SAD FART Headphones

cure_liqueur

Hi!

My query centres around Martin's acronym for consumer rights:

Satisfactory quality
As 
Described

Fit for purpose
And last a 
Reasonable length of 
Time

I bought a £200 pair of 'Lime green TMA-1 DJ headphones beatport edition' in 2013 for occasional home DJing. They’ve been stored in ideal conditions—inside their zipped pouch, inside a DJ carry case for most of their life. The last time I used them was in 2023.

When I took them out recently (March 2025), the glue holding the inner headband had hardened so much and failed, causing it to detach completely and the rubberised coating on the outer surface (to provide a 'silky' feeling) has degraded into a sticky mess, making them unusable—despite the speakers inside the headphone still working fine.

This has happened with absolutely minimal use (50-100 times in 12 years!) and no exposure to moisture or extreme temperature differences. My Bose and Sony headphones (same age or even older) are still in perfect working condition.

This is a known issue to the company (aiaiai - Copenhagen) with plenty of complaints online and even a dedicated fault-reporting option for these headphones on the company’s website.

Do I have any rights here? Should they still be in reasonable condition given the limited use and proper storage even after this length of time? I haven't even needed to use the replacement ear pads (still in their packaging) as the current ones have barely been used!

Cheers!

user1977

If you imported them from Denmark then presumably it’s Danish consumer law you’ll need to research.

cure_liqueur

They were purchased in the UK at a local DJ store so UK law should apply

born_again

cure_liqueur said:

They were purchased in the UK at a local DJ store so UK law should apply

This has happened with absolutely minimal use (50-100 times in 12 years!) 

After 12 years. You are well passed any consumer rights. As you mention you are a DJ, then this would be a B2B transaction anyway.

Sorry but SAD FART does not apply after this length of time.

eskbanker

cure_liqueur said:

They were purchased in the UK at a local DJ store so UK law should apply

Any consumer rights you have are with the retailer rather than the manufacturer, is the shop still trading?

ButterCheese

You can never know, or prove, that having them stored in their case for so long is the "ideal conditions".  Bacteria, mould etc can build up if they're not exposed to fresh air.  When they are in constant use they get brushed against things and wiped off etc. 

Also 12 years minimal use and they still work?  I'd be very happy if that was me.  A lot of other headphones would not even hold a charge by now

DullGreyGuy

cure_liqueur said:
This is a known issue to the company (aiaiai - Copenhagen) with plenty of complaints online and even a dedicated fault-reporting option for these headphones on the company’s website.

Do I have any rights here? Should they still be in reasonable condition given the limited use and proper storage even after this length of time? I haven't even needed to use the replacement ear pads (still in their packaging) as the current ones have barely been used!

Have you followed their dedicated complaints process for this fault? What was their response?

For rights against the retailer, this would normally fall under a breach of contract which would give you 6 years from the date of purchase.

If you were to try and argue the merchant was negligent then there is the small possibility of arguing that the Latent Damage Act applies and therefore the limit is 3 years from the date of when should have found the defect with a long stop limit of 15 years. If you say this is widely discussed online the 3 years clock may have started ticking a long time ago and you've got to show the retailer not the manufacturer was negligent. 

Ergates

It would next to impossible to enforce any consumer rights after 12 years.
Moreover, if accepted and agreed a refund, they can deduct an amount for the years of use you've had and after 12 years you'd get a pittance (if anything).

If the electronic parts are still in good working order and you like them, then it might be worth seeing if you could get them repaired.

cure_liqueur

DullGreyGuy It's what I expected, 12 years is a long time, but was hopeful there may be something (as you've discussed). I've always struggled to understand that the retailer who sold it to you could be 'responsible', rather than the manufacturer, if it is known to them (in this case) the materials they've used are defective and is is widely discussed amongst customers who purchased said product.

eskbanker, the DJ store has now closed  .

ButterCheese True about ideal conditions. These are wired though, so no charging required in terms of longevity, and with proper care, they should last a lifetime (figuratively speaking). All my other music tech—even cheaper gear has done well. The speakers inside still work, but the unit itself has degraded so badly that they’re unusable.

cure_liqueur

Thanks for your help so far everyone.

DullGreyGuy I'm at the start of speaking to customer service via email, and they need me to provide my receipt, which will no doubt put them off any support the moment I share it with them when they see the date. That's the reason I came here, to try and see if there was anything I could do before I share with them. 

Looks like an expensive pair of headphones will more than likely be going into landfill (I don't know if they can be recycled?) which is a shame. 

eskbanker

cure_liqueur said:

I've always struggled to understand that the retailer who sold it to you could be 'responsible', rather than the manufacturer, if it is known to them (in this case) the materials they've used are defective and is is widely discussed amongst customers who purchased said product.

However difficult it may be to accept, the fact remains that UK consumer rights legislation revolves around the retailer holding the liability - this doesn't stop you from pursuing a manufacturer but the fact that they won't have consumer rights obligations is likely to impede any efforts to seek redress from them, unless they offer extended/lifetime warranties, etc.