Faulty TV and John Lewis

urfankhaliq

Looking for some advice. Bought a Samsung Frame TV in Dec 2019 for £1320 from John Lewis, it has now experienced a fault and as JL have a 5 year warranty I contacted them. They send a repair company to collect the TV and repair it.

Turns out the repair company can't get hold of the parts so have said the TV can not be repaired. JL have then offered us £849 as a settlement or an option of a different Samsung TV which is not a "The Frame" TV.

I have been arguing with JL about this as I feel this isn't suitable primarily because the replacement TV does not match the specification of the original. The frame aspect of the TV is the primary reason for purchasing this TV.

I mentioned Consumer Rights Act to the agent at JL and she said after discussing this with their legal teams they say that 850 is the best offer and if I went down the CRA path, I would most likely just get 400.

Looking for some advise and help as to how I can go about this? Ideally I just want them to repair my TV and if that's not possible, to just replace it with a like for like TV and not a lower spec TV. If I took the 849 I would need to pay an additional ~£400 to buy a replacement.

Bradden

£850 Seems a reasonable offer to me considering the usage you've had out of the TV since 2019

eskbanker

urfankhaliq said:
Ideally I just want them to repair my TV and if that's not possible, to just replace it with a like for like TV and not a lower spec TV. If I took the 849 I would need to pay an additional ~£400 to buy a replacement.

But they can't replace it with a like for like TV as they won't have access to stocks of four year old ones!

Ayr_Rage

Bite their hand off !

That offer after nearly 4 years of use is very reasonable.

Wonka_2

Presumably the £849 they're offering allows you to add £400 and buy a new TV with a new 5yr warranty. If they repair/replace then you're left with a warranty to Dec '24 only

Is the £400 worth it ? or can you buy an in-between (2020/1/2) model for less from Richer Sounds etc ?

cymruchris

I'd be saying yes - taking the offer and putting it towards whatever I wanted. 

It's not about getting the same TV or an equivalent - it's the fact you've had some use out of it, and the offer reflects that. If you'd had it a week (aside from the fact they'd likely change it anyway) you'd expect that as you'd hardly used it to get a full offer. If it died on 4 years and 364 days - you'd have had nearly 5 years use - and so the retailer is allowed to adjust the level of compensation/refund accordingly. 

You've had nearly 4 years use out of it - so I think the offer is more than generous.

Okell

If they refund you £849 after nearly 4 years that means they are valuing your use of the TV at a little over £2 per week.  That sounds like a very good deal to me and I wouldn't turn it down without very careful consideration.

As others have said, if it can't be repaired because parts aren't available, then they can't repair it.  And after 4 years I doubt anyone would be able to find a brand new "like for like" replacement.  Is the replacement they are offering you a poorer specification?

JL still list "The Frame" TVs on their website at prices around £1200 to £1300 for a reasonable size screen.  Can't they offer you one of those or is their spec poorer than your old TV?  Or why can't you just buy one of those yourself?  (Refund plus £400 from yourself)

Aylesbury_Duck

I'm another that thinks you've got a great offer there. Take it before it disappears.

Think of it like this: You've had four years' use for £400, which is the amount you'll have to pay for a brand new similar replacement on top of what they're offering you.

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head

The refund amount is approx two thirds putting the TV lifespan at around 11 years or so it would seem a pretty fair price to refund really.

If you are able to have the TV repaired somewhere else talking to them about covering the cost of that is another option but you might be better off taking the money for an easy life. 

400ixl

The warranty is not a new for old and I believe the CRA allows them to deduct value for the use you have had.

If they cannot repair it, then they calculate the value at the current time. For example, if they consider 10 years is a reasonable life expectency of the TV and it has been used for 4 years then the value is 6/10ths of the original value.

This what they would offer you in a refund or the value to put towards another TV if you don't top it up.

What they have offered seems like a good offer given 4 years of use on an assumed 10 year life of product as that would be less than £800.

Technology also comes down in price over time. 

400ixl

What size is it as there is a 50" one on Amazon for £849 https://www.amazon.co.uk/Samsung-Inch-Frame-QLED-Lifestyle/dp/B0BGXXB8MV which could be how they came up with the offer.