Currys KnowHow Upfront Charge

danny004

Hi All
In Jan 2012 I purchased a Samsung TV from Currrys so it is 2.5 years old. Cost was 700 eur and I didn't take out extended warranty. it has now developed a fault where when I turn on the TV the top left quarter of the screen remains dark for 20 minutes or so. Looking on the net it is a common enough fault for that model tv. I contacted currys knowhow who say they now require 110 euro to collect the tv deliver to the UK and check it it, If it is a manufacturing fault they will return the fee and fix foc if its a user issue they will quote to repair
My question is because i purchased the tv 5 miles down the road why do I have to pay for transportation to the uk ,I can understand a technician fee to examine the TV and also should I be wary of getting an honest assessment of user fault verses manufacturing fault
thanking you

ben.schlomo

danny004 wrote: »

Hi All
In Jan 2012 I purchased a Samsung TV from Currrys so it is 2.5 years old. Cost was 700 eur and I didn't take out extended warranty. it has now developed a fault where when I turn on the TV the top left quarter of the screen remains dark for 20 minutes or so. Looking on the net it is a common enough fault for that model tv. I contacted currys knowhow who say they now require 110 euro to collect the tv deliver to the UK and check it it, If it is a manufacturing fault they will return the fee and fix foc if its a user issue they will quote to repair
My question is because i purchased the tv 5 miles down the road why do I have to pay for transportation to the uk ,I can understand a technician fee to examine the TV and also should I be wary of getting an honest assessment of user fault verses manufacturing fault
thanking you

They are a UK company, im sure their techs are based there and not in Ireland which is standard for all UK companies in Ireland.

danny004

Hi Ben
Im not disputing where their repair center is based what I am asking is it reasonable for me to be charged carriage to ship the TV to the UK when I purchased the TV locally

skinny90

I'd question the fee side of things however I will say it's a step in the right direction for these companies if it is a manufacturing fault there not stamping there foot down on the whole well it's outside of 12 Warrenty malarkey. And sure what have to worry about if it is a fault then you get your money back. Is there a place in Ireland big enough to repair all there TVs that would logistically work considering there size!?

foggy_lad

You should return the item to the store where it was purchased and inform them that it is faulty and you want a repair or replacement and failing both of those you will accept a refund.

If as you suspect this is a manufacturing fault there will be no charge and the company can not charge you up front for a repair that might be your responsibility!

If they refuse to help you when you arrive with your tv you should take them to the small claims court. this will cost you €25and you would most likely win if the shop are so unreasonable as to refuse a repair or replacement of a tv less than 3 years old.

All these up front charges for warranty repairs and repairs under statutory rights are just a way for these UK companies to deny Irish people their consumer rights and charge us for doing so!

Chances are they will swear they are acting within consumer law etc but they will not do anything for you until you go to small claims court as they know if a customer does that they will win!

knucklehead6

Just before Christmas I had an issue with a Samsung fridge that was WAY outside warranty. When i rang Samsung direct they told me that they could send someone out AT NO CHARGE as I hadn't had an issue with this appliance in the past. OK, there was a repair charge, but for the price of a phone call you might save yourself some money.

I don't think the retailer is under any obligation to you once the warranty has passed.

slimjimmc

knucklehead6 wrote: »

Just before Christmas I had an issue with a Samsung fridge that was WAY outside warranty. When i rang Samsung direct they told me that they could send someone out AT NO CHARGE as I hadn't had an issue with this appliance in the past. OK, there was a repair charge, but for the price of a phone call you might save yourself some money.

I don't think the retailer is under any obligation to you once the warranty has passed.

Consumer law requires the retailer to deal with a variety of issues for a reasonable period which often well exceeds any warranty period. For example if an item is reasonably expected to last 5 years then the seller is still obliged to deal with any manufacturing defects for that period even if the warranty only lasted 2 years. It's the general rule although factors such as the price paid, the nature of the item and whether there would be an unjust cost to the seller can influence the outcome.

So, in general, the retailer is often under a full obligation to you even once the warranty has passed.

danny004

Thanks All for your replies
I am I think aware of my consumer rights but this method seems to me that I am paying them 110 Euro to bring the TV to the UK for them to tell me that its a manufacturing defect. If they tell me it is a manufacturing fault I am a winner so to speak but what if they say its a user fault despite numerous instances of the issue on the net ,a TV generally its a non configurable item thats kept in a clean dry cool environment that should be reasonabaly built to withstand normal liveable conditions for at least 5-7 years I would think. I have then paid 110 euro for transport to the UK and Currys will say they along with myself have now exhausted my consumer rights as its my own fault even though I only have their word for it.
What I would much rather is to be able to bring the TV to a local independent dealer like AVServices in Cork ask them for a report on the TV and then submit this to Currys which currys have told me they are not obliged to accept

skinny90

knucklehead6 wrote: »

Just before Christmas I had an issue with a Samsung fridge that was WAY outside warranty. When i rang Samsung direct they told me that they could send someone out AT NO CHARGE as I hadn't had an issue with this appliance in the past. OK, there was a repair charge, but for the price of a phone call you might save yourself some money.

I don't think the retailer is under any obligation to you once the warranty has passed.

Yes they do, Consumer law supersedes any warranty period and offers greater protection to the consumer.

What i mentioned earlier isn't necessarily ideal for the customer and by law they shouldn't charge anything. But i haven't heard of any other electronic retailer/mobile retailer going down this route.

Most will stand by their 12 month warranty until the customer goes down the SCC route

danny004

So all as an update I went go for the collection service and the guy in Curry s said it wouldn't be worth my while and to send it to a local repair shop for a report. I did this and they confirmed the panel has failed and not cost efficient to replace. The report will only state panel has failed. His veiw was that I would have no comeback as Samsung makes hundres of thousands of TVs where panels dont fail and the small claims court would be a waste of time. My next stop as suggested above is to go to Samsung direct to see if they will do a good will gesture on replacement though I wouldnt hold my breath

foggy_lad

danny004 wrote: »

So all as an update I went go for the collection service and the guy in Curry s said it wouldn't be worth my while and to send it to a local repair shop for a report. I did this and they confirmed the panel has failed and not cost efficient to replace. The report will only state panel has failed. His veiw was that I would have no comeback as Samsung makes hundres of thousands of TVs where panels dont fail and the small claims court would be a waste of time. My next stop as suggested above is to go to Samsung direct to see if they will do a good will gesture on replacement though I wouldnt hold my breath

His view involves him making very large amounts of commission from you for either the repair or a new TV.

Currys are obliged to deal with you for up to 6 years!

They must Repair, Replace or Refund!

You have a report that it is a fault with the TV not caused by customer damage so they must provide redress! Forget all their bull about sending it to the UK for examination etc this is just to get money from you for repairs they are obliged to do free!

Your next step should be bringing the TV back to the store and leaving it there with them or sending a written complaint asking for redress in the form of repair replacement or refund and if they don't do this you go to the small claims court.


Top Tip: every time they mention Warranty just ignore what they are saying as it does not apply to you, you are claiming under the Sale Of Goods Act and have up to 6 years to seek redress under Irish law.


You have all the information you need now but it is up to you whether you use it or not. if you want to throw money at the likes of Currys instead of sticking up for your consumer rights that is your own business.

skelligs

foggy_lad wrote: »

His view involves him making very large amounts of commission from you for either the repair or a new TV.

.

How would an independent local TV repair person make any commission from a new TV?

The OP brought it to a tv repair person, not currys. So an independent, totally unrelated professional has provided an opinion that it is not a manufacturing fault.

I can't see what the OP can do except hope Samsung/Currys give a gesture of goodwill.

slimjimmc

skelligs wrote: »

How would an independent local TV repair person make any commission from a new TV?

The OP brought it to a tv repair person, not currys. So an independent, totally unrelated professional has provided an opinion that it is not a manufacturing fault.

I can't see what the OP can do except hope Samsung/Currys give a gesture of goodwill.

I don't see where the OP said that was the indy's opinion
The indy's opinion is that the panel has failed. If his report actually used the word "failed" then it's he is pointing at (or at least suggesting) a manufacturing fault or hasn't clue how it happened. Surely if there was evidence of damage or abuse he would have used the word "damaged" to describe the failure.
The OP doesn't have to prove a manufacturing defect existed, merely demonstrate that a defect exists. It's up to the seller to prove it the defect was not inherent. An the indy's opinion on the defect rate of other Samsung panels would have no bearing in the SCC, a judge would look each case on it own merits.

If anything I think it strengthens the OP's position.

danny004

Just to clarify and I have just been onto the indy ,he said he will issue a report saying the panel has failed similairy it could have said ite beyond repair becuase the glass on the TV was smashed etc etc ,it is not their company policey to determine what caused the failure because as he put it they werent there when the failure happened so they are not determining if it was manaufacture fault or user fault. I think though it must be a logical conclusion that if a report said a panel has failed it probably holds up as a manaufacture fault becuase in a non configurable item I would scratch my head to determine how I would intentionally or "Fail a Panel" and before anyone says it could be the environment the TV was kept in its in a living room on a stand clean surrodings where us humans are managing to thrive

dudara

First thing is that I wouldn't be letting Curry's pass on their responsibility here. They are responsible and should not be passing to any indy repair shop or Samsung.

They are entitled to determine if it's a manufacturing fault (that's only fair to them!) but if it is found to be a manufacturing fault, then they must repair, replace or refund. In reality, only the manufacturer or their authorised agents are truly qualified to say if it was a manufacturing fault.

I agree that in theory you won't be out of pocket if found to be a manufacturing fault, but being asked to pay E110 upfront is a bit much. It's not your concern that the repair centre is located in the UK. They could just as easily transport it free of charge, and ask you to pay if found to be faulty.

It's time for a registered letter to the store manager and head office asking them to investigate the issue as per their responsibility, otherwise you will be starting a claim in the SCC.

foggy_lad

skelligs wrote: »

How would an independent local TV repair person make any commission from a new TV?

The OP brought it to a tv repair person, not currys. So an independent, totally unrelated professional has provided an opinion that it is not a manufacturing fault.

I can't see what the OP can do except hope Samsung/Currys give a gesture of goodwill.

I was referring to the Currys Know How(to shaft you) crowd who are looking for a shed load of money to send the tv to england to get it assessed, in reality they are trying to recoup the repair cost from the buyer even thought the buyer has statutory rights.