Refurbished goods arrived damaged but can't prove it wasn't my fault

mmmmikey

Hi - hope someone can put my mind at rest

I had a grade 2 refurbished portable aircon unit delivered late yesterday afternoon. It was in it's original outer packaging, but was wrapped in copious amounts of bubble wrap inside. All looked OK so I unboxed it and left it to stand overnight (not having read the instructions at this stage but I thought this was what you were supposed to do with things like this - it has a compressor like a fridge). When I switched it on this afternoon it made a dreadful noise so I swicthed it straight off and referred to the manual. Nothing obvious but it did make reference to the type of floor so I picked it up and slid a doormat underneath. At this stage I realised the base was badly broken so it seems that the noise is the compressor or fan vibrating excessively - not an annoying hum, I know these things can be noisy, a really loud rattling sound to the point where the unit is unusable.

I've logged a return request on the supplier website - I tried calling them but their office closed at 17:00. Hopefully they will just do the right thing and accept my account of the sequence of events and repair it, replace it or give me a refund.

What's bothering me is that I have absolutely no proof at all that the unit was damaged when it arrived. I didn't take photos of the packaging because although it wasn't original it looked OK (although with hindsight I suspect the thing got broken in transit due to a combination of movement within the box and heavy handling). So it's going to come down to my word against theirs as to whether it was broken on arrival or I dropped it and caused the damage.

I've bought stuff from them before and they've always delivered on time and I've never experienced their customer services. They've asked for photos (presumably an automated reply to my online return request) but I can't take them without laying the thing on it's side and I'm not sure that's allowed so I'm going to call them first. That's why I didn't spot the damage straight away - it really isn't that obvious with the thing standing up.

I'd be very grateful if someone could let me know what my rights are (if any ) in this situation so I can be firm (but friendly!) if they try and fob me off when I call.

Thanks in advance, Mike.

mmmmikey

An update - I called them this morning and they are going to collect the item tomorrow for return. I should hear back from them next week. Supplier is Appliances Direct and they certainly seemed helpful and understanding on the call, but of course wouldn't commit to sending a replacement until they get the unit back. I got straight through to them without queuing which was a good start, and they said all the right things in a non-committal kind of way. Will update this thread again when I've heard from them, either to close it down if all OK (and heap praise on them if the customer service follow through is as good as the call) or ask for more advice if needed. Thanks, Mike.