faulty second hand goods advice

vgv

Hey guys
Im just posting to see if anyone can advise me of my rights as a consumer in the following situation.In July of last year I purchased second hand a Playstation3 from someone I found in buyandsell.I did not think of asking for a receipt from this guy at the time.The PS3 seemed to be working fine as I went to his house and got a trial run and everything was hunky dory.The device gave me no problems whatsoever until about 4 wks ago when it unexpectedly cut off in the middle of a game,and since then I have been unable to turn it on for a few seconds without it shutting off.:(To get a better idea of what I mean see this short video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OmLlvRtpHrA

I get the same result as this guy when I turn on my machine.Its a relatively small but not unheard of problem which affects the Playstation3 and it has been given the name "Yellow light of death"on the internet because you get a yellow light just before the system shuts down.Anyway I would ring sony and try and get it replaced but I dont know how buying it second hand might affect any case I would be able to make for a replacement.Thats why I am posting here so I would be grateful for any helpful advice you can give.Thanks in advance.

Ian Beale

Just want to clarify something you bought it second hand in July 2007If thats the case even with a receipt you'd have little comeback calling Sony as the warranty is only for 1 year,you could argue that on the phone with them that it should last a lot longer then 1 year and if it was brought to the small claims court you would have a fair chance at getting a replacement, however with no receipt and it being bought second hand you'll have trouble getting them to budge.
Is there any chance of contacting the person you bought it from and seeing if they have a receipt?Long shot but sure you never know.

vgv

Thanks for the reply Ian.Unfortunately Im pretty sure that this guy didnt have a receipt to give when I met him because I remember asking about it.Amyway I have long since lost his phone number.

LolaDub

If you have their address you could send them a short note asking them to contact you. As far as i know you only get statutory rights with second hand goods purchased from a business. Also you have had the product for over a year so it seems like it was working fine when you bought it. I personally would write an email to sony saying that due to this well known fault you don't believe the item to be of merchanable quality and want a replacement. A long shot but in your case i think its all you have.

foggy_lad

you also might be better off looking for a repair from sony as they will hardly replace without receipt and considering you were not the original purchaser.