£4000 OLED TV develops serious fault after 18 months - £660 repair.

born_again

If anyone wants to check the above.
Just go & make a trial purchase on LG site. You get get to read several pages of info like above. All before you get to put any payment details in.

RefluentBeans

This all sounds like the OP has got themselves muddled to me. If you went to LG’s direct website, purchased a TV from LG, and then it’s broke, I think anyone’s first thought would be to go to LG. I get it if they’ve rejected the return l, but I think even then it’s dubious if they did that. LG’s site acts as a conventional store - meaning that it is deceptive trading if they say that they only deal with the sales, and any responsibilities under consumer rights are off loaded to a separate company (who just happened to basically be uncontactable). I’m not saying that doesn’t happen, but LG is a huge company and I can’t imagine they’d risk the reputations damage by avoiding their responsibilities under various acts. 

Basically, if it sounds like a horse, it’s fairly safe to assume it’s a horse rather than a zebra. Just contact LG and see what they actually say. The fact that a customer rep seemed unaware of Digital River makes me think that they probably aren’t offloading the consumer rights and returns aspects of sales to them; as if they were there would be a script they say to advise you to go Digital River. 

Also remember that unless you’ve told LG about the return and/or the faulty product this will be the first time they’ve heard about it. So don’t jump straight to the ‘im going to sue you’ stance. 

realdannys

RefluentBeans said:

Also remember that unless you’ve told LG about the return and/or the faulty product this will be the first time they’ve heard about it. So don’t jump straight to the ‘im going to sue you’ stance. 

I have contacted LG a couple of times first - both times they responded as the manufacturer and told me about the 5 year extended warranty (the one that ends up with them wanting to charge me £660 for the repair)

At first I figured i'd just got through to the global team (where i'd sent the proof of purchase as the invoice I got from them where they pointed out it says Digital River) and they were dealing with it as a warranty issue.

I tried again and it gave me the following e-mail contact "lgcarecenter@lge.com"

I can't reply with emails either it takes me to a web portal: http://gsfsplus-eu.lge.com

This is the message I sent to them originally 

Dear Sir/Madam, I am writing to express my deep concern and disappointment regarding the LG 77" G1 OLED TV (Order number ###, which I purchased from the LG Online Store managed by Digital River. The TV, which was priced at £3,919.98 and is less than two years old, has developed a major fault: a white vertical line down the middle of the screen. I initially reached out to LG regarding a repair under their 5-year warranty, only to be informed that after the first 12 months, the warranty only covers parts and not labour. They quoted an astonishing £650 for the repair. It's deeply troubling that such an expensive piece of equipment would manifest a defect within such a short period, and even more so that a customer would be expected to bear such a high cost for its repair. Furthermore, during my interactions with LG, it became evident that there seems to be a significant lack of coordination or communication between LG and Digital River, as they seemed unaware that Digital River is running the UK LG online store. As such, I was directed by LG to raise this issue with Digital River. Under the UK Consumer Rights Act 2015, goods should be of satisfactory quality, fit for purpose, and as described. A fault occurring in such a short timeframe on a high-value product clearly does not meet the criteria of 'satisfactory quality'. As such, I believe I am entitled to a free repair or replacement. I would like to request that Digital River takes responsibility for this issue and facilitates the repair or replacement of my TV without any cost to me. While I understand that warranty terms and conditions apply, it is imperative for both manufacturers and sellers to uphold not just the legal requirements, but also the trust and confidence that consumers place in their products and services. I appreciate your prompt attention to this matter. I believe in the quality of LG products, and I trust that Digital River, as the authorised reseller and merchant of LG products in the UK, will uphold the rights of its customers. Please advise on the next steps and any further information or documentation you may require from me. Yours faithfully,

The reply I got back was

I sincerely apologize for the inconvenience and frustration you have experienced with your LG OLED77G16LA TV. I understand your disappointment regarding the white vertical line appearing on the screen, and I appreciate you bringing this matter to our attention.

I would like to apologise for the delay in my response. We have been experiencing a high influx of emails, which has caused some delays in our communication.

I completely understand your concerns regarding the repair cost and the coordination issues between LG and Digital River. As an LG representative, I want to assure you that we take customer feedback seriously, and it is important for us to address your concerns appropriately.

To ensure that your case receives the attention it deserves, I will raise a Voice of the Customer report for our higher management to review. They will assess the details of your situation and handle it internally. I assure you that we will work towards a resolution that is fair and satisfactory.

To proceed, I kindly request the following information from you:

• Post Code
• First Line of Address
• Contact number

Once I receive the requested information, I will escalate your case and ensure that it is addressed promptly. We appreciate your patience and understanding throughout this process.

Thank you for bringing this matter to our attention. We value your trust in LG products and services, and we will make every effort to resolve this situation to your satisfaction.

and then after confirming my address:

 want to assure you that your case has been escalated and is being taken seriously. I have processed a Voice of the Customer report for your situation, which will be reviewed and handled internally by our Higher Department. Please note that as this process is handled internally, they may not directly contact you unless further details or clarification are required.

Your case has been assigned the reference number for easy identification:

• CNU23###

Additionally, I have also escalated your case to our LG Level Two Department for a thorough review. They will carefully assess the details of your case and provide an update as soon as possible.

Your case has been assigned the reference number for easy identification:

• CNU23###

Rest assured that your feedback and concerns are important to us, and we are committed to addressing them appropriately. We value your trust in LG, and we are dedicated to resolving any issues you may be experiencing.

Thank you for choosing LG, and we appreciate your understanding and cooperation.

From this I received a phone call which again wasn't from the UK i don't think. The jist of it was the repair cost is right but as a level 2 representative he could offer me a 10% discount on future spend at the store...

I told them it was a consumer rights issue and not a warranty issue and he just seemed confused and said the repair cost was right and he was very sorry and mentioned the "Voice of the Customer" nonsense. Again it felt like I was dealing with manufacturing and not the store.

realdannys

I do have "LG Online Brand Shop" order confirmations.

The bottom of the receipt reads this...

"Digital River Ireland Ltd. is the authorised reseller and merchant of the products and services offered within this store"

The "Terms of Sales" links again to this

https://store.digitalriver.com/store/defaults/en_GB/DisplayDRTermsAndConditionsPage/eCommerceProvider.Digital+River+Ireland+Ltd.

Sigh.

ArbitraryRandom

Thankfully the EU (RoI) consumer rights laws around satisfactory quality are similar to those in the UK, so it doesn't really matter so much which company is the seller... just being able to establish which one you have rights with and how to enforce them.

Citizen advice (or Trading standards - often the same people on the phone) would be good to talk it through/show the documentation to.  

And apologies, but has anyone asked you how you paid? 

I'm thinking if you have both parties saying that they are not the seller (and therefore are unwilling to facilitate your consumer rights with regard a repair or replacement), then you might be able to approach your card provider for a partial refund (if a TV is supposed to last around 7 years and you are unable to have a replacement or repair under the CRA then you may be entitled to a 60% refund).

If that doesn't work then it would be small claims... worst case scenario you'd lose one set of filing fees if you go for the wrong company first. 

ashe

DullGreyGuy said:

Very surprised that buying directly from LG was the best price; they are regularly undercut by high street names like JL and RicherSounds even before looking at obscure internet only sellers.

You need to check the invoice you got for the purchase and see who it identifies as the retailer.

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head said:

Did you buy from here OP:

https://www.lg.com/uk/

I don't see anything in the terms about Digital River Ireland Limited although a couple of Google results suggest Digital River Ireland Limited handle payments (perhaps to send funds through Ireland where corporation tax is cheaper).  

The LG site linked to above says:

https://www.lg.com/uk/legal/

"Any reference to we, us or our, refers to:

LG Electronics U.K. Limited with company registration number 02143888 and registered office which is at Velocity 2, Brooklands Drive, Weybridge, KT13 0SL."

Go further into adding an item into the basket and you then get Terms of Sale which has:

https://store.digitalriver.com/store/defaults/en_GB/DisplayDRTermsAndConditionsPage/eCommerceProvider.Digital+River+UK+Ltd.

They're not the easiest terms to read but if you look under the international section it does say in England and Wales you have the 6 years years consumer rights against Digital River. Most is dealt with by their London office

Sometimes lg does promotions but generally they're really expensive. I bought our 77" oled from them this year because it had a 5 year warranty, there was 5% discount for lg members but there was a 30% nhs code. I went round the houses with richer sounds, Peter Tyson, Sevenoaks etc for their price matching and they all admitted that they cousin touch that price as they'd be taking a serious hit, I was really surprised.

it was 6 months ago and the price beat every sale I've seen since 

realdannys

Here is the reply from LG Online.

Good Afternoon

Thank you for your email. 

I am sorry to hear that you are having issues with your OLED TV, not something we would certainly expect to happen. 

In this situation, you are covered with a 5-year panel warranty which LG covers the part that is needed for the repair. This does however leave the labour and courier etc to be paid for by yourself as this is a part only warranty.

We would not be able to assist with anything further than the above. 

Kind regards,

Lewis | LG Shop Team Manager

----------------------------------

LG Customer Services

UK: 0344 847 5454 Ireland: 0818 27 6954

Mon-Fri 9am to 5pm

Closed weekends & bank holidays

www.lg.com/uk

So then?...

eskbanker

realdannys said:

Kind regards,

Lewis | LG Shop Team Manager

At least this job title would suggest that they accept that they're a retailer, rather than solely a manufacturer.

I haven't gone back through all the thread but if they're no longer trying to redirect you to DR then hopefully they'll eventually concede that they have CRA liabilities, but not sure how to break the cycle of repeated denials, other than to jump to Letter Before Action?

realdannys

eskbanker said:

realdannys said:

Kind regards,

Lewis | LG Shop Team Manager

At least this job title would suggest that they accept that they're a retailer, rather than solely a manufacturer.

I haven't gone back through all the thread but if they're no longer trying to redirect you to DR then hopefully they'll eventually concede that they have CRA liabilities, but not sure how to break the cycle of repeated denials, other than to jump to Letter Before Action?

Yes, finally found somewhere that works for the "shop" - to fair previously the ones referring me i'm sure where just LG's international support that i'd go through to from LG.com. When they saw the invoice I had with "Digital River" on it they said I didn't buy it from LG as they probably knew no better about how the UK store runs - irregardless they were only acting as the manufacturer with the manufacturer warranty.

The e-mail address Digital River kept giving me again just gets you through to general LG as a manufacturer and not a store.

So at least we've now got someone in the UK team replying from the "shop"

Also I think this line in his response a bit damning isn't it?

"I am sorry to hear that you are having issues with your OLED TV, not something we would certainly expect to happen."

ArbitraryRandom

realdannys said:

Here is the reply from LG Online.

Good Afternoon

Thank you for your email. 

I am sorry to hear that you are having issues with your OLED TV, not something we would certainly expect to happen. 

In this situation, you are covered with a 5-year panel warranty which LG covers the part that is needed for the repair. This does however leave the labour and courier etc to be paid for by yourself as this is a part only warranty.

We would not be able to assist with anything further than the above. 

Kind regards,

Lewis | LG Shop Team Manager

----------------------------------

LG Customer Services

UK: 0344 847 5454 Ireland: 0818 27 6954

Mon-Fri 9am to 5pm

Closed weekends & bank holidays

www.lg.com/uk

So then?...

I'd wait for others to chip in, but I'd be inclined to reply with something like: 

Dear Lewis, thank you for your email. 

To clarify, I purchased a [Model name] television from you [LG.com/uk], on [Date]. The order details are as follows:

• Order Number: [Your order number]
• Date of Purchase: [Date of purchase]
• Product: [Model name]
• [Link to product if still available or attach a screenshot if on wayback machine]

I understand you are offering me a warranty repair for a fee, however, as stipulated by the Consumer Rights Act 2015, goods must be of satisfactory quality, fit for purpose, and as described. If a product fails to meet these criteria, consumers have the right to request a repair or replacement for a period of not less than 6 years - these rights cannot be removed or modified by the terms of a warranty. 

I kindly request that you confirm the details of my purchase and that, as a consumer in the UK, I am entitled to the protections outlined by the Consumer Rights Act for faulty goods. If you do are unable to agree, I would appreciate you confirming specifically why this you believe this to be the case or escalating the issue within your organisation to someone who may be able to assist me.