Dog bed ripped the moment dog stepped on it, is this faulty?

ldweller

Hi,

I purchased a dog bed for ~£70, I'm aware pet beds/toys are not indestructible and planned to introduce it slowly as a place for comfort/sleep and not play.

Every dog I've ever owned will "dig" slightly to make the ground comfortable prior to laying, and the first moment my dogs paw touched the bed there was a rip/tear.

Upon phoning the store they mentioned that these beds aren't made to be hard wearing or from a thick material?! However in my eyes the bare minimum a dog bed should be capable of is supporting a dog behaving naturally for more than 5 minutes.

They've refused a refund (an exchange seems pointless if the beds aren't made to support a dog). Would this be classed as faulty or not fit for purpose in regards to consumer rights?

Thanks

tacpot12

It does sound like it is not fit for purpose, and therefore refundable under the Consumer Rights Act 2015. If you have home insurance, check to see if you have legal expenses cover. If you do, there will be a legal helpline you can call for advice. They might even write to the retailer who might take a different view once they realise that you have involved a solicitor.

You should check the advert to see if it mentions that it is made of a thin material and that a dogs claws are likely to rip the material. A dog bed made from a cotton cloth is as fit for purpose as a chocolate teapot.

Ergates

Did the bed come with any qualifiers about it's use.  e.g.:  "Small dog bed" or "Dog bed for dogs of 1-5kg" or anything like that?

If not, then unless your dog is in someway exceptional and/or outside of the expected range for a dog, the bed should not break immediately.

Good should be of "satisfactory quality" and should be "fit for particular purpose" - i.e. a dog bed should be capable of having a dog stand/lie on it.

ldweller

I've just checked the tags, and in fact it states "thick padded sides" exactly where the rip occured, and not suitable for chewing (understandably)

Nothing about small breeds/weights only.

I've contacted the company again to further chase this.

Ergates said:

Did the bed come with any qualifiers about it's use.  e.g.:  "Small dog bed" or "Dog bed for dogs of 1-5kg" or anything like that?

If not, then unless your dog is in someway exceptional and/or outside of the expected range for a dog, the bed should not break immediately.

Good should be of "satisfactory quality" and should be "fit for particular purpose" - i.e. a dog bed should be capable of having a dog stand/lie on it.

Ergates

In that case their statement of "Upon phoning the store they mentioned that these beds aren't made to be hard wearing or from a thick material?!" isn't any kind of defense.  They're basically arguing "Of course it broke, we made it badly".  It was quite honest of them to admit that really....

Olinda99

did you pay by debit or credit card ?

Jenni_D

As the price paid was ~£70 then the distinction is irrelevant. No S75 option here.