Very refund - discount for age

Smick100

I bought my daughter a Macbook for Christmas 2021, from Very. 

In February of this year, it would not turn on. I took it to Apple who have advised that it is not caused by anything she has done, likely a faulty component, and wrote a report to that effect, but because it is outside of the warranty period, the retailer will be liable under Consumer Rights Act 2015.

Very have accepted this report and are going to make a refund however they say that, because it is two years old, they will only refund 60% of what I paid for it, roughly £450.

If I look for a replacement machine of a similar age from a reputable second hand retailer such as CeX or BackMarket, the lowest price I can get one of a similar spec is £600. I will therefore be £150 out of pocket to be back in the same position I was in at the beginning of the year.

I am grateful to get something back from Very, but is their offer of 60% of the purchase price reasonable / legal or should I push for more?

Thanks in advance.

Aylesbury_Duck

You should push for more, with the evidence that to replace it with a similar spec'd machine would cost £600.  They've probably applied a linear depreciation to something they anticipate lasting five years, whereas you have evidence that that would leave you short.

TadleyBaggie

After nearly 2 1/2 years of use, 60% doesn't seem unreasonable. Although you might have to pay £600 for a like for like replacement, it is unlikely you could have got that much if you had tried to sell it.

Phoenix72

When exactly did you buy it, you say it was for Christmas 2021 but might have been bought months before?]

What is the expected lifespan of a macbook? I don't know much about apple products, how long are they supported for in terms of operating system updates.

Last point, does she really need a macbook? What does she use it for? I'm staggered at parents buying their kids macbooks/i-pad pros etc for their school homework when a laptop/tablet at a fraction of the cost does exactly the same job. Guess it's all about the badge though.

DullGreyGuy

Smick100 said:

I bought my daughter a Macbook for Christmas 2021, from Very. 

In February of this year, it would not turn on. I took it to Apple who have advised that it is not caused by anything she has done, likely a faulty component, and wrote a report to that effect, but because it is outside of the warranty period, the retailer will be liable under Consumer Rights Act 2015.

Very have accepted this report and are going to make a refund however they say that, because it is two years old, they will only refund 60% of what I paid for it, roughly £450.

If I look for a replacement machine of a similar age from a reputable second hand retailer such as CeX or BackMarket, the lowest price I can get one of a similar spec is £600. I will therefore be £150 out of pocket to be back in the same position I was in at the beginning of the year.

I am grateful to get something back from Very, but is their offer of 60% of the purchase price reasonable / legal or should I push for more?

Thanks in advance.

The Consumer Rights Act allows the retailer to reduce the refund to reflect the use you got from the item prior to the problem. The law however doesn't state how use should be calculated. 

The retailers I've dealt with are all using a 72 month (ie 6 years) straight line depreciation method which would work out to about 40% after 2.5 years as the item is now. For some items it may be arguable that 6 years is too short a window but for a laptop 3-5 years is the normal estimated lifespan and so actually the offer isn't too bad. 

Ultimately it's a negotiation, you can propose a counter figure but Id be surprised if you get massively more. 

Smick100

Phoenix72 said:

When exactly did you buy it, you say it was for Christmas 2021 but might have been bought months before?]

It was bought in November 2021, activated on Christmas Day 2021. 

Apple, when they looked at it, were using the 25th December as its age.

What is the expected lifespan of a macbook? I don't know much about apple products, how long are they supported for in terms of operating system updates.

Is this not more of a legal question than a tech one? I think there is implied lifespan under legislation, which is why Very are refunding me 60%.

Last point, does she really need a macbook? What does she use it for? I'm staggered at parents buying their kids macbooks/i-pad pros etc for their school homework when a laptop/tablet at a fraction of the cost does exactly the same job. Guess it's all about the badge though.

Nope. Definitely doesn't need a Macbook. She wanted one though. She had had a tough year with a big operation and a long hospital stay. I had been made redundant and got a new job sooner than I thought I would, so had some money to spare and thought I would indulge her wishes. She will not be getting another brand new one, I can tell you that for nothing. Either a refurbished one or, more likely, a windows based laptop that can be binned if it goes wrong.

Smick100

DullGreyGuy said:

Smick100 said:

I bought my daughter a Macbook for Christmas 2021, from Very. 

In February of this year, it would not turn on. I took it to Apple who have advised that it is not caused by anything she has done, likely a faulty component, and wrote a report to that effect, but because it is outside of the warranty period, the retailer will be liable under Consumer Rights Act 2015.

Very have accepted this report and are going to make a refund however they say that, because it is two years old, they will only refund 60% of what I paid for it, roughly £450.

If I look for a replacement machine of a similar age from a reputable second hand retailer such as CeX or BackMarket, the lowest price I can get one of a similar spec is £600. I will therefore be £150 out of pocket to be back in the same position I was in at the beginning of the year.

I am grateful to get something back from Very, but is their offer of 60% of the purchase price reasonable / legal or should I push for more?

Thanks in advance.

The Consumer Rights Act allows the retailer to reduce the refund to reflect the use you got from the item prior to the problem. The law however doesn't state how use should be calculated. 

The retailers I've dealt with are all using a 72 month (ie 6 years) straight line depreciation method which would work out to about 40% after 2.5 years as the item is now. For some items it may be arguable that 6 years is too short a window but for a laptop 3-5 years is the normal estimated lifespan and so actually the offer isn't too bad. 

Ultimately it's a negotiation, you can propose a counter figure but Id be surprised if you get massively more. 

Thanks. It does seem that I might be better off just taking their offer. The person on the phone probably isn't authorised to offer more than that, I did ask if I can have more and she said no. 

So then it becomes a matter of escalation and referring it externally, which might make them withdraw the offer altogether, the upside might be minimal if I am successful and I have wasted my time, and all the while my daughter doesn't have a laptop.

DullGreyGuy

You could ask how Very have calculated the number... the law is very explicit that its for use of the item so if you can substantiate it was unused until 25 Dec they may increase the payment fractionally if they had calculated it from the original delivery date but your talking a tenner or so difference. 

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head

Do you pay on credit with Very OP?

Okell

I think a 60% refund is a pretty reasonable offer.

I think you've alos done very well in (1) getting Apple to provide a written report to the effect that the failure was probably caused by a faulty component and (2) getting Very to accept that with no disagreement

itsthelittlethings

For £450 you’ll get an ok windows laptop, I would go for that.