Very very bad experience in Power City

peace2804

Hi guys,

I would like to share my experience today in Power City.
seven days ago I bought a TV/Monitor, the first day I used I noticed a beep coming from the TV every now and then, I sent an email to powercity and they advised me to call the technical support for toshiba, well they weren't aware about this issue. I turned on the TV by itself without any other device connected to it and there was the same noise.

I bought this TV today to the shop, the salesman pretended to do some troubleshooting by plugging the TV to a laptop and playing the Man united match then music despite the fact that I told him that he needs a quiet place to hear the beep.

The bottom line is that I wasted 30min with him, no reel troubleshooting was done, I have been that there is nothing he can do about it and when I told him that Im within my rights and that I won't move from here until my tv is either exchanged or refunded he threatened me and he told me word by word that he'll get me physically removed ( which means by force obviously ).

if this is the type of customer service that he get from buying in a place like power city I don't want to have anything to do with them.

has any of you experienced something similar? what is the best solution to get a refund? and finally have you ever been in the small claim court for a similar issue?

Thanks for reading.

maxer68

I suppose a lot depends on how you handled it too. You are not entitled to a regund or replacement. These are 2 of the 3 options available to both you and the store. It could be the simplest of faults that requires a minor adjustment.

drunkmonkey

peace2804 wrote: »

I won't move from here until my tv is either exchanged or refunded he threatened me and he told me word by word that he'll get me physically removed ( which means by force obviously ).

You must have threatened him in some way or became a nuisance, he's well within his rights to make a citizens arrest and use reasonable force and detain you until the police arrive. You stepped out of line, glad he pulled you up on it.

The beep must be a setting somewhere. Trouble shoot a little harder.

dudara

Does the TV manual say anything about beeping?

peace2804

@maxer68: Definitely a lot depend on how I handheld the situation too, but threatening a customer is never good especially if nothing bad was said or done, I bought a faulty TV and no settings can fix the issue, the beep comes from inside the TV.
Maybe the TV can be repaired but it doesn't mean that the same issue or even a worse issue will not arise in the long term, this why we buy a warranty and we try to make the most of it in order to benefit from the product for as long as possible.

@Drunkmonkey: Your post is hilarious, you wrote a scenario from your imagination , I think you are the salesman with whom I dealt today.

@dudara: No the manual doesn't say anything, I even called the Toshiba tech support and they weren't aware about this issue at all.

drunkmonkey

peace2804 wrote: »

threatening a customer is never good especially if nothing bad was said or done

True but nobody makes threats unless something spurs them, you did or said something and he wasn't prepared to take that kind of bull****.
You refused to leave the store when asked going by what you said, that's reason enough to make a citizens arrest.

54kroc

drunkmonkey wrote: »

You must have threatened him in some way or became a nuisance, he's well within his rights to make a citizens arrest and use reasonable force and detain you until the police arrive. You stepped out of line, glad he pulled you up on it.

The beep must be a setting somewhere. Trouble shoot a little harder.

How did he step out of line? He might of been a bit misguided about his rights.
The sales man should have told him the correct procedure, telling a customer that force will be used on him is an insane thing for any salesman to say.
I don't know why you mention citizens arrest, ffs what planet are you on.

drunkmonkey

cork45 wrote: »

How did he step out of line? He might of been a bit misguided about his rights.
The sales man should have told him the correct procedure, telling a customer that force will be used on him is an insane thing for any salesman to say.
I don't know why you mention citizens arrest, ffs what planet are you on.

If he refused to leave when asked the retailer can detain the person with force until the police show up. I dont believe he was threatened without reason. Your getting one side of the story here.

Im on planet dealing with the public every day for 20+ years.

dudara

drunkmoneky and cork45

We don't know what happened in that store, therefore it is idle speculation on your parts. Please stop now.

dudara

peace2804

The honest story is that he told me that he's not going to refund me or exchange the faulty item as he doesn't have the right to do so (I don't believe that myself), my answer was word by word "I'm not ready to leave the store until a solution is found, I have a receipt where I can read exchange or refund within 28 days". I was claiming something within my rights, his answer was " Sir, I can have you physically removed from this store" which means by force.

As a customer I have the right to push as hard as possible to get either a refund or an exchange, I am paying for a good that is supposed to work properly but from day one it was obvious that inside the TV there was something causing this noise.

Threatening customers is never good.

maxer68

Threatening customers is not good, but it looks like he wad answering in s mock type of way to your assertion that you were going to stay there until your mis-informed rights were adhered to.

Sorry, you may not like this, but it looks like you were making a nuisance of yourself, claiming rights you do not have and suggesting that you were going to cause further nuisance to power citys business by staging a sit in of sorts.

I had sort of been siding with you but its obvious you went about your complaint in a wrong and misguided and misinformed way. As I've said here many many times, manners and respect cost nothing and get you a bell of a lot further in life

peace2804

Well there is no need to be on my side or not, I believe I did the right thing and that's the most important thing.
I was extremely polite, patient and very understandable of everything from the very beginning, however when:

1 - There was no troubleshooting for 30 min
2 - I wasted my time there waiting while nothing was being done
3 - The only answer I got was no I can't exchange/refund
4 - What is written in the receipt didn't matter to this salesperson

So obviously I pushed a bit to get my refund as I haven't experienced that in the likes of currys, argos, peats,....If a good troubleshooting was done and nothing was found I'll understand but in my case he just plugged the TV to a laptop, put the Man united match with the volume on and then he played music, how can he hear the beep with all the noise??

evolving_doors

I'm with you peace 2804,, if you have a no-quibble exchange or refund written on a receipt and you are experiencing quibble then you should try and speak to someone else in the store.
The contract you entered into when purchasing the item was under the understanding that they would honour the 28 day agreement which they haven't, a written letter (registered post) stating that you are willing to take the matter up with the small claims court if you're not happy with the outcome.

For a sales person to threaten you with being physically removed means he is a **** the usual procedure is that he would refer the issue to his manager. What is someone on about detaining a person with force, what the hell type of customer relations is that???

Maybe try a different power city store, don't mention the fact that you bought it somewhere else unless asked.

peace2804

I do agree with you armelodie, I entered into a contract and the terms of this contract weren't respected at all.
This is something that I couldn't understand while dealing with this sales person, the receipt didn't matter to him at all.
Well I wrote 2 emails to power city, I am waiting for an answer from them, if we can resolve the issue then it's grand, I'll have my money back and I will never go near them, in the other hand if we can't find an agreement I'll write an article and send it to all the free media and will also file a claim with the small claims court, I can do it online without the need of any solicitor and it takes only 10 days.

maxer68

peace2804 wrote: »

I do agree with you armelodie, I entered into a contract and the terms of this contract weren't respected at all.
This is something that I couldn't understand while dealing with this sales person, the receipt didn't matter to him at all.
Well I wrote 2 emails to power city, I am waiting for an answer from them, if we can resolve the issue then it's grand, I'll have my money back and I will never go near them, in the other hand if we can't find an agreement I'll write an article and send it to all the free media and will also file a claim with the small claims court, I can do it online without the need of any solicitor and it takes only 10 days.

I think you are now showing your real colours. The additional warranty is for returning the goods in a re-saleable condition and is a company policy. Your tv has an alledged fault and they are well within their rights to have it repaired and returned to you.

Your additional ranting and threats to power city has lost you all credibility.

Evaex

I must say I am appalled at your treatment in Power City. Thanks for taking the time to post on here, I have just vowed never to buy anything in Power City.

3rdDegree

What is wrong with all the people on this thread? Citizens arrest, detain for police, forcible removal from the shop? The op does not sound like he deserved any such insane treatment. The TV is faulty, should be dealt worth by Powercity. Salesman sounds like a dickhead. This looks very bad for Powercity.

borderlinemeath

peace2804 wrote: »

I do agree with you armelodie, I entered into a contract and the terms of this contract weren't respected at all.
This is something that I couldn't understand while dealing with this sales person, the receipt didn't matter to him at all.
Well I wrote 2 emails to power city, I am waiting for an answer from them, if we can resolve the issue then it's grand, I'll have my money back and I will never go near them, in the other hand if we can't find an agreement I'll write an article and send it to all the free media and will also file a claim with the small claims court, I can do it online without the need of any solicitor and it takes only 10 days.

Just read this post to yourself again OP.

I'll contact the media, and I'll file a claim with the SCC and it only takes me 10 days.... Give me a break - the "media" have better things to be doing than putting in crank articles about one of their biggest advertisers!!:D

Firstly if you think that your statutory consumer rights have been violated then contact the NCA. They will tell you if you are in the right or in the wrong. You need to be factual, not embellishing the situation with tales of being "removed from the store with force". They don't care. (and neither will the SCC by the way)

For your 28day return policy to stand up, you would need to have returned a unit that was unused, unopened in original packaging with your receipt/proof of purchase. You obviously have your receipt/pop, but you returned a TV that you claim has a fault so obviously had been used.

Power City or any other retailer is well within their rights to offer a repair or a replacement to the TV instead of a refund. The fault it seems from your account has yet to be proven.

In 18 years of working in retail, the only times I have ever had to say to a customer that I would have to remove them from the store is if they became threatening or verbally/physically abusive. And the customers that become threatening or abusive are the ones that dont get their own way. Store management and staff have rights too.

This is probably not what you want to hear, but as Maxer said, manners and respect go a long way. I'm sure if you had shown some then you wouldn't have been given the option of being removed from the store.

wmpdd3

If your product showed a fault within 7 days of you buying it, yes I would expect the retailer to replace the item, once it was returned without consumer damage with a receipt.

It looks like the person in the store didnt see or believe your item had a fault and so refused a return.

He should have refered this higher as you were not happy but he didnt. For whatever reason he felt he had to threaten you with removal from the store.

Write to the store manger.

peace2804

I am not surprised by the difference in your replies guys, we are all different and each one of us would have dealt with this situation differently, some would have insisted more than me others would have left the store and kept the faulty TV.
Likewise for the salesperson, maybe if I would have dealt with somebody else I would have had either a better experience or even a worse one.

I am not Irish but I am a proud supporter of Ireland because I live here and this country have given me so much, in this critical economical situation I support the Irish products and the Irish retailers more than any other time, but honestly if buying from a place like power city will give me so much headache I rather buy from big retailers such as currys that have plenty of experience with dealing with similar situations.

It's not my fault if I bought a faulty TV, so obviously I can only deal with power city, they will return the faulty product to the supplier then to the manufacturer and so on, this is a normal procedure.

I rather pay 30 or 40 euros more and get a decent service, or I can buy in internet and pay via PayPal and then everything will be all right.

I am appalled when I read posts with the likes of " well maybe you should have been polite" or when I read " The retailer is within its right to refuse an exchange or a refund", well for the first point all I can say is please stop making prejudgments about the way I behaved, I was very polite but pushy as I requested a solution but I didn't get any and I can't just walk away with a faulty TV, for the second point I believe that it's not the customer's fault if the item is not working properly and an exchange or the refund can be done without the packaging ( I have been told that last week by power city on the phone ), If the TV is in a good condition and also if I have a receipt, I fulfilled all these three elements.

PS: I'm using this monitor right now and it's still beeping and humming :mad:. Whenever I'll get an answer from power city I'll let you know.

maxer68

You could ring the manufacturer's support line directly and by-pass Power City. Legally they are responsible to take it back, have it checked, repair it and return it to you, but calling the manufacturer's repair agent directly will get it fixed a lot quicker.
http://www.powercity.ie/?action=helplines

and yes, the retailer can refuse a exchange / refund. They by law must offer REPAIR, Exchange or refund. 3 options! - If it cannot be repaired in such a way that the repair is permanent and does not affect the performance of the product, then and only then must they offer exchange or refund.

You can of course refuse the repair option, but this would leave any legal case very very weak.

peace2804

Thank you for the link, the first thing that I did last week is calling this number, I dealt with a very friendly agent but their only solution was to check with power city for an exchange or maybe a repair.
If after 1 week of buying this TV I have to repair it that means that after 1 year I will have probably to put it in a bin.

By the way I was expecting somebody to come home today to fix some stuff with my aerial and satellite, the quote was 180 euros, they just called me now to tell me that they won't be able to make it today and if it suits me they will be here tomorrow but the best part is that they gave me a discount of 30 quid for that, this is what I call a good service and a customer focused company, I have no doubt that a great job will be dome tomorrow and I'l end up paying extra just because of the great way they treat their customers .

Edit : @ maxer68: are you sure about the repair option?? it's not written anywhere in the receipt so obviously I wasn't aware about it when I purchased the good from them, I was misinformed.

BostonB

peace2804 wrote: »

....
I bought this TV today to the shop, the salesman pretended to do some troubleshooting by plugging the TV to a laptop and playing the Man united match then music despite the fact that I told him that he needs a quiet place to hear the beep.....

And when you requested to talk to the manager what did he say.

maxer68

peace2804 wrote: »

Edit : @ maxer68: are you sure about the repair option?? it's not written anywhere in the receipt so obviously I wasn't aware about it when I purchased the good from them, I was misinformed.

100% certain. It is written in consumer law.

It may be the simplest of faults or it may be a major fault that cannot be repaired.

e.g. If you buy a car and there's a fault with a windscreen wiper, you don't get an exchange, but if the engine is bolloxed after a week, its more likely that this would entitle you to an exchange. So until you know how big a fault it is, you can't assume whether it will be good for a year or 10 years.

mossy2390

if power city wont help you ring the technical support they should then be able to get someone out to take the tv away and fix it under warranty
i bought a Samsung tv from currys, there was a loud clicking noise every few seconds, brought it back they gave another one no problem as its a manufacturing fault so they dont loose any money Samsung send them another replacement to make up for it. got it home and it was the same problem so it must have been a batch fault and all in currys would probably have that problem so i rang the support line, first they thought i was insane and that the click noise was normal operation, eventually they said they would get it fixed, a repair shop picked it up and dropped it back a few days later.

power city were definitely in the wrong they should have replaced it no problem for you, but of there no help try the support line and they should fix it under warranty for you

peace2804

@ BostonB: Well he said that the manager wasn't there, he didn't even offer to bring the matter to the manager at a later stage.

@ mossy2390: Lucky you, you had to deal with great staff in currys, they did their best with you but since it's a manufacturing fault they couldn't do anything else but the tech support helped you out, I am happy for you.

borderlinemeath

peace2804 wrote: »

If after 1 week of buying this TV I have to repair it that means that after 1 year I will have probably to put it in a bin.

Highly unlikely. Any repair carried out should last within the warrenty. If the same problem reoccurs you are in a much better position to get a replaceement.

Edit : @ maxer68: are you sure about the repair option?? it's not written anywhere in the receipt so obviously I wasn't aware about it when I purchased the good from them, I was misinformed.

Retailers receipts contain a one or two paragraph returns policy that tends to cover return of goods in the majority of circumstances. ie unwanted gift/credit notes. They tend not to mention faulty returns as each one is dealt with on an individual basis. Some lines can have a known manufacturer fault, some can be because the item was dropped as it was taken out of the box:rolleyes: (not saying this happened here)

Have you looked up this particular model online? If it's a known fault then there's bound to be a few hits on google about it.

BostonB

peace2804 wrote: »

@ BostonB: Well he said that the manager wasn't there, he didn't even offer to bring the matter to the manager at a later stage....

Did you follow it up with someone else then? Another sales person.

slimjimmc

maxer68 wrote: »

You could ring the manufacturer's support line directly and by-pass Power City. Legally they are responsible to take it back, have it checked, repair it and return it to you, but calling the manufacturer's repair agent directly will get it fixed a lot quicker.
http://www.powercity.ie/?action=helplines

and yes, the retailer can refuse a exchange / refund. They by law must offer REPAIR, Exchange or refund. 3 options! - If it cannot be repaired in such a way that the repair is permanent and does not affect the performance of the product, then and only then must they offer exchange or refund.

You can of course refuse the repair option, but this would leave any legal case very very weak.

Correct they can choose to offer any of the 3 forms of redress. It's entirely up to them which of the 3 they offer. Similarly it's entirely up to you which one you will accept.
However, they're not obliged to offer a different one if the first offer is rejected or fails to resolve the problem. They can continue to offer a repair every single time if they so wish, but that would be seen to be unreasonable in the eye's of the SCC and would weaken their case.

OP, you do indeed have the legal right to insist on a refund or replacement, but the retailer also has the legal right to reject your demand and offer you a repair instead. He can even agree to a credit note if that's what you ask for (but he can't insist on it). It's up to you and the retailer to come to an agreed solution, failing that and only after you have exhausted the retailer's complaints procedures you can go to the SCC.

noodler

Had to return a Samsung monitor 2 years ago for the exact same reason - won't mention the retailer but there were very good about it.

The beeping was only noticeable with some inputs.

peace2804

I haven't received any email yet from Power City, I called them and I have to go back and bring the TV with me, my options are the following:

1 - They will notice the issue there and then I can either have an exchange or a credit note
2 - They won't be able to notice the problem, I would have to leave the TV there for 24 hours, if it's faulty I will either have an exchange or a credit note.

None of these options suits me as I'm not ready to go back to the store again, the guys on the phone were really nice.

So I learnt a lesson, always always always ask if the refund option is available before making a purchase, in fact ask for all your options.

It's pity that it happened with an Irish company, I won't buy from them again but I really wish them the very best of luck.

evolving_doors

maxer68 wrote: »

I think you are now showing your real colours. The additional warranty is for returning the goods in a re-saleable condition and is a company policy. Your tv has an alledged fault and they are well within their rights to have it repaired and returned to you.

Your additional ranting and threats to power city has lost you all credibility.

What are you raving about 'true colours' the op had an issue that PC were obliged to resolve, especially if it's in the 28 days no quibble (the usual spiel is "If you are in any way unsatisfied"). The OP was dissatisfied, of course they are in their rights to repair but obviously this has been unsuccessful so the next step is Replace but she has been prevented from doing this, next step is refund which she didnt get to..

I would like to be corrected but the 28 day no quibble should supersede the Repair,Replace and Refund procedure as this is actually making a 'quibble'..she entered into the agreement to purchase on the understanding that Power City would uphold what they agreed to.

Personally i have no gripe with Power city as for me they have taken goods back/exchanged/ refunded etc if there was ever any problems with anything I bought in the past.

Just from reading the original post it sounds as if OP was irate but in no way unreasonable with staff in demanding a resolution... The salesperson's response seemed like it it was to cover up their own inability to fix/diagnose the problem.

TouchingVirus

peace2804 wrote: »

I haven't received any email yet from Power City, I called them and I have to go back and bring the TV with me, my options are the following:

1 - They will notice the issue there and then I can either have an exchange or a credit note
2 - They won't be able to notice the problem, I would have to leave the TV there for 24 hours, if it's faulty I will either have an exchange or a credit note.

None of these options suits me as I'm not ready to go back to the store again, the guys on the phone were really nice.

So I learnt a lesson, always always always ask if the refund option is available before making a purchase, in fact ask for all your options.

It's pity that it happened with an Irish company, I won't buy from them again but I really wish them the very best of luck.

The refund option is always available, but it is not at your discretion to get it. Power City offered an exchange if a fault is found.

Think of it this way, Power City took X euros from you and gave you a TV. If the TV worked perfectly you've got a happy customer and a happy business. Since the TV isn't working, Power City will give you another TV [the exact same make/model] and if it works perfectly, you should be a happy customer just like in the first instance. So what is your basis for not accepting an exchange?

Customers have to be reasonable as well and you're being unreasonable.

drunkmonkey

peace2804 wrote: »

I haven't received any email yet from Power City, I called them and I have to go back and bring the TV with me, my options are the following:

1 - They will notice the issue there and then I can either have an exchange or a credit note
2 - They won't be able to notice the problem, I would have to leave the TV there for 24 hours, if it's faulty I will either have an exchange or a credit note.

None of these options suits me as I'm not ready to go back to the store again, the guys on the phone were really nice.

So I learnt a lesson, always always always ask if the refund option is available before making a purchase, in fact ask for all your options.

It's pity that it happened with an Irish company, I won't buy from them again but I really wish them the very best of luck.

I don't think you've learned any lesson here Peace, no store is going to let you buy something, go home and use it for a bit and let your bring it back for a refund without a good reason, especially if the box it open.

Now if you go back to the store they may notice the issue there and then but they may need to satisfy themselves that you did not cause the fault. They are entitled to get it looked at by an engineer and it could take more than 24hrs.

Your best course of action would be to drop it in and get them to have a proper look at it, if it's a case of one of your devices is causing the problem that would not be covered under warranty as it's a 3rd party device and it's not guaranteed to work. So they might not issue any refund and it's also could be the reason they found no fault in store.

You've going to have to get one of the options to suit you, the store has the trump cards here and you need to play ball to get a satisfactory outcome for yourself. Your best best is go back to the store and look for someone in service or repair not a salesman.

evolving_doors

TouchingVirus wrote: »

So what is your basis for not accepting an exchange?

Customers have to be reasonable as well and you're being unreasonable.

I do believe she is entitled to a full refund (for whatever reason) if she is not satisfied within the first 28 days of purchase.

She was not satisfied so therefore she is entitled to a refund... that's what it says on the tin!!!

Why is she being unreasonable when she entered into a contract which the store seems to be reneging on.

I am assuming that that's what it says on the receipt so i could stand open to correction maybe the OP would like to post what it says on the receipt regarding 28 refund....

How could the store be "reasonable" when they are failing to honour an agreement?

drunkmonkey

Armelodie wrote: »

I do believe she is entitled to a full refund (for whatever reason) if she is not satisfied within the first 28 days of purchase.

You can believe all you want but the facts are, refund/replacement/repair. The decision on which you receive lies with retailer not the consumer. That's consumer law.

username123

I have not bought anything from Power City in years due to disgracefully bad customer service and an experience that is similar to the OPs.

Did you pay by credit card? If so, then see if you can get the credit card company to do a chargeback as you did not receive goods or services fit for purpose.

If not, file immediately with the small claims court. I genuinely wouldnt bother dealing with Power City on this - their customer service is an absolute disgrace and you may as well bang your head off a brick wall. I have also had the experience of a snotty salesman refusing to assist with an after sales issue - the only answer is - dont buy there. Take your business elsewhere.

TouchingVirus

Armelodie wrote: »

I do believe she is entitled to a full refund (for whatever reason) if she is not satisfied within the first 28 days of purchase.

She was not satisfied so therefore she is entitled to a refund... that's what it says on the tin!!!

Store policies like this are usually only with regard to non-faulty goods. The OP has reported a fault so we're falling back on legislation here. And by legislation the OP has been offered an exchange. Yes, the OP can refuse the exchange and insist on a refund but it really doesn't look great for their case if they refused a completely new, identical item as a means of redress.

Merch

maxer68 wrote: »

I think you are now showing your real colours. The additional warranty is for returning the goods in a re-saleable condition and is a company policy. Your tv has an alledged fault and they are well within their rights to have it repaired and returned to you.

Your additional ranting and threats to power city has lost you all credibility.

what are you talking about? the OP isn't ranting and raving do you work for Power city, I have bought some items from them but their customer service leaves a lot to be desired, haven't tried in a while but last time I did it was impossible to get through to them, for that reason I shop elsewhere.

maxer68 wrote: »

You could ring the manufacturer's support line directly and by-pass Power City. Legally they are responsible to take it back, have it checked, repair it and return it to you, but calling the manufacturer's repair agent directly will get it fixed a lot quicker.
http://www.powercity.ie/?action=helplines

and yes, the retailer can refuse a exchange / refund. They by law must offer REPAIR, Exchange or refund. 3 options! - If it cannot be repaired in such a way that the repair is permanent and does not affect the performance of the product, then and only then must they offer exchange or refund.

You can of course refuse the repair option, but this would leave any legal case very very weak.

You talk about what is required by law, but the item is a week old, the OP's contract is with Power City, they should not accept beiong fobbed off to the manufacturer, if yoiu think that then you dont know consumer law at all. I'd try one more attempt at dealing with power city telling them you wish to speak to a store manager or higher,have a letter detailing (but concise) your complaint and have a copy, ask to get any copy counter signed and/or reg post it to them, if they fail to respond adequetly tell them and then do go to consumer connect.ie then small claims court as you wont/shouldn't waste your time.I'd expect a reply/update within a week, no reply in that time then I'd proceed as above.

evolving_doors

drunkmonkey wrote: »

You can believe all you want but the facts are, refund/replacement/repair. The decision on which you receive lies with retailer not the consumer. That's consumer law.

Think you meant repair/replace/refund..

At the time
They didnt repair
They wouldnt replace (although that seems to be on the cards now as the least hassle option)
They wouldnt refund.

slimjimmc

drunkmonkey wrote: »

You can believe all you want but the facts are, refund/replacement/repair. The decision on which you receive lies with retailer not the consumer. That's consumer law.

Not quite accurate, the decision on which you are offered lies with the retailer, but you can reject that offer and attempt to negotiate a better offer. The SCC can make the decision if both parties can't agree. It's not a case of simply accepting what you're offered.

Armelodie wrote: »

Think you meant repair/replace/refund..

At the time
They didnt repair
They wouldnt replace (although that seems to be on the cards now as the least hassle option)
They wouldnt refund.

There is no sequence, in fact the retailer doesn't even have to offer all 3, they can pick and choose among them, that's their choice. So long as they offer a repair or a replacement or a refund they are abiding by their legal obligations. They can also offer multiple options if they wish.

maxer68

Merch wrote: »

what are you talking about? the OP isn't ranting and raving do you work for Power city, I have bought some items from them but their customer service leaves a lot to be desired, haven't tried in a while but last time I did it was impossible to get through to them, for that reason I shop elsewhere.




You talk about what is required by law, but the item is a week old, the OP's contract is with Power City, they should not accept beiong fobbed off to the manufacturer, if yoiu think that then you dont know consumer law at all. I'd try one more attempt at dealing with power city telling them you wish to speak to a store manager or higher,have a letter detailing (but concise) your complaint and have a copy, ask to get any copy counter signed and/or reg post it to them, if they fail to respond adequetly tell them and then do go to consumer connect.ie then small claims court as you wont/shouldn't waste your time.I'd expect a reply/update within a week, no reply in that time then I'd proceed as above.

why is it that when a poster gives a post with even a slight bias in favour of a retailer tehre are some eejits who will always say "you must work for them"

do you know how stupid this remark is?

Whether the item is one minute old or one year old comnsumer legislation applies. - Legislation = law = must be adhered to and applies to all parties.

and on your second point - read my post PROPERLY (eg - the next line after your highlighted line - before making a comment that says EXACTLY what you say. - I clearly say, PC are responsible BUT the OP COULD if he/she wished, contact the manufacturer. "they are responsible to take it back, have it checked, repair it and return it to you," Its an option that sometimes gets the situation fixed quicker and thats what is wanted!

Oryx

The decision does not lie with the retailer, they offer, the customer can reject the offer and ask for one of the other remedies. But both sides must be reasonable.

Op, if you file with the scc without first going through the remedy as offered by the people you spoke to, you could well lose your claim as you are refusing their offer to remedy the situation.

UrbanSea

Having worked in an electrical shop a few annoying things spring to mind:

1. The OP mentions that since it's a week old and there is a fault already that if they accept a repair then it'll be broken in a year.

Nonsense. A lot of the time it's a tiny fault which is repaired.

2. Customers are under some sort of illusion that retailers can just exchange seemingly faulty items for refund or replacement without any consequenses. This is the most frustrating one.

Even if an item is a week old,the company can't give out a replacement if they can't find a fault. OP perhaps you should have told them to hang on to it for a day and notice the fault.

The reason they don't give out replacement goods like there's no tomorrow is that they'd look for credit from their suppliers i.e Toshiba/Samsung whoever. If they claim for a set with a minor fault that could have been repaired cheaply then they simply won't credit them for it. It may be excellent customer service to merely replace the item,but there's no point giving excellent customer service when you're losing money just because the customer refuses to see the problem reasonably.

Merch

drunkmonkey wrote: »

I don't think you've learned any lesson here Peace, no store is going to let you buy something, go home and use it for a bit and let your bring it back for a refund without a good reason, especially if the box it open.

Now if you go back to the store they may notice the issue there and then but they may need to satisfy themselves that you did not cause the fault. They are entitled to get it looked at by an engineer and it could take more than 24hrs.

Your best course of action would be to drop it in and get them to have a proper look at it, if it's a case of one of your devices is causing the problem that would not be covered under warranty as it's a 3rd party device and it's not guaranteed to work. So they might not issue any refund and it's also could be the reason they found no fault in store.

You've going to have to get one of the options to suit you, the store has the trump cards here and you need to play ball to get a satisfactory outcome for yourself. Your best best is go back to the store and look for someone in service or repair not a salesman.

Thats the whole idea of the protection afforded to the customer under law, they HAVE to take it out of the box and use it, they realise it doesnt work correctly, so justifiably return it. How could the box not be open???

maxer68 wrote: »

why is it that when a poster gives a post with even a slight bias in favour of a retailer tehre are some eejits who will always say "you must work for them"

do you know how stupid this remark is?

Whether the item is one minute old or one year old comnsumer legislation applies. - Legislation = law = must be adhered to and applies to all parties.

and on your second point - read my post PROPERLY (eg - the next line after your highlighted line - before making a comment that says EXACTLY what you say. - I clearly say, PC are responsible BUT the OP COULD if he/she wished, contact the manufacturer. "they are responsible to take it back, have it checked, repair it and return it to you," Its an option that sometimes gets the situation fixed quicker and thats what is wanted!

Attack the post not the poster, well its like this, your suggestion they were ranting and raving here which I saw none of places in my mind that you either work in retail and are biased or work specifically for PC and defend them around the place for their terrible customer service when you see someone brings up these incidents.

The store doesnt have the trump card here, legislation protects the consumer, NO ONE has a trump card, they dont need to play ball as you suggest as if they have to go to PCity cap in hand, they need to get on to PCity, put it in writing, get a receipt/ticket no. of the complaint/who they spoke to and informed what the follow up steps will be and a timeframe.If that doesnt work go to citizens information/consumer connect, then SCC.

The problem is Power city always try to fob off customers with issues, right from the begining when you try to ring them (edit noit answering), or talk to staff, they say oh there is no manager here.
OP try deal with PC firmly and politely, if they mess you about go an alternate route.

They purchased something in good faith, they are entitled to a fully functioning version of that device.

borderlinemeath

Armelodie wrote: »

Think you meant repair/replace/refund..

At the time
They didnt repair
They wouldnt replace (although that seems to be on the cards now as the least hassle option)
They wouldnt refund.

If you read the OPs posts you will find the answer to above.

The honest story is that he told me that he's not going to refund me or exchange the faulty item as he doesn't have the right to do so (I don't believe that myself), my answer was word by word "I'm not ready to leave the store until a solution is found, I have a receipt where I can read exchange or refund within 28 days". I was claiming something within my rights, his answer was " Sir, I can have you physically removed from this store" which means by force.

The OP was refusing to leave the store (and most likely was refusing ot leave his TV there) And if you notice the day the OP brought the item to the store was Sunday, hardly a day for the repairs dept to be open!

Also the salesman said that he couldn't refund or exchange. "not having the right to so", and it transpires along the way that the manager was on a day off (perfectly acceptable) but with the OP standing his ground and expecting something to be done there and then when the fault couldn't be established is unreasonable.

I do believe there's was a wee bit more said than the OP is letting on. Any of the posts from the OP on the subject show a lack of knowledge of consumer law, and yet here is is quoting that he's not leaving the store because he knows his rights.

I have dealt with many a customer who march in on a weekend with a technical fault and expect that they will get there own way there and then and not understand that to establish a fault the item may have to go to be inspected. Every store doesn't have a little workshop in the back, and if they did, they most likely wouldn't work on a Sunday! Items go to a central service/repair or back to the manufacturer for inspection.

Resi12

OK people are really going a bit OTT here.

The OP had a fault with the TV, which I am sure cost him/her a good sum of money. It's not some top that was the wrong size, he/she was well within their rights to ask the person in the shop working that served them which way they would get some sort of compensation for an obvious annoyance to anyone capable of hearing.

I don't care who you are but no sales person should ever say they will force you out of their shop unless you yourself have threatened them first. The OP only stood their ground (which too little Irish people do when it comes to stuff like this) and regardless of being wrong/right the sales assistant sounds horrid. Scumbags rarely get told they will get forced out of a shop let alone a customer with a faulty appliance. Ridiculous.

The people in here who are trying for some reason to make the OP out to be some sort of chancer is even more ridiculous.

borderlinemeath

Resi12 wrote: »

OK people are really going a bit OTT here.

The OP had a fault with the TV, which I am sure cost him/her a good sum of money. It's not some top that was the wrong size, he/she was well within their rights to ask the person in the shop working that served them which way they would get some sort of compensation for an obvious annoyance to anyone capable of hearing.

I don't care who you are but no sales person should ever say they will force you out of their shop unless you yourself have threatened them first. The OP only stood their ground (which too little Irish people do when it comes to stuff like this) and regardless of being wrong/right the sales assistant sounds horrid. Scumbags rarely get told they will get forced out of a shop let alone a customer with a faulty appliance. Ridiculous.

The people in here who are trying for some reason to make the OP out to be some sort of chancer is even more ridiculous.

I don't think anybody thinks the OP is a chancer. Misinformed and unaware of consumer law yes, but not chancing their arm.

Resi, I don't know if you've ever been on the receiving end of a customer who is ill informed of their "rights" and exerts undue pressure on store staff but I have as have many others that I know. Being threatened or verbally abused is far too regular an occurance in retail and it happens a lot.

I just find it incredulous that the OP was threatened to be ejected from the store without there being some form of verbal stand off between them and the staff member. I'm not saying the staff member was right or the OP was right but these things don't just happen, it's usually the last resort if the customer is persistant to the point where the staff member feels they have no other choice.

The way I see it is the OP states they refused to leave the store, when it seems the fault couldn't be established there and then. The OP has a limited grasp on consumer law but continues to exert the "rights" they think they have. The staff member can't leave, they are paid to work in the store and the customer refuses to leave their workplace until they get their way. As a last resort the staff member has to tell the OP to leave otherwise they will be forcibly removed.

All of this is not the issue, the fault of the TV needs to be established. Probably taken for inspection.

I have asked the OP already but if they googled the problem with the particular TV, if it's a well known problem it gives them a far better chance to get a replacement model. And if it's a well known fault with a particular model then I would look for a different model in exchange.

Boggles

UrbanSea wrote: »

Having worked in an electrical shop a few annoying things spring to mind:

1. The OP mentions that since it's a week old and there is a fault already that if they accept a repair then it'll be broken in a year.

Nonsense. A lot of the time it's a tiny fault which is repaired.

In this instance the fault was found immediately and the retailer notified.

It was a sales man not a engineer who tried to diagnose the fault.

He had already contacted the manufacturer who advised him it was not a known or "tiny fault"

The OP was more than fair and jumped through the hoops he was asked.

UrbanSea wrote: »

2. Customers are under some sort of illusion that retailers can just exchange seemingly faulty items for refund or replacement without any consequenses. This is the most frustrating one.

With respect. Why should consumers care?

If I buy a TV for 500 euro, a grand or whatever price, I plug it in and it's faulty, I'm not losing sleep that the retailer will have hassle getting redress on their end.

I'd be a little bit preoccupied with my redress to be honest.

BostonB

Seems to be the salesman was wrong, but the OP didn't deal with that well.

slimjimmc

Boggles wrote: »

In this instance the fault was found immediately and the retailer notified.

It was a sales man not a engineer who tried to diagnose the fault.

He had already contacted the manufacturer who advised him it was not a known or "tiny fault"

The OP was more than fair and jumped through the hoops he was asked.




With respect. Why should consumers care?

If I buy a TV for 500 euro, a grand or whatever price, I plug it in and it's faulty, I'm not losing sleep that the retailer will have hassle getting redress on their end.

I'd be a little bit preoccupied with my redress to be honest.

With respect, nowhere does in the OP does it say that the manufacturer advised it was not a "tiny fault", they simply advised him "they weren't aware about this issue". That means just that. It could very easily be a random simple tiny fault that could be repaired, and not necessarily one that is so prevalent to become a known fault.

BostonB wrote: »

Seems to be the salesman was wrong, but the OP didn't deal with that well.

That's how I read it. Telling someone that you won't move from here until you get your way would be considered unreasonable no matter how polite you say it. Note that the OP say's it was after he gave that ultimatum that he was asked to leave, not before. No innocents in this one.