacements.

I approached John Lewis about this via email, asking for a refund and they have come back with:

"Having checked this, I can confirm that your order is now outside our returns policy thus we can no longer offer a full refund, replacement, and exchange. For any products that develop a fault, should be returned within the 30 days allowed period, and this was purchased on 3rd of March 2021. Extension of this return window is only granted when covered under a guarantee or Protect Plus service."

I've been reading about the SAD FART rules and Consumer Rights Act 2015 on MSE and feel that the product has not lasted a reasonable amount of time and was not of satisfactory quality. So I went back to John Lewis who are now offering £40. This is their latest response:

"I appreciate you being aware of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 and your wish to get a full refund for your damaged headphones.
In line with the Customer Right Act, after 30 days of purchase or within six months, a customer can ask for a replacement or refund if a repair has failed. In addition, I can see here that the purchase is also beyond the 2-year guarantee that the item has. Your better understanding is highly appreciated on this matter.
Wanting to assist you further, I would like to offer a damage allowance of £40.00 which will be credited back to your original payment method, should you wish to keep the item."

I wanted a bit of advice please, I'm not sure whether to accept the £40 or whether I have a chance of taking this further via the Small Claims Court. Not sure if I would stand a chance of winning, as I guess everyone's opinion on goods lasting a reasonable amount of time is different.

Thanks for your help.
David

Emmia

You've had 2+ years of use, the cushions are breaking (and you've replaced them), but the headphones otherwise still work? I think the £40 offer is pretty generous - a full refund (if that's what you're seeking) is unrealistic.

ccdorset

Emmia said:

You've had 2+ years of use, the cushions are breaking (and you've replaced them), but the headphones otherwise still work? I think the £40 offer is pretty generous - a full refund (if that's what you're seeking) is unrealistic.

Sorry I should have clarified, when I said I’ve had to purchase replacements. I have bought new headphones as I couldn’t find a repair service to replace the ear cushions themselves. Not an official one anyway. I was hoping I could just replace the ear cushions easily, but it appears they are glued on etc.

The headphones do still work though, so perhaps I should just accept the £40.

Alderbank

Many users, including myself, see ear cushions as user replaceable items.

You don't say which model of Beats Headphones you bought, but on Amazon and elsewhere there are lots of cushions for Beats headphones for around £15-20.
https://www.sacbee.com/reviews/beats-replacement-ear-pad/#:~:text=Replacement%20earpads%20can%20make%20your,wear%20for%20extended%20audio%20sessions.

John Lewis have offered you £40. Why is that not reasonable?

ccdorset

They are Beats Studio 3 Headphones. I think my concern was that what I was reading was suggesting there wasn’t an official way to replace the ear cushions and I’d have to do it myself. I wasn’t confident in doing that so thought I’d need to buy replacement headphones. That is why I was going for a full refund.

Are they fairly easy to replace? Maybe I’ve just read some of the horror stories.

Emmia

ccdorset said:

They are Beats Studio 3 Headphones. I think my concern was that what I was reading was suggesting there wasn’t an official way to replace the ear cushions and I’d have to do it myself. I wasn’t confident in doing that so thought I’d need to buy replacement headphones. That is why I was going for a full refund.

Are they fairly easy to replace? Maybe I’ve just read some of the horror stories.

Did you buy another pair of Beats, or a different brand?

ccdorset

Emmia said:

ccdorset said:

They are Beats Studio 3 Headphones. I think my concern was that what I was reading was suggesting there wasn’t an official way to replace the ear cushions and I’d have to do it myself. I wasn’t confident in doing that so thought I’d need to buy replacement headphones. That is why I was going for a full refund.

Are they fairly easy to replace? Maybe I’ve just read some of the horror stories.

Did you buy another pair of Beats, or a different brand?

I went for a different brand, I did some research on the best noise cancelling headphones and went for Sony’s WH-1000XM5.

I am autistic so rely on them a lot with sensory issues etc.

I do prefer the style of the Beats, but didn’t want to risk the same thing happening again.

Emmia

ccdorset said:

Emmia said:

ccdorset said:

They are Beats Studio 3 Headphones. I think my concern was that what I was reading was suggesting there wasn’t an official way to replace the ear cushions and I’d have to do it myself. I wasn’t confident in doing that so thought I’d need to buy replacement headphones. That is why I was going for a full refund.

Are they fairly easy to replace? Maybe I’ve just read some of the horror stories.

Did you buy another pair of Beats, or a different brand?

I went for a different brand, I did some research on the best noise cancelling headphones and went for Sony’s WH-1000XM5.

I am autistic so rely on them a lot with sensory issues etc.

I do prefer the style of the Beats, but didn’t want to risk the same thing happening again.

Did you check the replaceability of ear pads on the new ones, pre-purchase?

elsien

You’ve had two years use out of them. Any refund would only be a partial one to cover the value that you’ve already had.

ccdorset

Emmia said:

ccdorset said:

Emmia said:

ccdorset said:

They are Beats Studio 3 Headphones. I think my concern was that what I was reading was suggesting there wasn’t an official way to replace the ear cushions and I’d have to do it myself. I wasn’t confident in doing that so thought I’d need to buy replacement headphones. That is why I was going for a full refund.

Are they fairly easy to replace? Maybe I’ve just read some of the horror stories.

Did you buy another pair of Beats, or a different brand?

I went for a different brand, I did some research on the best noise cancelling headphones and went for Sony’s WH-1000XM5.

I am autistic so rely on them a lot with sensory issues etc.

I do prefer the style of the Beats, but didn’t want to risk the same thing happening again.

Did you check the replaceability of ear pads on the new ones, pre-purchase?

Yes they seem to be easier to replace, but I’d probably use the official repair service they mention if they ever need replacing.

molerat

ccdorset said:

They are Beats Studio 3 Headphones. I think my concern was that what I was reading was suggesting there wasn’t an official way to replace the ear cushions and I’d have to do it myself. I wasn’t confident in doing that so thought I’d need to buy replacement headphones. That is why I was going for a full refund.

Are they fairly easy to replace? Maybe I’ve just read some of the horror stories.

Loads of how to do it videos on YouTube.  Amazon have videos on the product pages. Probably best to use plastic tools. They seem to be just stuck on with a bit of 2 sided tape.