The big faulty goods fob off

I assume you meant an LG smart TV – never heard of JG. If this kind of spying is in fact going on via smart TVs, it is indeed worrying, though given that a smart TV is best thought of as an extension to your computer, then it is perhaps not very surprising. As you say, this needs a thorough investigation by Which?, so that we can all find out exactly what is going on, what the implications are etc. Also – this is too big an issue to confine the information to Which? readers, it needs much wider publicity.

The distance selling regulations certainly do apply – and you do not need to deal with Asus, the manufacturer. Your contract for the transaction was with the seller, Trade Direct UK. There should have been a packing note supplied with the laptop when it was delivered, showing their details, but after all this time, it has no doubt been mislaid, but you should be able to track them down, perhaps through the payment record, via your bank. Trade Direct will certainly have a record of the sale and if you paid by credit card, then the card issuer has equal responsibility for the goods purchased. Good luck.

Fully synthetic oil is better for your engine than mineral or part synthetic, part mineral. It will cost more of course, but it offers the best protection. Of course, you need to ensure you buy the right grade, as recommended by the car manufacturer, but most now recommend fully synthetic. It is, however, surprising that Halfords would not exchange the oil, just because it was a different branch.

Being probably the world’s largest on-line retailer, it would be utterly unforgivable for Amazon not to know about consumer rights, though individual staff members may well be poorly trained (if at all), thus resulting in the wrong response. Their returns policy may well be time limited, but that may well be for returns where people have simply changed their minds (where there is no redress in law). However, your case is not about returns, it is about a defective product and the obligation is with Amazon to deal with it directly, as your contract of sale was with Amazon, not the manufacturer and it lasts a “reasonable” amount of time – 12 months or more – and is definitely not restricted to a mere 2 months. You might need to refer the case up the line, or to customer complaints, but they are at fault and you have every right to have your camera repaired, replaced or cost refunded, without incurring any cost yourself – not even for the cost of returning it. Good luck.

Absolutely right – the very act of trying to abrogate your legal obligations in this area is a criminal offence in itself. Trading Standard (part of the Local Authority) should be tasked to prosecute such breaches. Offering a credit note is fine in cases where a customer changes their mind or has bought the wrong size (where it is the customer’s fault), but faulty goods require replacement or full refund (customer has the choice).

Charlaba, as far as I can see this is not necessarily a problem. If the manufacturer has checked the machine and stated it to be electrically satisfactory then keep a record of that, with the engineers results. PAT testing seems to be limited to the tests your BEKO engineer did – earth continuity, insulation resistance, funtionality. Earth leakage current can be higher than 3.5 mA if electrical filters form any part of the circuit. If you are concerned, I suggest you ask BEKO to explain. You might put this into Google search – pat testing earth leakage limits – and should find a useful article at the IET.

Well done Samantha. More people should pursue their rights under the Sale of Goods Act. A product should be “durable” which, in most cases, means it should last well beyond the guarantee period unless it was very cheap for its type.

If you have had an independent report done (which, if the fault is not obvious, is a reasonable requirement by the retailer, with them paying the cost if it is in your favour) then that should be sufficient to prove your entitlement. I don’t see why a second report is necessary.

In practice, you might be offered a pro-rata refund for the use you’d had, but I hope Argos will simply replace it. Good luck.

Thanks for the update, Samantha. It might encourage others to take action if they have a problem with a product once the warranty has expired. Was it easy to find an independent person to examine the microwave?

It would be much simpler if Morphy Richards had given you a 10 year warranty. Microwave ovens should last a long time if they are not misused.

Good news Samantha. I wish more people would pursue their SoGA rights in this way. Which? could help by drawing attention to ways to present the case when it is a durability issue.

I hope that Argos refunded the cost of the independent report.

wavechange, I don’t imagine extra-long warranties will come without (reasonable) strings attached. It would be expected that the manufacturer would need to know that the problem did not arise through mis-use or wear and tear – either through an independent report or their own examination. Under existing warranties that require a call out they will usually charge if the fault is not theirs.

Malcolm – We will only get longer warranties if people push for them. A friend has just bought a new Hyundai car because of the five year warranty, encouraged by a mutual friend who had done the same thing for the same reason.

My Breville kettle failed with a loud bang last week. Unfortunately, I cannot find the receipt, probably because it was removed from my file when I had the kettle replaced under warranty. That’s two failures in less than three years. My previous two kettles lasted a total of 30 years and were still working when I replaced them.

I’m generally lucky but I’m well aware that many electrical goods have short lives and it’s usually not economically viable or even possible to effect repairs.

I am now looking for longer warranties and encouraging others to do the same. Obviously warranties have got to be fair to the companies involved. If the companies are responsible for the cost of repairs they will be less likely to use inferior components or make appliances that are very difficult to repair. That need not greatly increase the costs.

wavechange, we are on the same side regarding warranties but it seems not to be happening quickly. In the meantime we need to make use of all available remedies. Samantha shows how applying the pressure works.

Suggest you report your Breville kettle to the manufacturer at http://www.breville.co.uk. Be interested how they respond.

We’ve had a stainless steel Kenwood kettle – made in China of course – for around 12 years. It stopped working once, but dismantling the connecting base sorted out a connection that had become dodgy. These appliances are pretty simple and should work for a decent length of time. Just a pity we can’t make this sort of stuff here.

wavechange, long warranties need to be paid for in the cost of the appliance. More reliable manufacturers will no doubt be able to charge a smaller on-cost – fewer problems – and the incentive will be to produce more reliable products. I suspect we will end up with a two-tier system; more expensive products with longer warranties, and cheap “throw-away” items with short ones. A choice for the consumer.

I do not know how we can speed up the introduction of longer warranties except through concerted consumer-group pressure Europe wide. Which? has not really stated a position on campaigning for longer warranties. It has also been a bit reticent on how to pursue claims out of warranty – using SoGA durability, help to negotiate with retailers – and in dealing with what seem to be dubious practises such as the Kindle failures and Sony phone screens that crack. It would be useful if their position was clarified.

c nichol – I am planning to contact Breville but it would be good if I can find the receipt or other evidence of purchase first. Over the years I have had more success contacting manufacturers than in pushing retailers to take action, even though the latter are legally responsible.

As you say, it can be easy to repair electrical goods. Sometimes I take the chance of being able to do this rather than go through the hassle of going back to the retailer. The vaporised metal deposited at the vent holes in the base show that the element has exploded, so it’s not just a dodgy connection.

Modern kettles have the element attached to the base, so there is nothing that the householder or manufacturer can do to replace it, as was possible with earlier designs. Living in a very hard water area, I prefer the design because limescale accumulates as a coarse powder rather than sticking to the polished base and there is no element to fur up. Premature failure of elements and leaks at water level indicators do seem to be common problems of modern kettles.

Malcolm – I have suggested several times that Which? should tell us about the length of manufacturers’ warranties when products are tested. I appreciate that some manufacturers often have promotions with extended warranties and that retailers, notably John Lewis, offer longer warranties, but knowing the standard length of warranties would be a great help to Which? members reading the magazine.

While procreating about what to do about my faulty kettle, a friend has bough me a Russell Hobbs kettle from Waitrose at a reduced price of £6.19. At the discounted price it was not covered by the Waitrose 2 year warranty. The manufacturer’s warranty is for two year but can be extended to 3 years by registering the purchase.

I tried to register the warranty on the Russell Hobbs website but it wanted a lot of personal information for marketing purposes, so I rang the company. I had to look up an alternative for the 0845 number, shown as ‘local rate’ on the website. I managed to register the 3 year warranty without hassle and asked for my contact details not to be used for marketing.

So now I have a kettle with a three year warranty for £6.19, and the receipt is stored safely.

wavechange, “While procreating…..” I’m surprised this got through the censors. I suspect you meant procrastinate? Your Russell Hobbs kettle sounds a steal at a maximum of £2.06 a year. I’d still get your Breville replaced then if your RH should fail you’ll at least be able to make yourself a cuppa.

I have reprimanded my web browser for the entertaining mistake. 🙂 Rest assured that I have not contributed to the population explosion. I’ve been using a travel kettle while I have been between kettles. I must look for my receipt. The Breville has a good robust stainless steel filter, not one of the pathetic plastic parts that most kettles have to collect limescale.

Other evidence of purchase can be used, for example a credit card statement.

I have never unlocked or hacked a DVD player so that it will play discs from any region, but you can probably find the information needed online.