Can C a retailer t il t test faulty goods before refunding?
QI bought a garden patio heater from QAV Direct ( www. qavdirect.co.uk), which was delivered on 7 July. It wouldn’t work but when I contacted the company I was persuaded to try a new burner unit, which is part of the heater. This didn’t work and neither did a third one sent. I sent them back expecting an instant refund, but QAV says it wants to test the units first. Can you help?
AWe’ll certainly try, although due to data-privacy laws QAV Direct won’t discuss Keith’s account until he’s given it permission to talk to us. But we can answer his question: yes, before issuing a refund, a company is always allowed to test a product that a customer claims is inherently faulty. This lets it check whether the fault is inherent (present since purchase) or was caused by accidental damage (by the customer).
However, companies must test products within 30 days of receiving them, so the clock is ticking for QAV Direct. Normally, the clock would also be ticking for Keith, because customers only have 30 days from purchase to reject a faulty item for a full refund, and no repair. He was going to reject the heater when he discovered it was faulty, but was persuaded to accept the new burner unit.
Keith doesn’t need to worry though, because this 30-day clock is suspended when companies send replacement parts. The burner unit arrived around 10 days after purchase, so he still has 20 or so days to reject the heater. If Keith tells QAV Direct it can talk to us, we’ll point all this out, and try to speed up his case.