´ Electrical storm
Bargain´ appliance proves to be costly error
Bargain´ appliance proves to be costly error for expat
WHEN purchasing electrical appliances for the home most people will shop around, looking for the best prices available.
Richard Gardham did just that; looking to buy a fridge freezer, he came across an electrical store in Benidorm, on Avenida Severo Ochoa, opposite Camping El Racó.
The store was mainly stocked with reconditioned fridge freezers, washing machines and dishwashers as well as a selection of brand new items.
A particular Bosch model caught his eye, priced at €250. He took down the details to research the model and satisfied that it was a good price – a new one was over €700, returned to the store on July 17. He explained to the woman there, that the kitchen wouldn’t be finished for some weeks and asked if he could pay a deposit to reserve it, but was told that full payment would be required to secure the item.
He then pulled out a credit card, only to be told cash only… “Which should have rang alarm bells” Richard told CBN. “At that point I should have walked away, but instead paid the €250 cash, which included a 6 month warranty and was issued with a receipt”.
However, the receipt had no fiscal details of the vendor or contact number, just confirmation of the payment and that it would be delivered on September 9.
Richard returned to the shop on the said day and his heart sank - he found the shutter down, windows covered with paper and a ‘for rent’ sign on the front. He enquired at the bar next-door to be told that it had closed a few weeks earlier but they were under the impression that the owner also had another shop somewhere in Alicante. She also mentioned that a friend of hers had purchased a washing machine from the shop that kept breaking down and giving her electric shocks but they refused to take it back or give her a refund.
Richard was going to go to the SATE office to register an official complaint of fraud, but with no name or contact number envisaged a bit of a struggle. His only hope was the phone number on the shop front, which may be that of the agent or owner, who may have the details of the previous tenant that they can hand over to the police.
In the meantime, Richard has gone to a bona fide electrical shop and made a purchase, using his credit card and was issued with a legitimate receipt and guarantee. If nothing else this tale should warn people not to buy from these pop-up stores that are there one minute only to disappear the next.
The Benidorm business certainly must have fleeced a few thousand euros from unsuspecting customers for the duration of their opening, or sold items that may not be fit for purpose.
The moral of the story is to use a legitimate store to purchase such items – unsafe electrical appliances could easily become a fire hazard and a danger, certainly not worth the risk.