Got faulty laptop but Laptops Direct won't refund postage or return postage

ferretlove
ferretlove Posts: 12 Forumite
First Anniversary Combo Breaker
in Consumer rights
I bought a refurbished laptop from Laptops Direct. It turned out to be faulty but they made me send it back at my expense. Because I couldn't risk anything happening to it, I sent it insured, cost almost £30. Laptops Direct didn't have a replacement laptop so I had a refund but they never refunded the initial postage, and also not the return postage. Surely this is wrong, I am over £40 out of pocket because they supplied me with a faulty laptop. I repeatedly asked for them to refund all the postage costs but they refuse. Help please...

Comments

  • Diamandis
    Diamandis Posts: 881 Forumite
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    Why did they make you send it back at your expense? It says on their website that if it's faulty you can log into the returns portal and they will collect. Did they give a reason for not doing this?
  • DoaM
    DoaM Posts: 11,863 Forumite
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    They are legally obliged to refund the initial standard postage (not any enhanced postage option you chose), and also the reasonable (i.e. usual cost to them) returns postage if the goods were faulty.
  • shaun_from_Africa
    shaun_from_Africa Posts: 12,858 Forumite
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    DoaM wrote: »
    They are legally obliged to refund the initial standard postage (not any enhanced postage option you chose)
    I may be wrong but I don't think that is the case in this instance.

    When returning goods under your 14 days right of cancellation then yes, the retailer only has to refund their basic delivery charge but from looking in the Consumer rights act, there doesn't appear to be such a stipulation when you are getting a refund because of faulty goods:
    (9) The consumer’s entitlement to receive a refund works as follows.

    (10) To the extent that the consumer paid money under the contract, the consumer is entitled to receive back the same amount of money.
    and there is no exclusion for enhanced postage costs.
  • ferretlove
    ferretlove Posts: 12 Forumite
    First Anniversary Combo Breaker
    edited 22 November 2018 at 10:21AM
    Thank you for all the replies.

    I looked at their returns policy and it says on their website under "My new product is faulty": "We’ll sort it for you. ... We'll arrange to collect the product." But their email to me said: "We'd advise you to send the goods back via recorded courier, we can't be held responsible for goods lost or damaged in transit before they reach us." So while I didn't use a courier, I sent it back recorded and insured to the value of the laptop because if it had become damaged in transit, the loss would have been great. I now found a way to "escalate a complaint" so I'll do that and see how it goes. They have now refunded the initial postage but not return postage so still out of pocket just over £30.

    Where in the Consumer Rights Act does it cover return of a faulty product and refund?
  • ferretlove
    ferretlove Posts: 12 Forumite
    First Anniversary Combo Breaker
    Out of curiosity I went to DPD and got a quote how much it would be to send the laptop fully insured to it's value (in case it got damaged) and that would have cost £40! If I have to send it back at my risk (which I find totally unacceptable) then I need to send it back in a way that I would get full compensation if it was damaged in transit...
  • DoaM
    DoaM Posts: 11,863 Forumite
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    So have you gone back to them and explained their own policy to them?
  • ferretlove
    ferretlove Posts: 12 Forumite
    First Anniversary Combo Breaker
    Not yet, will do the escalate claims procedure. Or I'll quickly message them first on their website.
    DoaM wrote: »
    So have you gone back to them and explained their own policy to them?
  • unholyangel
    unholyangel Posts: 16,863 Forumite
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    ferretlove wrote: »
    Where in the Consumer Rights Act does it cover return of a faulty product and refund?

    Section 20
    (7)From the time when the right is exercised—
    (a)the trader has a duty to give the consumer a refund, subject to subsection (18), and
    (b)the consumer has a duty to make the goods available for collection by the trader or (if there is an agreement for the consumer to return rejected goods) to return them as agreed.

    (8)Whether or not the consumer has a duty to return the rejected goods, the trader must bear any reasonable costs of returning them, other than any costs incurred by the consumer in returning the goods in person to the place where the consumer took physical possession of them.
    You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means - Inigo Montoya, The Princess Bride
  • ferretlove
    ferretlove Posts: 12 Forumite
    First Anniversary Combo Breaker
    Just in case anybody ever looks at this issue and wonders what happened- I eventually escalated my complaint. It was a long letter that took me 2 hours to write, I had to look up all dates and which refund I got when and what happened when so I got all the facts written down in order and said if they supply me with a faulty laptop then I should not be left out of pocket and they should have organised the return of the laptop at their risk and expense and only charged me if it turned out the fault was because of something I did wrong. So I asked them to refund my return postage at once and sent it as "sign for" and soon got an email apologising and refunding my postage costs. Still annoyed at the many hours this cost me but at least it turned out okay.
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