Buying Stuff Online

[[GSV]Trig]

If I buy something online and its DOA where should I be sending it back too?

I always thought that your first year or so's warranty was covered by the place you bought it from.

In short, bought a hard drive, it was DOA, bought it in January but didnt get round putting it in my machine until last week, it wouldnt format, the supplier is now saying that they only cover the first 28 days and that anything after that is with the manufacturer.

Yeah ok so I bought it in Jan but its been sat on the shelf a since then..

[how1]

Contact drive manufacturer online. Probably have to download thier drive software to confirm it is kaput. Then they will ask you to post it to them?

[mexham]

I've been zapped like that before. However they told me to send back the hard-drive, then once they received it, said it was past it's warranty date and wouldn't fix it.

Pretty crap really, must be one of the most competitive industries around, and when I receive crap service like this obviously I'm just going to buy from someone else next time.

[CaptainCrash]

If I buy something online and its DOA where should I be sending it back too?

I always thought that your first year or so's warranty was covered by the place you bought it from.

In short, bought a hard drive, it was DOA, bought it in January but didnt get round putting it in my machine until last week, it wouldnt format, the supplier is now saying that they only cover the first 28 days and that anything after that is with the manufacturer.

I recently had a similar experience with a dud Samsung F1, except I'll happily name the supplier involved (it was Scan actually).

The 28 days thing is rubbish - if a fault is discovered within six months of a purchase, it's deemed to have been present at the actual time of purchase unless the supplier can prove otherwise, and if they can't, they have a statutory duty under the SoGA to provide you with a replacement or refund.

I was feeling a bit under the weather and so I didn't make an issue of it as I would normally have done, but I'm a bit surprised and disappointed that Scan were so eager to pass the buck. That said, the company handling Samsung's warranties (Rexo) were quick and efficient, but I had to pay the return postage, and although it was only a small amount I still resent being out of pocket through no fault of my own.

[Blitzen]

Alot of retailers on line try to shirk responsibility. (not pointing out any in particular).

However, i have found that if i have any issue, the manufacturers are almost always more willing to help, are alot faster and alot more reliable.

I bought a monitor once with dead pixels (4 of them in centre). The company wasnt interested although i told them about it the same day. The only course of action i was offered was return under DSR.
I called Viewsonic, and i had a brand new replacement within 2 days.

Its just a pity that online retailers are alot less interested. In this day and age, with competition being fierce, you would think they may hone their Customer Service skills more.

I used to be loyal to one or two companies for my online shopping, but now i go with the best price as all of them have Customer Service that seems equally lacking now.

Sad but true!

[Lucio]

http://www.berr.gov.uk/whatwedo/cons...safterpurchase

Specifically there's the points that after a "reasonable time", you can't get a full refund but that isn't specified length of time. Chances are that the 28 days mentioned is actually their company policy relating to this OR is the time in which they offer "no quibble refunds" (many guys on the phones get confused as they're just phone monkeys)

[Agent]

the supplier is now saying that they only cover the first 28 days and that anything after that is with the manufacturer.

AFAIK, in the UK you're contract is always defaulted to the retailer. In some cases it certainly might be quicker to deal with the manufacturer, the retailer should not turn you away like that.

[TooNice]

^ Umm, to be honest, I ran into that issue with Scan. Not singling them out, just the only RMA I had to do in the last 1-2 years, and Creative turned out relatively competent (not the best I've experienced, but got the job done).

[Andeh13]

tbh iv always found it easy(ier) to deal with the manufacturers themselves. With the likes of Logitech (best customer service _bar none_) i wouldnt even bother with the shop i bought it from. Same with Samsung's screen warrenty service, i had a brand new monitor delivered within a week, old one picked up, no questions asked!

[mikerr]

Was it ebuyer? they have changed recently to make you return direct to manufacturer instead of them fror hard drives (after 7 days I think!).

That said, I've always found it trouble free to send back to manufacturer, and they often even send back a better (larger capacity ) drive.

[kalniel]

UK sales law puts nearly all the responsibility on the retailer at and immediately after point of purchase. The problem only comes after the customer has had enough time to have been able to assess whether the product is fit for purpose and agrees that it is (by not contacting the retailer).

[CaptainCrash]

UK sales law puts nearly all the responsibility on the retailer at and immediately after point of purchase. The problem only comes after the customer has had enough time to have been able to assess whether the product is fit for purpose and agrees that it is (by not contacting the retailer).

OK, the usual IANAL disclaimer applies, but this is the current position as I understand it (anyone feel free to correct where appropriate).

You're normally deemed to have contractually "accepted" goods 28 days after purchase, although this is by custom and not absolutely set in stone, and a court might deem otherwise depending on particular circumstances (eg you'd probably be allowed longer if you bought a lawnmower in a January sale). This is presumably the point at which Scan, and many other retailers, would have you believe that their obligations end.

However, the expiry of the acceptance period *doesn't* negate a retailer's duty under the Sale of Goods Act 1979 to provide goods which are as described, fit for the purpose and of satisfactory quality, and according to the Sale and Supply of Goods to Consumers Regulations 2002: "goods which do not conform to the contract for the transfer of goods at any time within the period of six months starting with the date on which the goods were delivered to the transferee must be taken not to have so conformed at that date". They are therefore *obliged* to provide a repair or replacement, or a refund if doing so would be impossible or disproportionately expensive, although you're no longer entitled to reject the goods in their entirety and demand a refund at your discretion, as would have been the case during the original 28-days-or-something acceptance period. Importantly, the retailer must act within a reasonable amount of time, not cause significant inconvenience to the consumer, and bear any costs such as labour, materials, postage and delivery (ie you shouldn't have to pick up the bill for return insured postage on a faulty 50" plasma TV or whatever).

After the end of the six-month period, it would be up to the purchaser to prove that a fault had been present at the time of the purchase but, again, this doesn't mean that a retailer can legally wash their hands of any problem - if a product were deemed to have failed prematurely, you would still be entitled to claim against that retailer, although it wouldn't necessarily be for the full value of the product and would depend on individual circumstances (such as the nature of the product, its expected useful lifespan and how much benefit you'd received from it in the meantime).

In practice, as many people have pointed out, it may very well often be quicker and more effective to claim under a manufacturer's warranty, but it's important to realise that this is entirely optional and doesn't in any way affect your statutory rights with regard to the retailer.