Jacuzzi bought in September 2020

AP3

Hi All,

I bought a Jacuzzi (not one of those inflatables) in September of 2020.

It has developed a fault and won't power on. I've checked 240v is getting to it's control box with the large PCB inside, but nothing is working. I've also tested all the internal fuses, and they're fine.

Would I have a claim under the Consumer Rights Act 2015? I believe that this product should have lasted much longer without failing.

TIA,
Andy

LightFlare

IAP3 said:

Hi All,

I bought a Jacuzzi (not one of those inflatables) in September of 2000.

It has developed a fault and won't power on. I've checked 240v is getting to it's control box with the large PCB inside, but nothing is working. I've also tested all the internal fuses, and they're fine.

Would I have a claim under the Consumer Rights Act 2015? I believe that this product should have lasted much longer without failing.

TIA,
Andy

Im assuming 2000 is a typo - otherwise 25 years is a perfectly acceptable lifespan

Okell

AP3 said:

Hi All,

I bought a Jacuzzi (not one of those inflatables) in September of 2000.

It has developed a fault and won't power on. I've checked 240v is getting to it's control box with the large PCB inside, but nothing is working. I've also tested all the internal fuses, and they're fine.

Would I have a claim under the Consumer Rights Act 2015? I believe that this product should have lasted much longer without failing.

TIA,
Andy

So you bought it over 24 years ago?

No - you won't have a claim

AP3

I'm an idiot. It was bought in 2020. I've updated the post!

Alderbank

Go back to whoever you bought it from and see what they say. They might have seen this before and agree to get it fixed without argument.
Your consumer rights are for them to repair or replace if it had an inherent fault when you bought it. If that can't be done you are entitled to a partial refund. However at about 5 years old the onus is on you to prove the failure is due to an inherent fault.

If it is just 'dead', the overwhelming likelihood is that one of the electrolytic capacitors in the power supply part of the circuit has come to the end of its natural life. Those components are often rated at not much more than 1,000 hours at their rated temperature so 5 years would not be unusual. Temperatures above or below their rated temp of about 20°C also shortens their lives and hot tubs are often outdoors or in an unheated cabin.

The seller is entitled to ask you for evidence that the jacuzzi has failed because of an inherent fault. An electrician should be able to examine it and identify the fault quite easily. However if the fault is just that one of the capacitors has leaked or burst, soldering a new one in is not expensive (a 1000μF cap costs about £1) and might be your simplest solution.

Edited to add:
You say you have checked all the internal fuses. What do the capacitors on the PCB look like (they are the big cylindrical things)? If one is leaking goo or looks like it is pregnant, you have found the fault.

AP3

Alderbank said:

Go back to whoever you bought it from and see what they say. They might have seen this before and agree to get it fixed without argument.
Your consumer rights are for them to repair or replace if it had an inherent fault when you bought it. If that can't be done you are entitled to a partial refund. However at about 5 years old the onus is on you to prove the failure is due to an inherent fault.

If it is just 'dead', the overwhelming likelihood is that one of the electrolytic capacitors in the power supply part of the circuit has come to the end of its natural life. Those components are often rated at not much more than 1,000 hours at their rated temperature so 5 years would not be unusual. Temperatures above or below their rated temp of about 20°C also shortens their lives and hot tubs are often outdoors or in an unheated cabin.

The seller is entitled to ask you for evidence that the jacuzzi has failed because of an inherent fault. An electrician should be able to examine it and identify the fault quite easily. However if the fault is just that one of the capacitors has leaked or burst, soldering a new one in is not expensive (a 1000μF cap costs about £1) and might be your simplest solution.

Edited to add:
You say you have checked all the internal fuses. What do the capacitors on the PCB look like (they are the big cylindrical things)? If one is leaking goo or looks like it is pregnant, you have found the fault.

Thanks for this comprehensive reply! None of the caps looks to be blown, and there's no obvious scorching on the PCB. I've gone back to Jacuzzi for a price, otherwise I've found the board online, and could change it myself.

I'm not sure how I could prove that a fault existed 5 years ago, but though I might have a case based on quality.

Aylesbury_Duck

AP3 said:

Alderbank said:

Go back to whoever you bought it from and see what they say. They might have seen this before and agree to get it fixed without argument.
Your consumer rights are for them to repair or replace if it had an inherent fault when you bought it. If that can't be done you are entitled to a partial refund. However at about 5 years old the onus is on you to prove the failure is due to an inherent fault.

If it is just 'dead', the overwhelming likelihood is that one of the electrolytic capacitors in the power supply part of the circuit has come to the end of its natural life. Those components are often rated at not much more than 1,000 hours at their rated temperature so 5 years would not be unusual. Temperatures above or below their rated temp of about 20°C also shortens their lives and hot tubs are often outdoors or in an unheated cabin.

The seller is entitled to ask you for evidence that the jacuzzi has failed because of an inherent fault. An electrician should be able to examine it and identify the fault quite easily. However if the fault is just that one of the capacitors has leaked or burst, soldering a new one in is not expensive (a 1000μF cap costs about £1) and might be your simplest solution.

Edited to add:
You say you have checked all the internal fuses. What do the capacitors on the PCB look like (they are the big cylindrical things)? If one is leaking goo or looks like it is pregnant, you have found the fault.

Thanks for this comprehensive reply! None of the caps looks to be blown, and there's no obvious scorching on the PCB. I've gone back to Jacuzzi for a price, otherwise I've found the board online, and could change it myself.

I'm not sure how I could prove that a fault existed 5 years ago, but though I might have a case based on quality.

You don't need absolute proof, just an electrician's opinion that a premature failure was likely as a consequence of poor quality components or assembly.  You don't have a case solely based on a general presumption of poor quality, you need that qualified opinion.