White company refusing to take back faulty Christmas tree

Ergates

screech_78 said:

Lights and bulbs are also usually classed as consumables and that will affect the durability of the tree as a whole since it’s pre-lit. 

My current Christmas tree cost £250 and I bought it in 2017, but it’s not pre-lit so this will be its 8th year and I expect to get many more years out of it. The same can’t be said for the lights I purchased for it in 2017. I’m sure I’m on my 3rd or 4th set now. 

It's generally not the bulbs in modern LED christmas lights that go, it's the transformers.  Unlike the christmas lightbulbs of old, the LEDs will last decades.  

GDB2222

Ergates said:

screech_78 said:

Lights and bulbs are also usually classed as consumables and that will affect the durability of the tree as a whole since it’s pre-lit. 

My current Christmas tree cost £250 and I bought it in 2017, but it’s not pre-lit so this will be its 8th year and I expect to get many more years out of it. The same can’t be said for the lights I purchased for it in 2017. I’m sure I’m on my 3rd or 4th set now. 

It's generally not the bulbs in modern LED christmas lights that go, it's the transformers.  Unlike the christmas lightbulbs of old, the LEDs will last decades.  

Absolutely. I suggested that the OP posted a photo of the transformer, as it might be easy to find a replacement. 

SJ53

Hi, I am experiencing the same issue with my tree from TWC, my tree was purchased October 2023 and like you stored safely in the tree bag in the loft, took it out yesterday and the lights came on and then went off, hubby checked for loose wires in the little black box that controls the timer and light function and saw one was crushed, the lights came back on for a few hours but will not light up again, I’ve checked the box again but all seems okay, TWC have refused to exchange the tree and have said to purchase a replacement transformer etc! Not good enough, I will not leave it there and will try my utmost to get this resolved, £325 for a tree from a so called reputable company, it’s a joke! They’ve got our money and couldn’t care less! They should at least offer a substantial guarantee for items at such a high price, did you manage to get it sorted at all?

DeathByFluffy

SJ53 said:

Hi, I am experiencing the same issue with my tree from TWC, my tree was purchased October 2023 and like you stored safely in the tree bag in the loft, took it out yesterday and the lights came on and then went off, hubby checked for loose wires in the little black box that controls the timer and light function and saw one was crushed, the lights came back on for a few hours but will not light up again, I’ve checked the box again but all seems okay, TWC have refused to exchange the tree and have said to purchase a replacement transformer etc! Not good enough, I will not leave it there and will try my utmost to get this resolved, £325 for a tree from a so called reputable company, it’s a joke! They’ve got our money and couldn’t care less! They should at least offer a substantial guarantee for items at such a high price, did you manage to get it sorted at all?

The advice elsewhere in the thread stands - you'll need to get an independent report showing the fault is inherent if you want to force them to act. 

Bear in mind that they can also reduce any refund given to account for the amount of use you've had from the product, but the cost of the report is reclaimable. 

Ergates

SJ53 said:

Hi, I am experiencing the same issue with my tree from TWC, my tree was purchased October 2023 and like you stored safely in the tree bag in the loft, took it out yesterday and the lights came on and then went off, hubby checked for loose wires in the little black box that controls the timer and light function and saw one was crushed, the lights came back on for a few hours but will not light up again, I’ve checked the box again but all seems okay, TWC have refused to exchange the tree and have said to purchase a replacement transformer etc! Not good enough, I will not leave it there and will try my utmost to get this resolved, £325 for a tree from a so called reputable company, it’s a joke! They’ve got our money and couldn’t care less! They should at least offer a substantial guarantee for items at such a high price, did you manage to get it sorted at all?

One what?  One wire?  One Box?

"Crushed" seems to suggest damage rather than a fault, but it's not clear from what you're written.

sheramber

SJ53 said:

Hi, I am experiencing the same issue with my tree from TWC, my tree was purchased October 2023 and like you stored safely in the tree bag in the loft, took it out yesterday and the lights came on and then went off, hubby checked for loose wires in the little black box that controls the timer and light function and saw one was crushed, the lights came back on for a few hours but will not light up again, I’ve checked the box again but all seems okay, TWC have refused to exchange the tree and have said to purchase a replacement transformer etc! Not good enough, I will not leave it there and will try my utmost to get this resolved, £325 for a tree from a so called reputable company, it’s a joke! They’ve got our money and couldn’t care less! They should at least offer a substantial guarantee for items at such a high price, did you manage to get it sorted at all?

off, hubby checked for loose wires in the little black box that controls the timer and light function and saw one was crushed

That would suggest damage  happening when packing away or in storage. 

How else would it get crushed? 

Alderbank

sheramber said:

SJ53 said:

Hi, I am experiencing the same issue with my tree from TWC, my tree was purchased October 2023 and like you stored safely in the tree bag in the loft, took it out yesterday and the lights came on and then went off, hubby checked for loose wires in the little black box that controls the timer and light function and saw one was crushed, the lights came back on for a few hours but will not light up again, I’ve checked the box again but all seems okay, TWC have refused to exchange the tree and have said to purchase a replacement transformer etc! Not good enough, I will not leave it there and will try my utmost to get this resolved, £325 for a tree from a so called reputable company, it’s a joke! They’ve got our money and couldn’t care less! They should at least offer a substantial guarantee for items at such a high price, did you manage to get it sorted at all?

off, hubby checked for loose wires in the little black box that controls the timer and light function and saw one was crushed

That would suggest damage  happening when packing away or in storage. 

How else would it get crushed? 

I agree, my thoughts as well.

Fortunately, the OP says I’ve checked the box again but all seems okay

Grumpy_chap

SJ53 said:

Hi, I am experiencing the same issue with my tree from TWC, my tree was purchased October 2023 and like you stored safely in the tree bag in the loft, took it out yesterday and the lights came on and then went off, hubby checked for loose wires in the little black box that controls the timer and light function and saw one was crushed, the lights came back on for a few hours but will not light up again, I’ve checked the box again but all seems okay, TWC have refused to exchange the tree and have said to purchase a replacement transformer etc! Not good enough, I will not leave it there and will try my utmost to get this resolved, £325 for a tree from a so called reputable company, it’s a joke! They’ve got our money and couldn’t care less! They should at least offer a substantial guarantee for items at such a high price, did you manage to get it sorted at all?

So, taking the tree down from the loft this year, there is found to be one crushed wire. 
That sounds potentially like an issue with the way the device was stored and not necessarily a manufacturing fault.
TWC have suggested buying a replacement transformer and that might well be the most sensible way to proceed.  How much is a plug transformer from an online retailer?

This thread makes me wonder what the latest, clever lights and such really achieve.  My basic string lights were purchased from Woolworth's in 1996 and still going strong.  At least they were when put away last year -I hope that this comment has not jinxed things for this year when I get them out.

Ergates

This hinges, I believe, on what the OP means when they say "one was crushed"

Murphybear

screech_78 said:

Lights and bulbs are also usually classed as consumables and that will affect the durability of the tree as a whole since it’s pre-lit. 

My current Christmas tree cost £250 and I bought it in 2017, but it’s not pre-lit so this will be its 8th year and I expect to get many more years out of it. The same can’t be said for the lights I purchased for it in 2017. I’m sure I’m on my 3rd or 4th set now. 

I bought a prelit tree online when we moved into our current house in 2018.  The lights have always worked immediately.  The tree is stored in the spare room so none of the problems of roof storage. 

When I was a child, it was rare not to have a real Xmas tree so no prelit trees.  We had an old set of lights which were stored in the attic and worked immediately when brought down.  By the time both parents had passed away we cleared out the attic and found the lights, they still worked, they were nearly 30 years old 🎄