Warranty crackdown for Currys
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nnAfter follow-up letters did not result in payment, Danny and Ewan wrote to Raw Deal. We contacted Glenmoir boss Blair Moir on their behalf last month and within a few days he texted Ewan to say a cheque would be in the post. When the money never materialised, Raw Deal phoned Mr Moir about the issue.
This time he claimed that he now questioned the sums owed to the joiners, despite this having already been confirmed to him by the in-court service adviser.
He claimed the matter was now with his solicitor and again indicated he would pay the joiners by cheque – but it would be unlikely to be for the full amount. “I had no issues, their work was spot-on,” he said. “But this has got nothing to do with Raw Deal. I do owe them money but I dispute the amount.” On Friday night, Mr Moir again messaged Ewan to say: “Cheque was posted today. Apologies for the delay.”
However, yesterday, there was no sign of it in the mail at either of the joiner’s addresses. Meanwhile, Danny and Ewan are now considering full legal action to recover their money. “As we are now employed in London, appearing in court in Scotland would mean us taking a few days off from work,” Danny said, “and once the court fees are also paid it would be an expensive outlay.
“But we simply can’t afford to lose this amount of cash, especially with Christmas just around the corner.
“We can’t understand what the problem has been with Glenmoir.”
Neither does Raw Deal.
Raw Deal receives a regular stream of complaints from irate readers who are confused by extended warranty contracts being offered when buying goods.
Extended warranties cover repairs for any product faults that occur after the manufacturer’s warranty runs out. Good news is that one of the UK’S biggest retailers has been told to make these terms clearer to shoppers after an investigation found its sales practices could be misleading.
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) carried out a mysteryshopping exercise that raised concerns Currys PC World may be mis-selling extended warranties.
In a letter to Dixons Carphone, which owns Currys PC World, the CMA said it fears some customers were being given the wrong information.
It found that more than 20% of store staff incorrectly told shoppers that extended warranties cover cosmetic damage. The CMA also found a fifth of staff were unable to provide shoppers with a quote, which is a legal requirement before selling these kinds of warranties. Currys PC World promises action. Which? consumer rights expert Adam French said: “This is a welcome move and we look forward to Currys PC World swiftly implementing the changes. “We also urge customers to read the terms and conditions before buying an extended warranty as their right to return, repair or replace an item may already be covered under the Consumer Rights Act.” Currys PC World has promised to address the issues raised by the end of this month. It agreed to carry out more staff training, improve its advice leaflets on extended warranties and provide more information at tills.
It also says it will monitor how effective these measures are.