Leather sofa 'faded'

Alderbank

Tell the inspector that you are not looking to claim under the extra insurance which you know does not cover fading.

Make it clear that you are seeking to enforce your statutory consumer rights.

HillStreetBlues

Alderbank said:

Thanks for the links to Barker & Stonehouse.
I see the extra insurance, for which you paid £249 extra, allows you to have up to three scratches from your cats and dogs. I hope your animals are well behaved!

It is accident insurance so wouldn't be expected to cover gradual events such as fading due to sunlight. 
For the avoidance of doubt, the terms of the insurance specifically state:

WHAT IS NOT COVERED:

Your Emmiera Group Policy Schedule will not cover you for:

4. Any gradually occurring stain(s) or damage, gradual wear and tear...

5. Colour loss, fading, sunlight, wind or weather

For a sofa the mind boggles.

looroll199

Alderbank said:

Tell the inspector that you are not looking to claim under the extra insurance which you know does not cover fading.

Make it clear that you are seeking to enforce your statutory consumer rights.

Yes will, do, Im also going to ask if they will invoice me for the bill! Obviously I know the retailer will be paying them so Im unsure how 'independent' they will be.
By seeking to enforce my statutory consumer rights would that be 'unfit for purpose'?  

Alderbank

It might if you had made it very clear that it was going permanently into a very sunny room and any fading would not be acceptable.
Otherwise, unfit for purpose is much more generic, such as the purpose of a sofa is to sit and relax on it. Is there anything loose or sticking out for instance which would mean you could not use it for its normal purpose?

For fading gradually in sunlight, not sufficiently durable might be safer.

Alderbank

HillStreetBlues said:

Alderbank said:

Thanks for the links to Barker & Stonehouse.
I see the extra insurance, for which you paid £249 extra, allows you to have up to three scratches from your cats and dogs. I hope your animals are well behaved!

It is accident insurance so wouldn't be expected to cover gradual events such as fading due to sunlight. 
For the avoidance of doubt, the terms of the insurance specifically state:

WHAT IS NOT COVERED:

Your Emmiera Group Policy Schedule will not cover you for:

4. Any gradually occurring stain(s) or damage, gradual wear and tear...

5. Colour loss, fading, sunlight, wind or weather

For a sofa the mind boggles.

Cut down on the baked beans!

looroll199

Alderbank said:

It might if you had made it very clear that it was going permanently into a very sunny room and any fading would not be acceptable.
Otherwise, unfit for purpose is much more generic, such as the purpose of a sofa is to sit and relax on it. Is there anything loose or sticking out for instance which would mean you could not use it for its normal purpose?

For fading gradually in sunlight, not sufficiently durable might be safer.

It will have to be not sufficiently durable, i dont think less than 6 months where 4 have been in daylight saving hours and therefore not very sunny (if anything perhaps 1 or 2 on the UV index) is gradual, gradual would be a couple of years.
Thank you for your help

Alderbank

Don't get too scientific!

UVI inside a south-facing room is surprisingly low at midday in summer, perhaps only 0.1, because the sun is high in the sky. Cumulative values are higher in spring, autumn and even winter because the sun is lower in the sky for much longer so there is deeper penetration and over more time. Average indoor UV values don't actually vary that much throughout the year.

sheramber

I think people need to do thier pown reserch into the suitability of products before they buy rather than saying' the salesman never told me'. 

The salesman ( or woman) is employed to sell.

I cannot remember when I did not know sunlight faded furniture- not just leather furniture. I have seen wood faded by sunlight and upholstered furniture faded by sunlight. 

I used blinds to deflect the sunlight from my furniture when i had  a south facing lounge with patio doors.

Aylesbury_Duck

looroll199 said:

And guess who are coming to do the inspection next week?
B & S's 'independent' inspector from Emmiera ...
I get the insurance T's & c's and we took it out because of animals etc. 
Still think it should have kept its colour for longer.  
If I dont get anywhere I will sell it before it gets worse as I don't want to sit with the blinds shut all the time!

If it's perfectly comfortable, what about a throw for it?

JetpackVelociraptor

Everything fades in the sunlight. Leathers with a "vintage" or distressed effect finish tend to fade faster and be a bit more likely to pick up marks and scratches, but I can't really tell from the photos if that's the case with yours. Given that the care instructions specifically state don't put it in direct sunlight, and the salesperson didn't tell you that you could put it in direct sunlight, I don't think it's going to be worthwhile to pursue it beyond their inspection. It is just about possible that there's an issue with the leather that caused it to fade more quickly than usual but it's equally possible that there's nothing wrong with it and it just isn't as light-fast as you need for your specific circumstances.

The cost of getting your own independent inspection shouldn't be much more than £90 ex vat, but it will leave you out of pocket if you get someone in to inspect and they don't produce a report stating it's faulty. Not to mention if B&S have a report saying it isn't, and you have one saying it is, it may take a bit to resolve.

A leather restoration company near to you would be able to repair it for you by applying pigment and a protective finish over the top, but if you keep it in the sunlight it seems likely that's just going to keep happening and the repaired area may fade a little differently and end up looking worse later on.

Unfortunately it looks like you've just bought something that's unsuitable for your usage, which is unfortunate but not really anyone's fault.