No guarantee on faulty Triton Shower

creedp

Hi

I was just wondering if anybody had a similar experience with Triton showers. We purchased a Triton Felice shower in Newry, the model isn't sold in the Republic, and when fitting the plumber noticed that there were 2 signifincant dents on the metal shower pole which didn't in any way relate to damage arising from transport or fitting the shower, i.e. the dents were smooth without any damage to the chrome finish as if they were part of the manufacturing process.

We rang B&Q who gave us a Triton UK customer service number and when I was explaining my case I was stopped mid-sentence and told that the small print on the customer documentation made it clear that Triton UK were not responsible for any products sold outside the UK. I couldn't believe it and while making my feelings known to this person basically that it was unnaceptable for a company like Triton to sell a £400 shower unit and provide absolutely no after sale service outside of a certain jurisdiction, I was told I was rude and basically to buzz off.

I then rang Triton Ireland to be told the same story. Is this for real?

yoshytoshy

creedp wrote: »

I then rang Triton Ireland to be told the same story. Is this for real?

Triton are very good with guarantees ,but they will only cover warranties by calling out and viewing installation. They won't entertain returns to shops etc.

Your problem is you installed a shower outside their warranty area.

creedp

yoshytoshy wrote: »

Triton are very good with guarantees ,but they will only cover warranties by calling out and viewing installation. They won't entertain returns to shops etc.

Your problem is you installed a shower outside their warranty area.

That seems to be the issue but I don't think thats an sustainable argument. There's a little think called the EU around which has regulation that stipulate that you can't put obstacles in place which make it more difficult for an EU citizen to buy a product in one EU State. Im my view Triton UK are operating within the EU and can't restrict warranties to one EU country. If the product is sold in the EU and is faulty they are responsible for that fault.

I have to say I am absolutely flabbergasted that a company that espouses the view that it is a high quality company selling high quality products would carry on in such a underhand way. Selling a £400 product that is faulty and hiding behind small print in an invoice to run away from its responsibilities. If this isn't resolved in a reasonable manner I have to say I won't be promoting Triton products to anyone from now on.

yoshytoshy

Have to say ,I've never had an issue with triton other than a very rare solenoid issue.

I think triton are very good company.

creedp

yoshytoshy wrote: »

Have to say ,I've never had an issue with triton other than a very rare solenoid issue.

I think triton are very good company.

So did I and others around me. But I have to say I can't say the same now based on what I've experienced in relation to this shower. It may all come right and maybe its down to misinterpretations but as it stands I would advise anyone who intends buying Triton products in NI or elsewhere to be very aware of this issue. If you were buying cheap products worth a couple of euro fair enough but if your spending big bucks its just not good enough.

yoshytoshy

It's like that for a lot of products in Ireland though ,companies have service engineers down here for irish goods.
I'd stand my ground with BQ though and demand a replacement from them. Especially that you were not aware of tritons on-site warranty.

creedp

yoshytoshy wrote: »

It's like that for a lot of products in Ireland though ,companies have service engineers down here for irish goods.
I'd stand my ground with BQ though and demand a replacement from them. Especially that you were not aware of tritons on-site warranty.

That's certaintly an avenue to be pursued as it was B&Q that received the money for the product but it was delivered directly from the UK through
a different distributor that was used for other B&Q products purchased at the same time. I've already said to B&Q that they would want to warn their many southern customers that they can't provide any back-up for the products they sell outside NI. I'm sure that would influence the buying decisions of a lot of such customers. Not too many businesses would get away with a policy like that in the long term. As a matter of interest I must pursue the legality of such a policy on both sides though because I can't see how it stacks up.

OneWayBet

OP, did you get any satisfaction on this in the end? I bought a T100Si online from TLC-Direct in the UK. It was working fine for a few months but it has developed a fault where water is coming out of the skinny translucent pipe attached to the inlet (unfortunately not the larger PRD pipe). Not sure if this indicates a solenoid valve fault or not.

Anyway I called Triton Ireland and they said I'm stuffed. I also thought that EU directives would prevent measures like this to corner markets within the EU. While I'm sure Triton have a solid reputation it is pretty shocking to me that they treat their customers this way. Most of the TV manufacturers, phone manufacturers and so on offer EU wide warranties, thought it was the case for all electrical equipment.

DGOBS

I assume the don't have a trans-european warranty, seems fair to me.

If your money had have been spent in this country maybe, just maybe, I wouldn't been listening to a news tonight that had over 300,000 people unemployed, lot to be said for keeping our money here where possible even when it costs a few quid extra.

Joey the lips

I wonder if european consumer affairs would have anything to say on this.

Most people will not buy triton showers outside this juristriction anyway because most of tritons buiness is the t90 which is only available in the republic.

The UK usually works on power showers etc.

OneWayBet

Actually the directive I had in mind does exist:
http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/consumer_affairs/consumer_protection/consumer_rights/consumer_rights_and_cross_border_shopping_in_the_european_union.html

"If you purchase goods or services from another EU Member State and they were advertised in your country, you are protected under consumer law of your home country."

In this case the T180si is advertised in Ireland http://www.tritonshowers.ie/electric-showers/topaz-t100si.aspx

So it seems Irish law applies and Irish law must meet or exceed the consumer rights provided by the EU directive. What I am not clear on is whether the UK retailer is liable or the manufacturer is liable. I have attached an annotated photo.


PS: If anyone is familiar with these showers if I could find out what the part is it might be another route to follow. There is a thin tube attached to the underside of the inlet, this tube is curled around and points back up into the shower unit (on the inside). Water comes out the tube simultaneously as coming out the outlet even if I detach the outlet hose. Note this is not the PRD hose which is larger and directs water outside the unit.

It seems incredible that the design would intentionally direct water inside the unit up towards the electrics, given that I am assuming this is a major fault. Could it be the solenoid valve?

http://i1048.photobucket.com/albums/s361/cmctwit/triton.png



If you have a complaint arising from a purchase in another member state of the EU apart from your home country it can be difficult to resolve issues that you may have with the seller of the goods or services. Distance, language differences and costs of court cases can prevent you from making consumer complaints. However, supports are available for you if you have a cross border dispute. ECC Dublin will intervene on your behalf with the trader in the other Member State in order to find an amicable solution. If this is not successful, ECC Dublin will forward your case to its Clearing House section so that the case can be sent to an Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) organisation in the other country.

I have contacted the UK retailer requesting them to either ask Triton Ireland to send an engineer out or to send me a replacement unit. I will post back with the outcome.

creedp

OneWayBet wrote: »

OP, did you get any satisfaction on this in the end? I bought a T100Si online from TLC-Direct in the UK. It was working fine for a few months but it has developed a fault where water is coming out of the skinny translucent pipe attached to the inlet (unfortunately not the larger PRD pipe). Not sure if this indicates a solenoid valve fault or not.

Anyway I called Triton Ireland and they said I'm stuffed. I also thought that EU directives would prevent measures like this to corner markets within the EU. While I'm sure Triton have a solid reputation it is pretty shocking to me that they treat their customers this way. Most of the TV manufacturers, phone manufacturers and so on offer EU wide warranties, thought it was the case for all electrical equipment.

I'm afraid I basically chickened out in that I did initially pursue B&Q who basically told me to get stuffed unless I dismantled the unit and take it back to B&Q. As it was a cosmetic issue, i.e. the shower was working OK it just looks damaged, which is something I'm am not happy about having paid so much money for it I didn't have the energy to pursue the matter. Unfortunately I had much bigger fish to fry at the time. However, I do think B&Q have some nerve not to advise their customers of issues surrounding the warranty (or lack thereof) of products purchased in their store. Some customer service, or lack thereof!

Anyway I hope you have better luck with getting your problem resolved especially as your problem impacts on the operation of the shower. I've no doubt that the EU angle, if pursued, would produce results. There has to be some advantages left to the EU project!

creedp

DGOBS wrote: »

I assume the don't have a trans-european warranty, seems fair to me.

If your money had have been spent in this country maybe, just maybe, I wouldn't been listening to a news tonight that had over 300,000 people unemployed, lot to be said for keeping our money here where possible even when it costs a few quid extra.

There'a flip side to that argument in that if other countries had the same attitude we wouldn't have the option of an 'export-led' recovery we constantly hear of in the media. I agree though we should always opt for Irish if it is of equivalent quality and within a reasonable price differential, i.e. not exploitatively more expensive.

OneWayBet

Hi just following up on this, first of all I managed to fix the shower myself. The thin tube goes from the inlet to the pressure switch which turns the shower off if pressure drops. The tube simply popped of the socket resulting in the water spraying internally in the shower. Luckily the tube was pointing downwards so the electrics did not get wet. So I refitted the tube nice and tight and double-secured it with a DIY fixing to prevent it popping out again. Hope this helps somebody sometime who has the same problem.

I didn't contact Triton UK but I emailed the retailer who agreed to refund but refused to cover postage which I believe they are required to do. My annoyance is mainly with Triton rather than the retailer as they are clearly creating separate markets in Ireland and the UK which is precisely what the EU directive was created to prevent. Hopefully somebody will sue them soon to get them back on the right side of the law.

BTW Am I the only "plumber" that visits this forum?

Joey the lips

OneWayBet wrote: »

BTW Am I the only "plumber" that visits this forum?

No but your prob the only person to buy that shower.