Can’t prove purchase

Bulldoglady

I bought an air fryer from Asda just under a year ago but paid for it in with my grocery shopping. The element has broke so it’s not heating but I don’t have the receipt from all that time ago where it would have been seen listed and the transaction on my bank statement which I know can be used as proof of purchase only shows the total amount of the groceries and not the individual air fryer! Any idea how I can solve this or is it a lot cause? I did contact the manufacturer direct but they’ve told me it’s not their problem and I need to take it up with the retailer. Thanks

SiliconChip

Have you actually asked ASDA? I don't buy much from them but my sister does and she's found them good at replacing broken items.

user1977

If you’re exercising your rights against the retailer, there’s no special kind of evidence needed. Your bank statement is better than nothing, in theory you could rely on your own testimony (and maybe other witnesses) if it ever made it to court.

Though being pragmatic about it - isn’t the element replaceable?

kinger101

Did you use a loyalty card. Possible they might have stored your transaction history.

Ergates

Bulldoglady said:

I bought an air fryer from Asda just under a year ago but paid for it in with my grocery shopping. The element has broke so it’s not heating but I don’t have the receipt from all that time ago where it would have been seen listed and the transaction on my bank statement which I know can be used as proof of purchase only shows the total amount of the groceries and not the individual air fryer! Any idea how I can solve this or is it a lot cause? I did contact the manufacturer direct but they’ve told me it’s not their problem and I need to take it up with the retailer. Thanks

"Proof" in civil cases is "balance of probabilities" rather than "Beyond all reasonable doubt".

On balance of probabilities someone who turns up at an ASDA store with a broken air fryer,  of a make and model ASDA sold, saying they bought it there a year ago, is probably telling the truth.

What are the chances of it being a lie?  You bought it elsewhere and, for some reason, decided not to take it back there, but to take it back to your local ASDA instead?   And it just so happened that they used to sell the exact same make and model?

eskbanker

In terms of how much effort it's worth devoting to this, it's perhaps worth noting that even armed with the receipt, Asda would be within their rights (more than six months after purchase) to ask OP to produce evidence that the air fryer was faulty at the time of sale (even if latently so) due to a manufacturing defect, etc, and also the item's financial value would be (partially) depreciated by now.  Not saying that they would take a hard line, or that it's not worth trying, but that it might be that the juice isn't worth the squeezing....

marcia_

 I've returned Asda items on a few occasions without a receipt. If it's their own brand all the better if not some things are exclusive to their stores so they just refund 

sammyjammy

How much did you pay for it?

Exodi

If it's an Asda exclusive air fryer (e.g. George or Scoville*) then I'd imagine it might be easier to attempt a return compared to a Ninja Air Fryer that might be sold everywhere.

Many supermarkets also have exclusive variants, even where the brand is sold elsewhere. Look up your specific airfryer OP and see if it's sold anywhere else.

Ergates said:
What are the chances of it being a lie?  You bought it elsewhere and, for some reason, decided not to take it back there, but to take it back to your local ASDA instead?   And it just so happened that they used to sell the exact same make and model?

It's not that hard to imagine a situation where a consumer might be motivated to do this...

E.g. I take an Air Fryer I bought at Tesco a little over a year ago to Tesco as it developed a fault. Tesco refuse as their policy on home products is to remedy within 12 months - "If you purchased any of our home products and they become faulty within 12 months of your purchase, please see the FAQ section ‘If your item is faulty' for more information."

I consider it risky going back to Tesco and changing my story so I then take the same Air Fryer which is also sold at Asda, this time mentioning I purchased it there "just under a year ago" but don't have a receipt.

Not saying that might be more seen as more likely than the customer telling the truth, just that there are perfectly plausible reasons a nefarious actor might do this. I'm also not for one second suggesting this is what the OP has done.

NB: I appreciate that Tesco/Asda's stance of accepting returns for 12 months does not affect a consumers statutory rights to return the goods under the CRA. Though to do so, the OP would need to commission a third party report determining the fault as inherent at their own cost. Considering the likely relatively small cost of the air fryer (at least in comparison to the cost of such a report), the OP is unlikely to consider this option. Their best bet is likely to return the goods under the supermarkets policy, which within 12 months could be seen as an improvement on statutory rights.

Hopefully Asda can validate the purchase - that would be the easiest way (and I've heard of supermarkets being able to do this as long as you have the right payment card).

eskbanker said:

In terms of how much effort it's worth devoting to this, it's perhaps worth noting that even armed with the receipt, Asda would be within their rights (more than six months after purchase) to ask OP to produce evidence that the air fryer was faulty at the time of sale (even if latently so) due to a manufacturing defect, etc, and also the item's financial value would be (partially) depreciated by now.  Not saying that they would take a hard line, or that it's not worth trying, but that it might be that the juice isn't worth the squeezing....

Like Tesco, Asda offer a one year return period on faulty goods with proof of purchase. Assuming OP is successfully in convincing Asda to locate and find the transaction, they should take it back.

But onto the point of whether it's worth the effort - I would add we are very close to Black Friday and Air Fryers are always favourites to be discounted. Asda is already running good discounts on them now - you can pick up a good size single drawer one (5.7L) from £25 and double drawer (L) from £45:

https://direct.asda.com/george/electricals/kitchen-appliances/air-fryers/black-digital-air-fryer-57l/GEM1331956-24890,default,pd.html?clr=Black

https://direct.asda.com/george/electricals/kitchen-appliances/air-fryers/scoville-black-9l-dual-basket-air-fryer/GEM1332187-24890,default,pd.html?clr=Black

Ergates

Exodi said:

E.g. I take an Air Fryer I bought at Tesco a little over a year ago to Tesco as it developed a fault. Tesco refuse as their policy on home products is to remedy within 12 months - "If you purchased any of our home products and they become faulty within 12 months of your purchase, please see the FAQ section ‘If your item is faulty' for more information."

I consider it risky going back to Tesco and changing my story to saying I purchased it just under 12 months ago. I then take the same Air Fryer which is also sold at Asda, mentioning I purchased it there within the last year but don't have a receipt.

Not saying that might be more seen as more likely than the customer telling the trust, just that there are perfectly plausible reasons a nefarious actor might do this.

That would also require that ASDA and Tesco sold the exact same model of AirFryer in store (they'll probably sell more models online), and for you to *know* they sold the exact same model of AirFryer, in the timeframe of your claimed purchase date.  (which was 12 months ago, so there's not point in going and looking now).

Each additional layer of circumstance increases the implausibility that the person is lying.

Grumpy_chap

Ergates said:

That would also require that ASDA and Tesco sold the exact same model 

Increasingly, stores offer "exclusive" products which are really all the same model XYZ thingy but the "exclusive" model sold in ASDA will have a smoked glass semi-opaque plastic insert while the "exclusive" model sold in Tesco will have a blue tinted semi-opaque plastic insert and the standard model XYZ thingy will have a golden semi-opaque plastic insert.  Underneath, the actual XYZ thingy is identical but the "exclusive" versions allow price differentials and do not undermine the trading agreements between regular retailers who do not have the scale to negotiate a keener priced "exclusive".