Currys €110 to diagnose fault with JVC TV

king2

My Sister bought a JVC LT39C790 TV from currys last year. Recently, just after the 12 month warranty expired, cloudy vertical black lines appeared on the screen which seem to be getting worse. Currys want €110 to inspect the TV and say that if the fault is due to a manufacturing defect they will repair or replace the TV.We're hesitant to do so as if we pay the €110 Currys can just say the fault is not due to a manufacturing defect. Has anyone gone this route with Currys?

Xterminator

the issue could have been the tv was mistreated. curry's shouldn't and wouldn't bear the costs of TVs that have end user damage. I'm sure you agree with that?

If your sister is confidant that in her case the TV has not been abused, then a repair /replacement sounds perfect. They are not even saying anything stupid about the warranty being expired - because under the sale of goods act they have a responsibility - which they are acknowledging.

So if your sure its a fault not caused by end user there is no issue.

if you don't trust/believe currys you can always pay for an independent report - yourself.

D3V!L

How much did the TV cost originally ?

king2

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118220106#Comment_118220106

It was €230

LawBoy2018

Why don't you go to someone independent to assess the fault? If they find that the tv is faulty, Curry's will be forced to either replace, repair or refund you for the TV.

https://www.eccireland.ie/ecc-ireland-issues-advisory-on-consumer-warranties-and-statutory-rights/

SteM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118222141#Comment_118222141

Bandana boy

Curry's are reputable so I would not be worried about that but not sure I would roll a €110 dice on a €230 TV .

Is there kids in the house ? if so its almost certain they crashed into it at some point

you could try to argue the 2 year legal guarantee

https://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/consumers/shopping/guarantees-returns/faq/index_en.htm

but still

After 6 months, you can still hold the seller responsible for any defects up to the end of the two-year guarantee period.

However, the seller can ask you to prove that the defect existed when your goods were delivered. This is often difficult, and you will may have to involve a technical expert.

Hence the report.

Of course also the JVC Tv brand has absolutely zero to do with the original JVC Japanese brand

The JVC TV brand was licensed to the Taiwan manufacturer AmTran until 2018, when that license was acquired by Shenzhen MTC, a Chinese TV company. 

https://www.consumerreports.org/tvs/tv-brands-arent-always-what-they-seem-a1006320983/

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118222141#Comment_118222141

the independent assessment will likely cost the same fee

theteal

As much as I'm all for battling for consumer rights. I just don't see there being a great result on a €230 TV. Yes you can force them to the small claims court but will you get a full award if you win??? Is it worth the effort?

By all means see how far you can push them but I think I'd be tempted to live with it and save some money for a better TV

ShatterProof

I had a same issue with Curry's and a JVC television , the back light stopped working after 18 months (the TV wasn't mistreated) .

When they asked for the €110 to diagnose the fault I told them that I was not interested in the cause of the fault and it was not my concern. As per the Sales of Goods and Services Act 1980, good must be of merchantable quality, fit for purpose and reasonably durable. 18 months is not the expected lifespan of a TV.

They then started quoting incorrect laws and acts ( mainly English consumer stuff ) and in each correspondence i just quoted "as per the Sales of Goods and Services Act 1980, good must be of merchantable quality, fit for purpose and reasonably durable. 18 months in not the lifespan of a TV."

Filled out small court claim and was awarded a full refund. they didn't contest it.

I was going back and forth for weeks, save yourself the grief quote the sale of goods act and start the claim now.

youtheman

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118222531#Comment_118222531

This is great advice. Had a problem with a JVC blueray player. Took it back to the shop and said I wanted a warranty repair. He looked up the sales invoice and said 'it's out of warranty'. I said it's not. He said the warranty is 12 months. I asked is he had heard of the 'Sales of Goods and Services Act'. Goods much be of merchantable quality, AND THERE IS NO TIME LIMIT. He just shrugged his shoulders. I said I paid (think it was about) €600 for a blueray player that lasted 15 months. I asked him if he thought this constituted 'merchantable quality'. Naturally enough he had no answer to that. So I got it repaired free of charge.

If you end up in the Small Claims Court it will be you, Joe Soap, up against the big conglomerate. Who do you think the judge will favour?. Remember through, you might not get a full refund. If, for example, you try claim for a 4 tear old telly the judge might only award you a fraction of the replacement cost.

king2

Thanks for the input. I replied to currys stating I wasn't happy about having to pay €110 for them to diagnose the fault. They replied saying the matter is being forwarded to a "specialist team" for further consideration and they will contact me. If that fails I'll try what shatterproof did.

snowstreams

I had a similar issue with a 2.5 year old panasonic tv.

Turns out it wasnt made by panasonic but outsourced to some other company & it had poor electronics to begin with.

It would often turn off and fail to turn back on unless it cooled down. This would happen very often during warm weather or if sun shone on it.

So we kept it in the shade, until it fully gave up on us once the warranty expired.

So my point is that heat seems to be a factor in damaging lots of cheaper TVs. Its probably damaged in multiple areas & not worth fixing.

L1011

Beyond Samsung, LG and Sony pretty much no old brand makes (or have made directly for them) their own TVs anymore.

king2

There's no going back now of course and no comparison in terms of picture quality but the old CRTs were alot more robust and reliable!

Curb Your Enthusiasm

It's sickening to think of how many people some of these retailers swindle into paying for "out of warranty" repairs by quoting a manufacturers warranty, knowing full well they are covered under consumer law. Customers need to do more research too, I suppose.

bbsrs

Do you have to pay in advance for the fault to be diagnosed?

dxhound2005

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118233985#Comment_118233985

Not in my experience.

mondeoman72

Currys are known for this crap. Someone said currys are reputable. I disagree. They, along with other retailers will try and avoid this and put you off. There are plenty of other examples here on boards. You have rights under the sale of goods and supply of services act. Demand to speak to the manager. If he does not sort it, put it in writing with a reminder you will not engage a third time. Then just go to the small claims court.

dxhound2005

Bear in mind that you can normally only claim the amount for which you are directly out of pocket, in other words, the amount you paid for the faulty goods and/or any cost involved in having them repaired. It is therefore a good idea to keep all receipts and documentation to show what these amounts are.

The above is from Citizen's Information about Small Claims. I don't know what they mean by "normally", but if it was me I would not go to the bother for €230. That is if Curry's still want €110 for a process which has no certain outcome. It costs €25 to make a claim.

L1011

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118233985#Comment_118233985

They really weren't. TV repair shops were the norm in every town of any size, component replacement every few years was common.

Survivorship bias - the few really sturdy examples of things are the ones that are left, not the norm - causes people to think electronics were more reliable in the past. They weren't - not even close.

king2

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118236919#Comment_118236919

Not in my experience, after the 80s never had a CRT TV fail. Myself and 3 siblings had CRTs which lasted 10 yrs or more without a hiccup before switching to the leds. A brother and Sister have had led tvs fail which were less than 3yrs old. CRTs were poor in the 70s alright, having to have the TV repairman call out was common enough!

cml387

Just as an aside, years ago i worked for a company that made satellite receivers (early 90's). We manufactured for BT, Alba,Mitsui and JVC. The price varied, Alba was cheapest and JVC was more expensive (£50 more I think). The thing is the only difference in manufacture was the plastic flap on the front with the name on.

rob316

If it's not a Sony,LG or Samsung now it's made by vestel. They make Panasonic, jvc, alba, bush, polaroid, wangdong, it's all the same.

B.A._Baracus

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118222347#Comment_118222347

I say this.

By all means push it if you want to. But if they still play hard ball, and faced with a potential 110 fee loss on a 230 tv? I would just get a new one. Else where or course and I wouldn't be buying anything from there again.

Darc19

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118234395#Comment_118234395

True, but some posts above show that some people really don't have a clue.

1, the EU 2year warranty has zero effect in Ireland.

2, the better Irish legislation has a statute of 6 years - not "no time limit" as one poster said.

3, Faults like this can happen for many reasons. They can also be easy to fix by yourself thanks to YouTube

https://youtu.be/jXsu3nGQKIc

As for Currys, I don't shop there for a reason

circular flexing

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118222679#Comment_118222679

My (limited) experience with small claims is once you lodge the claim, retailers (especially larger ones) will generally try and settle as they don't want the hassle of having to deal with the SCC.

dxhound2005

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118222531#Comment_118222531

Did you have to deliver the TV back to them before they gave you the money back?

ShatterProof

I had sent an email to curry’s explaining the issue but I never got a response. So 2 or 3 weeks later I brought TV back to the shop. They didn’t want to take it back. I showed them the problem told them it was no use to me gave them my details and started to walk off.

Think it may have taken them by surprise, as if nobody brought anything back to store as they didn’t have a clue what to do.

They said they couldn’t do a whole lot except send an email to head office on my behalf. I left .

Not sure what happened with the TV after that. Could still be gathering dust in the store.

I emailed them again explaining the issue and let them know the TV was in the store. About a month later they responded. That’s when they started playing silly buggers and looking for €110 euro to diagnose issue.

I initiated the small claims court then.

skinny90

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118259389#Comment_118259389

is there legislation to have the customer cop up.

Personally if currys wont repair without payment upfront then take the SCC route

the 110 is just a deterrent to stop people, nothing else

ED E

As for Currys, I don't shop there for a reason

For fear of defamation boards wont let me say what I really think of Currys/PCW/Dixons group. HN are only marginally better.