Halfords refusing refund even with receipt

rovingrover

I bought a satnav in Halfords Belgard Road last September. It died after having being used approx 5 times. Luckily I have both the item receipt and credit card receipt.

Their satnav guy did try to reset/repair it but failed and I was refused a replacement/refund at first and told to come back the next day when the manager would be in. I returned yesterday and the manager agreed to a replacement which I was happy to accept initially but he was pulling a stunt as he swopped my unit for a new one out of a box and was keeping my original receipt and not giving me a new receipt or anything to prove the new unit was mine. Indeed the new unit could have been dead as well for all I knew.

He then agreed to give me a receipt that stated item returned without receipt. It showed a price 40 euro less than I paid and also showed another item for 25 euro which was nothing to do with me.

At that stage I said No I wanted a full refund and he could keep the faulty unit, cables etc. I wanted a full refund as I was uncomfortable with whatever they were pulling. He refused. I said under the Sale of Goods act I'm entitled to a full refund and he then tried to go away with my receipts. I had to run half the length of the shop to catch him. He claimed he was just going in the back to photocopy them but I can't see why he would need to. I got everything back incl my receipts.

Needless to say I won't be going into Halfords again.

Anyway am I entitled to a refund even if initially agreeing to a replacement.

Any idea what the stunt they were pulling by putting my broken unit in a box with everything else? Surely they didn't plan to sell it to some unsuspecting punter?

I assume my route now is write to Halfords and then try the small claims court?

Any advice appreciated.

meercat

Had same problem with garmin nuvi. Returned it to halfords twice and they gave me a replacment one. Just took satnav from box in stores. No accessories. No problem with that. They did give me a new receipt for the replacement though. Good service from blanch though. I'm sure you are entitled to refund but I think they are fair enough to replace it. Just register New one on line and you are ok. There are posts on sat nav problems under tech.

timmywex

Go in again with a letter outlining what you want and referencing the sale of goods and supply of services act. Keep a copy of it, attach copys of all your receipts witht the letter. Tell him what you want and then hand deliver the letter.

Makeit very clear your position, ie, that you will go down the legal route if the issue isnt resolved to your satisfaction asap.

Tbh they might cave, most people wont go back so its usually worth a try from halfords...

seamus

rovingrover wrote: »

Anyway am I entitled to a refund even if initially agreeing to a replacement.

Short answer, no. The choice is down to the retailer as to whether they repair, refund or replace. If the retailer tells you that they can fix the unit, you must give them reasonable time/leave to perform the repair.

In this case, they attempted the repair and it failed, at which point they then opted to replace the unit, as they are entitled to do.

I don't know what the receipt messing was about. They don't necessarily have to give you back your original receipt, but a new receipt would need to show the original price you paid for the unit.

Any idea what the stunt they were pulling by putting my broken unit in a box with everything else? Surely they didn't plan to sell it to some unsuspecting punter?

No. Standard practice in technology is to only replace what's been handed in. So if you only had your satnav unit and no cables, etc, then they only give you back a satnav unit without cables.

Likewise, when Halfords are returning the satnav to the manufacturer, they need to send in a complete box in order to get a new product out. If they send in just the broken unit without the box and cabling, etc, then Halfords will only receive a new unboxed unit back from the manufacturer.

I assume my route now is write to Halfords and then try the small claims court?

The easiest thing to do is to go back in and get your replacement, just insist that you get a new receipt for the new unit, showing the original price you paid for it.

Since prices change, normally what they do is give you a new receipt for the unit with no price on it, and give you back your original receipt showing the original price.

If you're concerned about them "running away" with your original receipt (the manager was most likely just taking it away to photocopy it), then photocopy it yourself and bring both with you, giving them the photocopy to keep.

meercat

Seamus
great clear advice to all. Thanks

rovingrover

Thanks for the advice. I actually did have the cables and suction cup as well as the unit with me in the shop.

I really don't ever want to go back to the shop again.

The manager did say he was only trying to photocopy the receipts when challenged but it was strange that he just took them and left. I thought he was trying to take them and keep them.

It is a Garmin nuvi and I've seen the issues with them just dying - great otherwise if you get a good one. This was part of my concern as presumably I'm entitled to at least a 5 month warranty on a replacement (7 months since my original purchase) if not a 12 month one.

seamus

You might be fuming with the shop and eager to "teach the a lesson" as it were, but in reality you need to do what's best for you. The best "punishment" for the shop is a refusal to shop there and your non-recommendation to family and friends.

In this case what might work out best for you is to arrange a replacement under warranty directly with Garmin:
http://www.garmin.com/garmin/cms/site/uk/support/

You can ship the thing to them in registered post for about €8 and you're done and dusted. By contrast, the small claims court costs €15 to make your application, and involves filling out forms and similar nonsense, and may also require you to take time to attend the court and so forth.

So if you're unwilling to deal with the shop any further, your best option is to go straight back to the manufacturer.