DFS Sofa - 15 year warranty

moneymomma_

sure OP could be doing star jumps on their sofa all day long but, given the company have accepted the situation 3 times as not being damage/wear/tear, a court may conclude on the balance of probability that the sofa doesn't conform. 

Haha! I can say wholeheartedly, no star jumps on the sofa! 

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head

moneymomma_ said:. Would I be within my rights to allow the assessment to take place and but request that no repairs take place until after I have had a further discussion with management/complaints about what my options are? 

Yes certainly  

OP if you advise DFS you are looking to "exercise the final right to reject as the goods do not conform to the contract after at least 1 repair attempt" (in writing) a senior level of customer service should understand this.

They can't charge you for sending back to the manufacturer, they can only charge a deduction for use. 

See how it goes and if anything you are unsure of or things aren't going well pop back for advice  

moneymomma_

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head said:

See how it goes and if anything you are unsure of or things aren't going well pop back for advice  

A further update from today…
 

A serviceman has turned up today unannounced when I was not home (my husband was). As I was not home I was not able to inform him that I don’t want to authorise repairs until I have had a further conversation with management regarding my complaint.

He has clarified with my husband that he will not be able to complete the repairs tomorrow but will “make a start”. 

I am not willing to be left with half a job for several weeks until he can return to complete a full repair. Including today’s unannounced visit and the future visit he is inevitably going to make to finish the job. We will be at a grand total of 7 visits. 

He also said each time a repair is made the manufacturer is billed.

I have made multiple attempts to contact the manager that called me with no success. 

Any advice on where to go next?  

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head

moneymomma_ said:

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head said:

See how it goes and if anything you are unsure of or things aren't going well pop back for advice  

A further update from today…
 

A serviceman has turned up today unannounced when I was not home (my husband was). As I was not home I was not able to inform him that I don’t want to authorise repairs until I have had a further conversation with management regarding my complaint.

He has clarified with my husband that he will not be able to complete the repairs tomorrow but will “make a start”. 

I am not willing to be left with half a job for several weeks until he can return to complete a full repair. Including today’s unannounced visit and the future visit he is inevitably going to make to finish the job. We will be at a grand total of 7 visits. 

He also said each time a repair is made the manufacturer is billed.

I have made multiple attempts to contact the manager that called me with no success. 

Any advice on where to go next?  

Hello OP

If you Google "CEO email" that website has a contact email address for DFS, I'd try this with an outline of your order details, repair history and then make the statement I made above about the final right to reject and request a £2000 refund within 14 days of the date of the email.

If that doesn't get any response I'd send a letter to their head office, you could either send a standard letter (.e copy of the email) or you could send a letter before action (templates on Google) again outline the matter and requesting £2000 within 21 days of the letter date + the collection of the sofa by DFS otherwise you'll be seeking recovery via the court process.

I can't see DFS will want to go to court over this, it's just a case of getting your issue in front of the right person.   

Jumblebumble

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head said:

moneymomma_ said:

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head said:

See how it goes and if anything you are unsure of or things aren't going well pop back for advice  

A further update from today…
 

A serviceman has turned up today unannounced when I was not home (my husband was). As I was not home I was not able to inform him that I don’t want to authorise repairs until I have had a further conversation with management regarding my complaint.

He has clarified with my husband that he will not be able to complete the repairs tomorrow but will “make a start”. 

I am not willing to be left with half a job for several weeks until he can return to complete a full repair. Including today’s unannounced visit and the future visit he is inevitably going to make to finish the job. We will be at a grand total of 7 visits. 

He also said each time a repair is made the manufacturer is billed.

I have made multiple attempts to contact the manager that called me with no success. 

Any advice on where to go next?  

Hello OP

If you Google "CEO email" that website has a contact email address for DFS, I'd try this with an outline of your order details, repair history and then make the statement I made above about the final right to reject and request a £2000 refund within 14 days of the date of the email.

If that doesn't get any response I'd send a letter to their head office, you could either send a standard letter (.e copy of the email) or you could send a letter before action (templates on Google) again outline the matter and requesting £2000 within 21 days of the letter date + the collection of the sofa by DFS otherwise you'll be seeking recovery via the court process.

I can't see DFS will want to go to court over this, it's just a case of getting your issue in front of the right person.   

I would be asking for £2500 to give some negotiating room and I would send a copy to the registered address on companies house for completeness

moneymomma_

@Jumblebumble @the_lunatic_is_in_my_head

hi all. The plot thickens… 

I have had a further telephone call (followed up by an email by my request). DFS have said their usage is calculated over a 6 year period, despite offering a 15 year warranty! They argue that this is the average lifespan of a sofa and because I have had my sofa slightly over 4 years i am not entitled to very much at all. 

I have argued that given the warranty length, a 6 year period does not seem plausible or fair, he agreed but said that’s just the way it is. 

This is the calculation I’ve received from them…

72mth period divided by the value of your goods which is £3,168 = £44 x 52mths (The amount of mths use of the furniture) = £2,288.

[…] We would remove 4mths off the usage fee working out at £176. £2,288 - £176 = £2112 for 48mth usage fee

By this calculation we would only be entitled to a £1056 refund!!!! 

The alternative offer is another repair but replacing ALL springs in the sofa including currently unaffected springs (not just the broken one) and attaching them in a different way to reduce the risk of snapping.  

I am a bit unsure where to go now other than to escalate to small claims which I’m not sure I want to do as it would likely include FOI requests for the DFS reports, an independent report and the fee for court. It feels like a lot of time, effort and cost for potentially no return. 

I have sought advice and informed them of this but they don’t seem to care too much.

I’m not sure whether to cut my losses, accept a more in depth repair and see what happens. I know I should challenge further but after 18 months of issues and arguments back and forth. I am totally fed up!!!!! 

Silver_Shark

Send a letter before action even if you don't go through with taking them to court.

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head

moneymomma_ said:

@Jumblebumble @the_lunatic_is_in_my_head

hi all. The plot thickens… 

I have had a further telephone call (followed up by an email by my request). DFS have said their usage is calculated over a 6 year period, despite offering a 15 year warranty! They argue that this is the average lifespan of a sofa and because I have had my sofa slightly over 4 years i am not entitled to very much at all. 

I have argued that given the warranty length, a 6 year period does not seem plausible or fair, he agreed but said that’s just the way it is. 

This is the calculation I’ve received from them…

72mth period divided by the value of your goods which is £3,168 = £44 x 52mths (The amount of mths use of the furniture) = £2,288.

[…] We would remove 4mths off the usage fee working out at £176. £2,288 - £176 = £2112 for 48mth usage fee

By this calculation we would only be entitled to a £1056 refund!!!! 

The alternative offer is another repair but replacing ALL springs in the sofa including currently unaffected springs (not just the broken one) and attaching them in a different way to reduce the risk of snapping.  

I am a bit unsure where to go now other than to escalate to small claims which I’m not sure I want to do as it would likely include FOI requests for the DFS reports, an independent report and the fee for court. It feels like a lot of time, effort and cost for potentially no return. 

I have sought advice and informed them of this but they don’t seem to care too much.

I’m not sure whether to cut my losses, accept a more in depth repair and see what happens. I know I should challenge further but after 18 months of issues and arguments back and forth. I am totally fed up!!!!! 

They are funny, 15 year guarantee but 3 grand sofa only lasts 6 years.

OP the way these companies work is to go to extreme lengths of fobbing off in the hope that you simply give up, as above send a letter and include 

https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2015/15/section/9

(2)The quality of goods is satisfactory if they meet the standard that a reasonable person would consider satisfactory, taking account of—

(a)any description of the goods,

(b)the price or other consideration for the goods (if relevant), and

(3)The quality of goods includes their state and condition; and the following aspects (among others) are in appropriate cases aspects of the quality of goods—

(e)durability.

Request the £2000 (or slightly more if wanting to have some wiggle room to haggle). 

As much as you don't want to go to court, DFS certainly don't, awarding of costs are limited and it will cost them more than you are asking to deal with the process. If they had said well a sofa should last 8, 10, 12 years maybe they'd have something to back it up but 6 years is very short for £3000.

They are simply playing hardball, you have to do the same   

Grumpy_chap

Agree with our resident lunatic, but I can't see in the thread whether the OP paid using any credit / credit card.  If they did, would that offer an easier route?

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head

Grumpy_chap said:

Agree with our resident lunatic, but I can't see in the thread whether the OP paid using any credit / credit card.  If they did, would that offer an easier route?

Can't do any harm really if an option.

OP how did you pay for the sofa?