Ignore the nonsense and know your rights
I LOVE listening in to conversations in shops where other customers are complaining.
Some of the statements I hear the staff coming out with are so ridiculous that it takes me all my time to hold back and not say anything.
It might be a ploy to try to fob customers off but in many cases I think it’s down to lack of training.
One favourite is: “You’re only covered for the first year.”
It’s patently untrue but it saves staff dealing with a moaning customer any longer.
It usually comes before: “We can’t help you now because of the length of time you have had it. You’ll need to send it back to the manufacturer.” Again, simply not true. Most goods will be covered by a manufacturer’s warranty for 12 months from the date of purchase.
But this warranty is issued in addition to the protection you enjoy under the Consumer Rights Act.
This law allows you to bring an action against the retailer who sold you faulty goods for up to five years (six in England) from the date of purchase.
So if anything happens within the first 12 months, you have a choice – ask the retailer to deal with the problem or go direct to the manufacturer.
In fact, if the goods cost more than £100 and less than £30,000 and you paid with your credit card, you may have a third option.
You could take action against the credit card company, using Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act.
Having said all that, you shouldn’t expect a full refund if your kettle breaks down after five-and-a-half years.
Any claim over something you’ve been using for a long time would need to take the expected normal working life of the item into account.