This is a long shot... but someone might be able to help...

Access

Mods please feel free to move or delete if i am asking too much here, but i said i would ask to see if anyone could help out.

My dad bought a Lidl "florabest" Telescopic Chainsaw form his local Lidl around april/may last year and has used it few times since then. When we were doing some cutting back and general tidying up of the back garden at the weekend, it became hot from continuous use over a 45 minute spell and it seems to have failed, the motor is running fine but the chainsaw end is not running at all.

We have been in contact with lidl customer service would gave us the number and address of DES uk who handle their warranty repair/replacements. The problem is that DES cannot do anything for my dad as he did not hold onto the receipt (i know - i keep telling him to file away things like this).

I would love to get this sorted for him as at his age now he cannot be forking out for another one...

Does anyone have a receipt for the same product that i could use to enable dad to send off to fulfil the warranty on this.

Again, sorry if i am asking too much here and please feel free to close/remove this post if i am stepping out of line here but i know this is a long shot. I would of course be willing to pay a few quid towards anyone helping out on this one be it for postage or just the persons time for helping out.

Thanks.

redser7

Sorry, I don't have one. But I do know of people who have brought products directly back to the store and got looked after, even without a receipt and a good while after they bought them. But it would still need to be under garauntee. Worth chancing your arm.

As it happens, they will be on sale again in a week's time ...
http://www.lidl.ie/cps/rde/xchg/lidl_ri_ie/hs.xsl/index_23700.htm

Maybe buy one, and if it is exactly the same, polish up the old one and bring it back with the new receipt for a refund.

Access

Thanks for the info redser7 but we did bring it back to the lidl store he bought it from but the manager on duty just referred us to the customer help line as the unit is under a three year warranty.

Lidl/DES uk are only in a position to repair or replace the faulty unit. Hence why the receipt is required.

magicbastarder

his relationship is with lidl, not with the service centre.
a chainsaw would have a reasonable expected lifetime of a couple of years; as such consumer law (rather than whatever warranty they were offering).
if i were your dad, i'd get back on to lidl and demand a refund.

MidlandsM

magicbastarder wrote: »

his relationship is with lidl, not with the service centre.
a chainsaw would have a reasonable expected lifetime of a couple of years; as such consumer law (rather than whatever warranty they were offering).
if i were your dad, i'd get back on to lidl and demand a refund.

.....without a reciept, he has'nt a hope.

who the fug

Can you make any head way quoting the serial number of the unit

magicbastarder

are lidl a franchise? if not, since it's a model sold exclusively by lidl, i can't see them putting up a reasonable defence of the 'no receipt' argument, at least not for service. they should take in the unit at whatever outlet is local to your dad, it's a reasonable argument to make that that is where he would have bought it.
ring head office. you might get talking to a human.

redser7

Be persistent and try another store.

Access

MidlandsM is right here... dad has no receipt and even though it is florabest and only sold by lidl, its gone over the 30 day money back promise thingy so its a case of lidl customer service just referring us onto the warranty fulfiller (DES uk)... which in our case as the unit is faulty, is the right way of doing things by Lidl and i agree on this.

And in fairness they were very nice on the phone, but the lady from DES did state that if we couldn't come up with a receipt, her hands were tied and there was nothing she could do unfortunately.

I would have no problem in get another for dad but a spare €89 is hard to come by at the moment, that why i said i would check on here to see if anyone might have a receipt for the same.

Zuiderzee

Could be something in the linkage, might be worth asking about repairs at a motorcycle shop, those lads are very good with machinery of that nature - got a regular chainsaw sorted that way once

kynzvart

Lidl do the very same here in the UK if you bring back any thing that is electrical or some none food item to them they will give you a telephone no to ring the shop will not deal with it.I bought a heater from them and it broke after a month I brought it back to the shop and the manager just gave me a telephone no and that turned into a right nightmare they wanted the item returned to them I was to pay the postage which they would return if they found that I had'nt broken it.In the end I went to my local Trading Standards Office they sorted it out for me. Hence I learned my lesson and never buy anything other than food there now.

magicbastarder

Access wrote: »

its a case of lidl customer service just referring us onto the warranty fulfiller (DES uk)... which in our case as the unit is faulty, is the right way of doing things by Lidl and i agree on this.

no, your relationship is with lidl, not with some company they have contracted the job out to. that's the way consumer law is written. you should be able to drop the chainsaw into lidl and pick up the repaired chainsaw from the same branch.
the product has ceased to be able to perform the function which it was sold for and which you bought it for, within a reasonable lifetime of the item. they should fix it without charge.

paddy147

If your dad used a lazer or credit card to pay for the item,then he can get a copy of the transaction from the bank,and this will be proof of date of purchase to Lidl.

ymurtagh

wow wow,, if the engine is running it sounds like it is simple fix,,most of these machines run direct off the engine,,, my 4 do,, but a few questions, Has he hit the safety break on?? does he know the brake works?? is the chain off the sprocked?? don't mean to sound all smart but if his first chain saw he won't be aware of these features,,

Access

Thanks for all the replys...

paddy147 wrote: »

If your dad used a lazer or credit card to pay for the item,then he can get a copy of the transaction from the bank,and this will be proof of date of purchase to Lidl.

Will look into this, might be a solution.

@ Zuiderzee and ymurtagh... thanks for the info, that was all checked i too reckon it is only a linkage damaged inside the gear box on the motor end as we could hear rattling coming from the gearbox/driveshaft.

But saying that, it is under warranty, so would prefer not to mess around with another third party until i know i have no other option.

peasant

I have one of those yokes too and in the instructions it clearly states that it shouldn't be used continuously ...they mention something like 10-15 mins max.

So even if you send it in for repair under warranty, chances are that they will see that you cooked it and refuse repair/charge you for it.

Might turn out cheaper in the long run (also think of costs for post/courier) to try and get it fixed locally.

CJhaughey

If the engine is running and the chain isn't turning then there is only a few possibilities.
1, clutch is fried, not a big deal and unlikely.
2, gears in head are bust
3, Chain has come off the drive sprocket in the head.
4, Chain too slack on drive sprocket.
Bring it to a chainsaw/small engine repair shop they will be able to diagnose it quickly.

Access

peasant wrote: »

I have one of those yokes too

You didn't happen to keep the receipt? and if so could i borrow it?

peasant

Nope, sorry ...receipt long since gone

redser7

Have you tried other forums on boards? Like DIY

Access

Just an update on this...

Thanks for all the replys, It has been a nice experience here on the gardening forum... where people actually do reply with help and advice, so thanks to all on that.

I contacted the warranty fulfilment company (who lidl referred us to) again and i told the lady that we had searched high and low for the receipt and failed.

I asked her if because it was a florabest lidl product and only sold by lidl, is there anything she could do for us. (thanks to paddy147 for suggesting this)... I asked her if we produced a statement page from dads bank account showing the laser payment would that suffice. She went off and checked and i am very very glad to say that she said it would! \o/ Yay!

We printed off the statement page needed and sent it off with a cover letter to them in the post today.

The process is now that they will send out a brand new replacement for free and delivered for free via DHL, once they receive a copy of the statement page showing the payment made to lidl (dad had bought other food items with that machine that day so it shows a laser payment above the price of the machine - they said that is fine). They also said it could take a while, maybe up to a few weeks before it arrived, but thats fine by us.

So thanks again to all for the advice on this query.

redser7

Glad it worked out!