Morphy Richards Steam Generator Iron Faulty

cwaite

I bought a stream Generator iron from Argos in September 2022, a few daus ago the generator packed up and I took it back to Argos, who told me that I needed to contact the manufacturer, I said that as my contract is with Argos they are duty bound to sort out the repair or replacement, I can opt for them to sort it out, to which they replied they would call Morphy Richards for me but their lines were closed for the day and I would need to bring the iron back to Argos during Morphy Richards working hours to get help.

I decided to take the number and call them myself, upon calling they asked me to email my receipt from Argos which I did and got this reply.

"Good morning,

I am sorry but as we are no longer Trading and offering replacements due to a takeover of the company, we can now only issue a partial refund of £35.00. For us to issue the refund please can you please provide the below information via Email or you can call us on 03448710944 to provide this:

Bank Name,

Account Holders Name,

Sort code,

Account Number,

Proof of identification,

Kind regards

Consumer Relations

Glen Dimplex Consumer Appliances

Stoney Lane, Prescot, Merseyside L35 2XW"

This is a disgrace to offer a partial refund of £35 for an iron which is less than 10 months old, can they just fob me off saying they wont repair or replace just because they sold the company?, surely the company that bought Morphy Richards should honour the warranty.

Can anyone tell me what options I have? Can I now go back to Argos and demand a repair or replacement?

Thanks in advance.

Alderbank

Yes, you can go back to Argos and request (don't make a scene) a repair or replacement.

The woes and tribulations of Argos's suppliers are not your problem.

Aylesbury_Duck

You can go back to Argos and demand what you like, but you're not on the solid ground you think you are.  Argos could ask you to prove the fault, and then THEY have the choice of repair, replacement or refund, and the refund can be partial.  How much was it to buy? The £35 might be a reasonable one if the original price was £60 for example, and not the "disgrace" you describe it as.  If it was £300 that's a different story.

tightauldgit

The legalities of the warranty really depend on what the new owner bought and didn't buy when they acquired the company. It's entirely possible that they just bought the assets of the business and left the warranty obligations behind. 

That doesn't affect your consumer rights with Argos though. The only complication is if it's over 6 months old it's not an automatic right to a repair, replacement or refund so you might have well to jump through some hoops to demonstrate the problem was an inherent fault and not misuse. 

Your rights here are with Argos though, not Morphy Richards.

cwaite

Thanks thanks for all your comments, they have been very helpful. I will go back to Argos and see if I can get any joy with them again.

cwaite

Went back to Argos told them what Morphy Richards said and they exchanged it no problem. It’s very worrying that Morphy Richards are still selling products in he UK but are not honouring the warranty.

Alderbank

It might well be worrying to the people who work for them, but we've all tried to explain to you that because of our consumer laws it is not a worry to anyone who buys any of their products from a UK retailer.

cwaite

Alderbank said:

It might well be worrying to the people who work for them, but we've all tried to explain to you that because of our consumer laws it is not a worry to anyone who buys any of their products from a UK retailer.

@Alderbank I understand consumer law and did try to explain it to Argos originally but they didn’t understand I was lucky that 2nd time around I spoke to someone who did understand.

What happens if the retailer goes under during the first year of the warranty of a Morphy Richards product? Most consumers would think that’s ok just go back to the Manufacturer, but I now know they are unable to repair or replace just offer a dismal partial refund of around 15 percent of the original purchase price.

Alderbank

If Argos/Sainsburys collapses into receivership AND you have recently bought a Morphy Richards domestic appliance from them AND it stops working AND Morphy Richards have gone into new ownership again, you raise a dispute with your bank (a chargeback).

If you are worried that your bank also goes into administration at the same moment then you are overthinking this and shopping may not be for you.

cwaite

@Alderbank Some of us still use cash! As it’s something we still want to keep alive as an alternative to a card. Also as I found out before using a credit card they the bank or credit card company would just simply refer you back to the Manufacturer in this instance. It’s not as easy as just saying please Mr NatWest raise a chargeback and give me my money back.

The banks would never go under as us the tax payers would bail them out again!

Also as I have found out in quite a few retailers these days not not as easy as going in a quoting the CRA they often make it difficult to deal with the retailer and for some it can cause undue stress. This is what I am trying to highlight.

tightauldgit

cwaite said:

Went back to Argos told them what Morphy Richards said and they exchanged it no problem. It’s very worrying that Morphy Richards are still selling products in he UK but are not honouring the warranty.

No, that's not how it works it all. Any MR product sold TODAY will be covered by MR under their warranty. The issue comes with products bought BEFORE they were sold and the warranty obligations on those specific products. 

It's a risk everyone has to consider that if you are reliant on warranties or even your consumer rights that companies can and do go into liquidation every day and you have no way to claim against a company that doesn't exist anymore.