Faulty goods being named as ’cosmetic’ by John Lewis

screech_78

ThumbRemote said:

screech_78 said:

It sounds like you wear the headphones on a regular basis, so it’s likely the “fault” would have become apparent before now. 

That's not how inherent faults work, especially since 'durability' is specifically mentioned in the Consumer Rights Act. 

I didn’t say it was but this is fabric the OP is talking about and depending on how they’ve been cared for, this might not be a fault. 

MyRealNameToo

MattMattMattUK said:

MyRealNameToo said:

mluton said:

Just buy new covers, 3 years usage on any OTH headphones would need replacing IMHO.

Have you seen anyone selling new covers for the headband on AirPods Max? 

A google shows some selling replacement third party bands but they are over £100

Apple sell them for £75, third party options are available for £25 upwards.

https://www.apple.com/uk/shop/product/MWU73ZM/A/airpods-max-lightning-connector-ear-cushions-silver

Thats the ear cups @mattmattmattuk the OP states it's the band that has failed. 

pinkshoes

bear_online said:

Hi all,

I purchased some apple airpod max from John Lewis in October 2022 and for around the last year have been in extreme discomfort whilst wearing them - it got gradually worse. It is now at the point where they can no longer be worn due to the pain they cause.

This pain is due to a product fault, the ‘supportive’ fabric has given way and deformed, and no longer provides support whilst wearing them. The metal band digs into my head and leaves dents in my scalp. The product is no longer usable, and after spending £550 you would hope to get more than 2 years of use.

We went to the apple shop and it was confirmed by an employee that the product was faulty, and were told to go to John Lewis for repair/replacement under the consumer rights act. 

After being on the phone for over an hour, I was repeatedly told that the consumer rights team would not help me with this issue because it was ‘cosmetic’. The fault with these headphones is not cosmetic, it is technical - I can no longer use the product in the way it was intended because of a fault in the materials.

After years of buying all of my electrical items etc. from John Lewis, I am extremely dissatisfied with the lack of support from the company. The product cannot be used as it is intended… am I entitled to them paying for the repair/replacement of the faulty good under the consumer rights act?

Did Apple put this in writing? If not go back to Apple and get this in writing.

Over 6 months old you need a technical report showing the fault was inherent.

But... expensive doesn't necessarily mean good. You're paying a huge amount for a brand name here.

I'd expect 3 years from headphones worn frequently so these are a couple of months shy of 3 years. You'd likely get offered a partial refund of 2/36ths of what you paid, so about £30.

Also, as you didn't buy direct from Apple then they're fond of saying they're faulty and referring you back to the retailer, but if they are genuinely faulty then Apple need to put that in writing.

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head

pinkshoes said:

bear_online said:

Hi all,

I purchased some apple airpod max from John Lewis in October 2022 and for around the last year have been in extreme discomfort whilst wearing them - it got gradually worse. It is now at the point where they can no longer be worn due to the pain they cause.

This pain is due to a product fault, the ‘supportive’ fabric has given way and deformed, and no longer provides support whilst wearing them. The metal band digs into my head and leaves dents in my scalp. The product is no longer usable, and after spending £550 you would hope to get more than 2 years of use.

We went to the apple shop and it was confirmed by an employee that the product was faulty, and were told to go to John Lewis for repair/replacement under the consumer rights act. 

After being on the phone for over an hour, I was repeatedly told that the consumer rights team would not help me with this issue because it was ‘cosmetic’. The fault with these headphones is not cosmetic, it is technical - I can no longer use the product in the way it was intended because of a fault in the materials.

After years of buying all of my electrical items etc. from John Lewis, I am extremely dissatisfied with the lack of support from the company. The product cannot be used as it is intended… am I entitled to them paying for the repair/replacement of the faulty good under the consumer rights act?

Did Apple put this in writing? If not go back to Apple and get this in writing.

Over 6 months old you need a technical report showing the fault was inherent.

But... expensive doesn't necessarily mean good. You're paying a huge amount for a brand name here.

I'd expect 3 years from headphones worn frequently so these are a couple of months shy of 3 years. You'd likely get offered a partial refund of 2/36ths of what you paid, so about £30.

Also, as you didn't buy direct from Apple then they're fond of saying they're faulty and referring you back to the retailer, but if they are genuinely faulty then Apple need to put that in writing.

JL seem to apply 6 years regardless from what I recall  of similar topics on here so it might be the case that their flat policy benefits the OP, if they can get something in writing to confirm a “fault” rather than misuse/fair wear and tear, although that might be hard to actually establish.

Ergates

Apple aren't going to say "Yeah, the material we used was sub-par".  It's not really an electronics fault, but "gadget repair" shops can/may repair the material side of headphones too, so could help.

Might be worth getting a quote from them to repair them too.