John Lewis refusing to accept guarantee responsibility

JAD71

I bought some beats wireless headphones from John Lewis on 13 September 2025, costing £199. The volume disc fell off on 30 October 2025. I contacted John Lewis customer service line on 30 October to explain, hoping to either get a refund or replacement. I was told that because it was past the 30 day window for returns, I was not able to return the item. I said that the headphones were broken and not fit for purpose to which I was told that this was "accidental damage" and they could not do anything about this. I explained that this was not accidental damage, I had not dropped the headphones or mistreated them. They got light occasional use.  I was told that I should consider claiming on my household insurance or I could pay for them to be repaired. They would not pay for this.  
I followed this up with a compliant, to which John Lewis reiterated the same line I got when I called the customer service line. 
John Lewis claim to offer a 2 year guarantee on their products but that is clearly not the case, if you only have 30 days in which something can go wrong and you can return them. 
I don't know where to turn or what to do from here as they seem determined to refuse any liability at all for the product they sold. 

Ergates

You're mixing up your consumer rights with your warranty rights - but don't worry, your consumer rights are stronger anyway.

John Lewis cannot just say "It's accidental damage" and dismiss your claim.   Within the first 6 months, the default assumption is that any fault that develops is "inherent" and the onus is on the retailer (John Lewis) to prove otherwise (i.e. it's not on you to prove it's *not* accidental damage, it's on them to prove it *is*).   

Get back in touch with John Lewis and tell them that you are exercising your rights under the Consumer Rights Act 2015.  That the volume disc falling off after 6 weeks indicates that the product does not conform to contract with regards to durability.  Point them to Section 19 "Consumer's rights to enforce terms about goods" subsections 14 & 15: 

(14) For the purposes of subsections (3)(b) and (c) and (4), goods which do not conform to the contract at any time within the period of six months beginning with the day on which the goods were delivered to the consumer must be taken not to have conformed to it on that day.

(15)Subsection (14) does not apply if—

(a)it is established that the goods did conform to the contract on that day, or

(b)its application is incompatible with the nature of the goods or with how they fail to conform to the contract.

singhini

Ergates is correct. 
OP - email them so you have a record. Perhaps something like this: 

Dear John Lewis Customer Relations,

I am writing to formally assert my rights under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 regarding my purchase of Beats Wireless Headphones (£199, purchased 13 September 2025).

The volume disc fell off on 30 October 2025, after only six weeks of light, normal use. This indicates that the product does not conform to the contract with respect to durability and satisfactory quality.

Under Section 19(14) of the Act, any fault that appears within the first six months is presumed to have been present at the time of delivery unless you can prove otherwise. The burden of proof therefore lies with you, not me. Simply labelling the fault as “accidental damage” without evidence does not satisfy this legal requirement.

I therefore request that you arrange a repair or replacement at no cost to me. If that is not possible, I will expect a full refund.

Please confirm within 14 days how you intend to resolve this matter.

Kind regards

Ergates

That was much better written than I managed!

JAD71

I really appreciate your responses. They are both really useful. Thank you so much. 

Okell

Let us know if that works

JAD71

Hi there,

Unfortunately, the email did not work, I got the following response: 

In terms of the Consumer Rights Act 2015, we acknowledge your concerns regarding the appliance’s safety, quality, and durability. To proceed with your claim, we kindly request a detailed report of the issue, including any repair assessments or professional evaluations. This documentation is essential for us to fully understand the nature of the fault and to consider the appropriate resolution.

As soon as we receive the report, we will review the findings promptly and advise you on the appropriate next steps. Rest assured, that we are dedicated to resolving your concerns promptly and with the utmost priority.

Please feel free to let me know a convenient time for me to call you, or you can reach us directly at the number below. 

I'm guessing that they are trying to put me off by making things as awkward as possible. I have no idea where I would get "repair assessments or professional evaluations". Is this really something that I am supposed to do? It seems unreasonable that I am the one that has to obtain this type of information?

Okell

Did you quote s19(14) of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 to them?

As already explained upthread, that section creates a legal presumption that if goods fail within 6 months of purchase, then the law deems them to have been faulty when you bought them - unless the seller can prove otherwise.

So JL have got this wrong.  It's not on you to prove that they were "faulty" when you bought them, the legal burden of proof is on JL to prove that they weren't faulty.

It's likely that whoever you are dealing with does not understand the law - or that they are deliberately trying to fob you off.

You could try emailing JL's chief exec and complain.  That is often suggested on these pages.

There is also a poster here ( @screech_78 ) who is experienced with dealing with JL customer issues.  They might be able to help.

Don't give up 

JAD71

Thank you. I really didn't think JL would be so difficult about it all!

Okell

JAD71 said:

Thank you. I really didn't think JL would be so difficult about it all!

JL customer services used to be first class, but over the last 3 - 4 years the standard of service has declined rapidly.  You see lots of complaints about JL on here now.

I think the problem is mostly with online purchases or when you contact JL's central customer services*.  My experience instore is that JL staff are still pretty good


*Much of which i suspect is outsourced.

sheramber

Okell said:

JAD71 said:

Thank you. I really didn't think JL would be so difficult about it all!

JL customer services used to be first class, but over the last 3 - 4 years the standard of service has declined rapidly.  You see lots of complaints about JL on here now.

I think the problem is mostly with online purchases or when you contact JL's central customer services*.  My experience instore is that JL staff are still pretty good


*Much of which i suspect is outsourced.

JL outsourced it’s customer service  to the Philippines in 2019.