Appliances direct advice - dehumidifier - broken humidistat or a refurb sent.

Ihatethinkingofusernames11

Hello. I recently ordered an item from Appliances Direct and upon opening it I shortly after noticed the humidstat/ humidity sensor on the front is broken.

It is an important function of the machine to have arrived broken and is supposed to be brand new. The digits on the front are blurry and "cut off" but some look better than others.As shown is pictures with some digits looking better than others but still not right or should show a clear value eg. 44% with an "h" over it according to the pictures on the site.

Could be a manufacturing error or they sent a refurbished unit as it was also missing castor wheels which the instruction booklet states it should have, and photos look like they have too. Also holes in polystyrene where castor wheels should rest and on the bottom too but it's rubber feet in instead.

I don't know what to do about the appliances direct order but it should be covered by warranty and extended warranty from appliances direct themselves. I paid by credit card (over £100) for section 75 protection so unsure which option to go for.

Item was brand "Electriq Desiccant dehumidifier 10 litre DES9LDW"-V2" model, and they sell refurbs of it too but graded. This is brand new and I've seen picture on Amazon from users and there's is crystal clear.

What is the best course of action to claim via here as I feel I have options available but unsure if they will make me return it out of my own pocket or not and don't feel I should have to when I bought an additional warranty?

Any help would be appreciated greatly.

Ps. The last appliance I bought (fridge freezer) took four attempts from Amazon to get right, two damaged in transit, one sent refurbished and one was pristine (fourth try) so not had much luck with appliances recently. I have read appliances direct may not be as good as Amazon when it comes to sending new units/ collecting old ones free of charge.

HillStreetBlues

Always better to posts dates as "recently" has no legal meaning.

ArbitraryRandom

So, to confirm - you bought from appliance direct? (this website: https://www.appliancesdirect.co.uk/) 

Recently... when did you order and when was it actually delivered? 

And you paid by credit card, with the value of the item (not the whole order) being over £100? 

Ihatethinkingofusernames11

My apologies. I ordered on 27/11/2023 and it was delivered on the 28/11/2023.

The value of the item and the amount in total with just that one item was over £100. It cost £199 for the dehumidifier and £19.95 for an extended two year warranty so yes the item itself cost over the £100 threshold for section 75 protection hopefully and in any case I got the extended warranty (from appliances direct) on top of that which is valid for two years even though the item already has a one year manufacturer's warranty anyway.

Total order value £228.94

That is the correct website https://www.appliancesdirect.co.uk/ part of the "Buy it Direct" group from what I can see.

Link to actual product purchased is here :-  https://www.appliancesdirect.co.uk/p/desd9lw/electriq-desd9lw-dehumidifier?refsource=apadwords&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_id=19726899318&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQiA35urBhDCARIsAOU7QwnkxGqFFkoQKR9yzXNK_mWUntM2IX8CNbpU_h0p-z9hJZwOA45YghMaAsuLEALw_wcB

HillStreetBlues

Forget about the warranty, there is something wrong with the display, contact AD to report an faulty item.
This should cost you nothing to return and once returned a full refund is due.
Don't let them fob you off offering a repair, you have the right to return and you must not be out of pocket.

Ihatethinkingofusernames11

I have also contacted an owner of one of these units on eBay who was selling and they very kindly replied to me that their display was not like that and mine appears to be faulty.

I am a bit worried though that there were two filters that came with the product inside the main box with dehumidifier (activated carbon filter and HEPA filter) but in their own plastic packaging and I installed these as I didn't want to risk the machine without installing them although it did say one was "optional".

I don't know whether this will affect anything now but it's advertised with the filters anyway so thought they'd be pre installed as I can't imagine many people would but that model and then use the item without them as who knows if it could damage the machine on first use.

HillStreetBlues

Ihatethinkingofusernames11 said:

I have also contacted an owner of one of these units on eBay who was selling and they very kindly replied to me that their display was not like that and mine appears to be faulty.

I am a bit worried though that there were two filters that came with the product inside the main box with dehumidifier (activated carbon filter and HEPA filter) but in their own plastic packaging and I installed these as I didn't want to risk the machine without installing them although it did say one was "optional".

I don't know whether this will affect anything now but it's advertised with the filters anyway so thought they'd be pre installed as I can't imagine many people would but that model and then use the item without them as who knows if it could damage the machine on first use.

Nothing wrong with installing filters, you are allowed to set the machine up, and if after setting up you find it's faulty, you can return it.

Ihatethinkingofusernames11

Hi Hill Street Blues, I intend to contact them and say that I shouldn't be out of pocket to return it thanks to buying their own warranty, the manufacturers warranty and I doubt they could repair what looks to be an enclosed LCD display anyway.

I would not be happy if they said they'd try and repair it as it should be working as expected and it isn't. Therefore I'd have thought it was clearly a fault/ faulty item.

My only concern is opening the filters and hope they don't put up a fight about that. They came in the same box as the dehumidifier in sealed plastic bags and at least one is "optional" but as the machine is advertised with them I thought I should install them as without them could I not have damaged the machine?

Some parts say about "partial refunds" if used but without turning machines on with their fittings how is one supposed to know if it works or not. Filters are pretty cheap to replace anyway but still worried they may argue about that.

I may be wrong but I suspect a refurbished unit was sent. 

I'm disappointed at the lack of quality control of some companies and especially expensive items. I don't usually buy extended warranties with items but my Amazon experience left me feeling uneasy about.

Thanks for your reply anyway I'll have to see what they say tomorrow. I'll phone them and then if they ask to see they need to give me their email address as it's a "contact us" form on their site. Apart from the complaint one.

Ihatethinkingofusernames11

Hi Hillstreetblues. That is reassuring if I can say I installed the filters first although they were additional/ at least one was optional.

I would argue it actually helps protect the machine more than hindering it.

Edit:- Sorry I read you say to claim under item being faulty so please ignore what I wrote previously regarding the warranty.

I wonder if this would affect my welcome bonus I for with complete savings now ( a paid cashback site).

I will phone them tomorrow anyway but ideally want to email them the photos of the screen too. Really hope it doesn't turn into a 3 week nightmare like the Amazon fridge freezer anyway.

Thanks again for your help!

ArbitraryRandom

Thanks for updating  

Just to clarify your rights, if you discover a fault with a product within the first 30 days after purchase, you have the right to reject the goods and get a full refund (inc the warranty as you are rejecting the whole order). This is known as the "short-term right to reject." 

The seller is responsible for covering the cost of return postage and your refund should include the cost of the postage you paid unless you paid for enhanced delivery (at which point they only have to refund you the cheapest delivery they offer). 

I don't know if you've already contact them, but I wouldn't preempt them being difficult about the return - just be clear about what you want and your rights. Something like this in an email to their customer service team: 

I am writing to inform you of a significant fault in the dehumidifier I purchased from your company on [Date]. The order details are as follows:

• Order Number: [Your Order Number]
• Product Name/Model: [Dehumidifier Model]

The dehumidifier is within the first 30 days of purchase, and it has proven to be defective. [Briefly describe the specific issue]. As such, I am exercising my right under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 to reject the goods and request a full refund.

Please [arrange for a courier to collect the parcel/provide a pre-paid returns label] and confirm when I should expect my refund. 

Feel free to contact me at [your phone number/this email address] if you require any further details from me to facilitate the return.

Ihatethinkingofusernames11

Hi ArbitraryRandom. I would definitely do the above if they had a clear email address but it's one of those contact forms so I'll have to either list what is up with it and then wait for them or unsure if phoning would be better.

I may end up using the contact form anyway in addition to phoning them as I hate the unknown and waiting about for things.

I did see an email regarding making a complaint but not one for customer service,

Do I need to give them time to rectify this themselves as in send a replacement product if wanted them to replace it?

As I said to the HillStreetBlues I did install a Hepa and Carbon filter that came in the box that in sealed plastic packaging and at least one may be optional, so I'm worried they would say they weren't needed and maybe as they were open only give a partial refund or something as some things I've read make me weary they would only issue a partial refund due to me installing those filters.

Do you think that would matter? I also don't know what will happen to some cashback I got (shown as payment sent but not showing in my bank account) if I did that.

I know the extended warranty I got I think seems to allow for as many claims as needed and mentioned where it makes sense to replace items, not to mention the warranty by Electriq themselves.

I know sometimes they only process refunds and things when they received goods back. I'll need to check the faulty goods part again but shouldn't be me that has to pack a heavyish item up and send back so hope they would have a courier free of charge as otherwise I read it costa £19.99 or something

I'm going to have another look at it now to see exactly what it says but those contact forms aren't ideal sometimes as I can't attach photos or start a return anyway by the looks of it.

Thanks I appreciate the time and usually I would just attach those photos to an email in requesting what you said to do but unsure if I've limited myself opening those filters but for all I knew they could cause more damage to the machine than if I hadn't installed them. I don't know.