currys want money to see if my computer is faulty

happyman70

I bought a computer from currys three years ago on credit. I contacted them shortly afterwards to tell them it was faulty and the battery life was not lasting long and the keys were sticking and also for some reason while having it on my knee i had to have it slanted.

My emails were ignored until finally i got a message back saying that they could check the computer but it would cost me. I was shocked.

Then two years or so later, well last month the computer was getting worse. more letters were getting stuck and the battery life has become a nightmare. my credit on the computer runs out this month.

After listening to martin lewis, i then decided to contact the finance company. They said they will contact currys. I have today had an email from them saying that i need to pay £75 to have the computer checked. They said if it is a manufacturer fault then i will get the money back.

here is the letter. I would like to know what to do and what my rights are. The finance finishes net month

I am writing following your recent contact with us, regarding your HP laptop.

As a company, we acknowledge our obligation to provide a remedy for products that develop a fault following the expiry of the guarantee and recognise that in certain situations manufacturing defects do not manifest themselves until after the warranty period has expired.

In order to confirm that the fault reported is a manufacturing defect, we require a £75.00 inspection fee to arrange for the unit to be collected and examined.  This inspection fee is refundable if a manufacturing defect is proven and the unit will be repaired, subject to it being economical to do so.

If you wish to proceed, please call us between 9am and 5pm, Monday to Friday on 0800 0234 701, choosing option 1, quoting the above reference number above and ensure that you have the serial number of the appliance to hand.  Alternatively, please take the unit to your local Currys  branch, who will be able to take the payment and arrange for it to be sent away for assessment.

Please accept my apologies for the delay in concluding this matter.

Yours sincerely,

Andy

Currys Out of Warranty Department

They have not said how long it will be away for. I have had problems from day one with the computer

DE_612183

seems fair

Hoenir

happyman70 said:

They have not said how long it will be away for. I have had problems from day one with the computer

You've had the option of it being inspected for the past 3 years. Choice was yours. 

mr_stripey

should have taken it back to a currys store three years ago - when you first noticed the problems

happyman70

Hoenir said:

happyman70 said:

They have not said how long it will be away for. I have had problems from day one with the computer

You've had the option of it being inspected for the past 3 years. Choice was yours. 

Obviously you have not read it properly and instead to be hateful. They ignored all communication, and then when they did respond they wanted a couple of hundred pounds to repair it. They said it was out of warranty

powerful_Rogue

happyman70 said:

Hoenir said:

happyman70 said:

They have not said how long it will be away for. I have had problems from day one with the computer

You've had the option of it being inspected for the past 3 years. Choice was yours. 

Obviously you have not read it properly and instead to be hateful. They ignored all communication, and then when they did respond they wanted a couple of hundred pounds to repair it. They said it was out of warranty

In fairness, you didn't say the majority of that in your initial post.

However they are right, they need to be sure you haven't spilt a drink over the keys causing them to stick etc. You don't have to send it to Currys though, you can get a report from any computer shop.

You shoud also be aware that if things do go in your favour, if they can't repair/replace they can refund but deduct an amount for the three years use you have had.

RefluentBeans

They’re entitled to check it. As it’s older than 6 months, they can ask you to prove the fault is inherent, not user error. As said above, you can choose to have that done by anyone you choose, but they need to be qualified. £75 inspection fee isn’t the worst I’ve seen. 

As for the time away, that’s unfortunately part of the course. Normally a week-10 working days is a good estimate. 

The outcome if they find a fault is they could repair, replace or refund the item. The refund will take account of how much use it has had - so assuming 3 years old, and an England purchase, the statute of limitations is 6 years, so you’ll be looking at ~50% refund. 

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head

powerful_Rogue said:

 You don't have to send it to Currys though, you can get a report from any computer shop.

This is a valid alternative OP  

TELLIT01

The OP stated "My emails were ignored until finally i got a message back saying that they could check the computer but it would cost me. I was shocked."

How long had you been in possession of the laptop when the fault developed, and how long did it take to get an initial response from Currys?

What action did you get when you received the reply from Currys saying there would a cost involved to check for a fault?

Did you purchase online or from a store?  If you purchased from a store why didn't you go back there to chase up a response?

Please note I'm not saying any element is the fault of the OP, but accurate information is required if accurate answers are to be provided.

Aylesbury_Duck

happyman70 said:

Hoenir said:

happyman70 said:

They have not said how long it will be away for. I have had problems from day one with the computer

You've had the option of it being inspected for the past 3 years. Choice was yours. 

Obviously you have not read it properly and instead to be hateful. They ignored all communication, and then when they did respond they wanted a couple of hundred pounds to repair it. They said it was out of warranty

We can't read what you hadn't written in your opening post.

As for the general situation as you have described it, Currys don't appear to be acting unreasonably.

sheramber

happyman70 said:

Hoenir said:

happyman70 said:

They have not said how long it will be away for. I have had problems from day one with the computer

You've had the option of it being inspected for the past 3 years. Choice was yours. 

Obviously you have not read it properly and instead to be hateful. They ignored all communication, and then when they did respond they wanted a couple of hundred pounds to repair it. They said it was out of warranty

My emails were ignored until finally i got a message back saying that they could check the computer but it would cost me. I was shocked." 

m That is when you should have taken action. You do not seem to have done so.