Defective TV from Argos

Wright

I bought a television the other day from Argos. Firstly they wouldn't give me any kind of bag or handle for it so I had to lug a 40" home by myself. They said it was because Health and Safety prevented them from applying a handle in case it snapped off. Had to roll my eyes at that one.

But the real issue started when I got home. The screen has very noticeable dead pixels smack bang in the middle of the screen. And I'm 95% sure there were supposed to be 3D glasses in the box; manual makes several mentions to them. These are not the cheap cinema ones but battery powered ones. Nowhere to be found in the box, nor is the mentioned aerial.

So, I'm thinking this might be a refurbished unit that found its way back out on shelves somehow.

Before I contact Argos, what are my rights here? I wouldn't mind a replacement of the same TV, but if they can't provide one, do they have to refund me?

Quazzie

Wright wrote: »

I bought a television the other day from Argos. Firstly they wouldn't give me any kind of bag or handle for it so I had to lug a 40" home by myself. They said it was because Health and Safety prevented them from applying a handle in case it snapped off. Had to roll my eyes at that one.

But the real issue started when I got home. The screen has very noticeable dead pixels smack bang in the middle of the screen. And I'm 95% sure there were supposed to be 3D glasses in the box; manual makes several mentions to them. These are not the cheap cinema ones but battery powered ones. Nowhere to be found in the box, nor is the mentioned aerial.

So, I'm thinking this might be a refurbished unit that found its way back out on shelves somehow.

Before I contact Argos, what are my rights here? I wouldn't mind a replacement of the same TV, but if they can't provide one, do they have to refund me?

AFAIK there is an acceptable limit for dead pixels before a refund is warranted. From memory it is ridiculously high so I would check that out before going back to them.

duffman13

Wright wrote: »

I bought a television the other day from Argos. Firstly they wouldn't give me any kind of bag or handle for it so I had to lug a 40" home by myself. They said it was because Health and Safety prevented them from applying a handle in case it snapped off. Had to roll my eyes at that one.

But the real issue started when I got home. The screen has very noticeable dead pixels smack bang in the middle of the screen. And I'm 95% sure there were supposed to be 3D glasses in the box; manual makes several mentions to them. These are not the cheap cinema ones but battery powered ones. Nowhere to be found in the box, nor is the mentioned aerial.

So, I'm thinking this might be a refurbished unit that found its way back out on shelves somehow.

Before I contact Argos, what are my rights here? I wouldn't mind a replacement of the same TV, but if they can't provide one, do they have to refund me?

Bring it back, Argos are usually excellent to deal with. You should get a replacement no problem. Also I don't think they deal in refurbs ever.

As for your first point if they put some kind of handle on it they are liable in the event of this failing and I don't know what kind of bag is gonna support a 40" tv

Yea, I also completely agree with their policies of not having handles or bags. I'm pretty sure it's the same no matter what retailer you go to. At least I've never seen a 40 inch TV box come with a handle..?

Wright

Thanks for the quick replies.

Good to hear that they are reasonable; what happens though if it was their last unit? That seemed to be the case just before I bought it.

total former

Wright wrote: »

Thanks for the quick replies.

Good to hear that they are reasonable; what happens though if it was their last unit? That seemed to be the case just before I bought it.

They'll refund you. You can easily check the stock in other Argos shops or get them to do it for you.

Wright

total former wrote: »

They'll refund you.

Is that a part of our consumer rights or is it at their discretion? They gave a €10 voucher with it, does that complicate the legality of it?

Not going to go in there screaming about my rights, just looking to be informed before I go in

jimmynokia

No TV bix comes with handles that size but rather cut outs on side of box and ive never seen anyone carrying a 40 inch TV around whilst shopping.
People general have a car or someone to collect.
I would just walk in and explain you'll be grand, just sound tough and informed on your rights.
Only happened to me three times in past , one occasion the girl was a stubborn uninformed idiot,who tried to fob me off, other two where fine..

dudara

Wright wrote: »

Is that a part of our consumer rights or is it at their discretion? They gave a €10 voucher with it, does that complicate the legality of it?

Not going to go in there screaming about my rights, just looking to be informed before I go in

Under Consumer law, they can refund, replace or repair. But in general, Argos are excellent when it comes to returns and would refund without issue if you don't want a replacement. I don't think they're going to be worried about the €10 voucher.

Wright

dudara wrote: »

Under Consumer law, they can refund, replace or repair. But in general, Argos are excellent when it comes to returns and would refund without issue if you don't want a replacement. I don't think they're going to be worried about the €10 voucher.

Thanks, good to know. Went into them and the clerk said someone would have to decide whether the problem was enough to warrant but hopefully it'll be fine. Will drag it in tomorrow.

Wright

They won't let a delivery truck pick this up to go back, gonna have to lug this monster back myself. Wasn't worth the hassle at all. We'll see what they offer me but no way in hell am I leaving Argos with the same unit tomorrow.

foggy_lad

Wright wrote: »

Is that a part of our consumer rights or is it at their discretion? They gave a €10 voucher with it, does that complicate the legality of it?

Not going to go in there screaming about my rights, just looking to be informed before I go in

Repair, Replace or Refund, They generally don't bother sending things for repair but will most likely want to hold the tv for what they call 24hour testing where a staff member will examine the tv and try to find or recreate any faults described.

The voucher should not make any difference as it was free once you spent a certain amount.

Wright wrote: »

They won't let a delivery truck pick this up to go back, gonna have to lug this monster back myself. Wasn't worth the hassle at all. We'll see what they offer me but no way in hell am I leaving Argos with the same unit tomorrow.

Can you stick it and yourself into a taxi? local runs are usually only about €5/€6

Wright

Well over €10 and I have to walk a distance to get to a road. The fault with the TV is immediately apparent, they shouldn't need any length of time, hopefully they don't try to pull anything like that.

TheDoc

Yeah as many have said typically Argos are very good to deal with. I know from the years I worked there, and plenty on customer service, rarely had to give bad news when replacing an electronic item that displayed a fault.

You might get someone in the prescence of their manager, or a new manager, who will plug it in to test, but you can just show them the dead pixels and it should be no problems. They don't do refurbs, items that come back as faulty go into a cage and back to depot. Only returns that are people changing their mind, and the product is in resalable condition, go back on the shelf.

Wright

TheDoc wrote: »

Yeah as many have said typically Argos are very good to deal with. I know from the years I worked there, and plenty on customer service, rarely had to give bad news when replacing an electronic item that displayed a fault.

You might get someone in the prescence of their manager, or a new manager, who will plug it in to test, but you can just show them the dead pixels and it should be no problems. They don't do refurbs, items that come back as faulty go into a cage and back to depot. Only returns that are people changing their mind, and the product is in resalable condition, go back on the shelf.

That concerns me. The manual, while not having a picture of the contents of the package, genuinely did not have a pair of 3D glasses in the box. They're mentioned in the manual though. I wonder if they could refuse me on those grounds.

awec

Wright wrote: »

That concerns me. The manual, while not having a picture of the contents of the package, genuinely did not have a pair of 3D glasses in the box. They're mentioned in the manual though. I wonder if they could refuse me on those grounds.

That doesn't mean you should have got 3D glasses though. Sometimes there will be variations of the same TV in terms of what comes in the box, but to save costs they will just print the exact same manual for every variation.

Wright

awec wrote: »

That doesn't mean you should have got 3D glasses though. Sometimes there will be variations of the same TV in terms of what comes in the box, but to save costs they will just print the exact same manual for every variation.

True enough. Would be surprised and dissapointed at Toshiba for shipping a 3D display without glasses though.

green123

TheDoc wrote: »

Only returns that are people changing their mind, and the product is in resalable condition, go back on the shelf.

and how well are them returns checked and tested in store before argos sell them again ?

or is it just a quick glance by an employee and thinking everything looks ok so argos sell them again ?

Wright

green123 wrote: »

and how well are them returns checked and tested in store before argos sell them again ?

or is it just a quick glance by an employee and thinking everything looks ok so argos sell them again ?

Are returns where people simply cite unhappiness put back out? That could explain a lot...

slimjimmc

Wright wrote: »

That concerns me. The manual, while not having a picture of the contents of the package, genuinely did not have a pair of 3D glasses in the box. They're mentioned in the manual though. I wonder if they could refuse me on those grounds.

Many brands don't supply 3D-glasses with their TVs or only with selected models. What was the model number of the TV you bought?

whippet

Wright wrote: »

True enough. Would be surprised and dissapointed at Toshiba for shipping a 3D display without glasses though.

I have a 3d tosh telly and it didn't come with glasses .. Optional extra

Wright

whippet wrote: »

I have a 3d tosh telly and it didn't come with glasses .. Optional extra

Phew! Thanks for posting.

(Bad form on Toshi's part IMO. Had LG's before always came with glasses. And they weren't even active 3D so I could've got them anywhere!)

rubadub

Argos will let you return most items within 30 days for a full refund. That's the option I would go for rather than trying to replace, as you are back to square one.

Then buy it again. Have you a link to the TV, the reviews might mention the glasses, and the UK site can have lots more reviews (or it might be combined these days).

If you do return it the voucher may be cancelled though, so a replacement might be better.

by getting refunds you could effectively keep on returning the TVs until you get one with a very low dead pixel count. While if you kept going in with the same receipt they might question it more. I wonder if they would let you plug it in and test it in the shop. I know they opened a box for me before to read the instructions to find info which was missing from the catalogue on an item I considered buying.

colm_mcm

Re the voucher, you either give it back or have the value of it deducted from your refund.

Wright

Got it sorted. Yeah they took the voucher back, could have left it seeing as I had to pay for a taxi IMO but no harm no foul.

Hopefully Powercity or Harvey Normans have home delivery heh. If anyone knows of a sub 40" 3D telly going for reasonable give us a shout.

Thanks for all the posts folks.

TheDoc

green123 wrote: »

and how well are them returns checked and tested in store before argos sell them again ?

or is it just a quick glance by an employee and thinking everything looks ok so argos sell them again ?

Well in the store I worked some common sense applied. Things like say a lamp, or a toy etc. would be quickly checked to ensure it was fine and the likes, before being put back. Most of the time its returns where the item hasn't even being opened so it can go straight back on the shelf.

electronic items are actually exempt from the 30 day money back guarantee, so typically, unless you get someone sound, you don't get a refund just for changing your mind. For the reason that someone could buy a camera to use for a wedding, and then return, or a TV for a match and then return. Fair few times had to deal with aggrevied customers trying to pull a fast one, who clearly bought cameras for some event, claiming it was broken and demanding a refund.

In the instance above for the OP, the item goes straight into a returns cage. It's not tested in terms of resale value, its just shipped straight back as "faulty".