Hope someone can help.

Basically I bought a washer dryer in late October from a local shop that refurbs appliances. It came with a 3 month warranty.

In early November it broke (drum stopped spinning), after ringing and going through various 'have you tried' scenarios, they came to pick it up. It came back 2 days later and the fault was described as the motor brushes, and that they had been replaced.
Less than a week later the tumble dryer part stopped heating up. Phoned up and this time an engineer (independent to the shop) was sent round, he just pressed the reset button and went, he told us it was overheating. This happened about 2 or 3 more times (every time the tumble dryer was used), with the engineer told to press the reset button. The last time he visited he was told to disable/bypass the safety reset, which he promptly declined to do, he was then told to show how to reset it ourselves. The engineer also told us, and the shop, he would not be returning if it happened again, which it did.

I spoke to the shop assistant at least 4 times with promises that the boss will ring me back. Eventually he did (by this time it was early December), he said that he would replace it, but unfortunately they didnt have any in, so they would ring as soon as they got one in.

Just before Christmas I rang and was told they dont have any in yet.

Now since the beginning of January I have rang at least 7 times, every time with the promise the boss will ring me back 'when he gets in', which he didnt. I went to the shop on Friday and was told that the shop had a new owner and 'sorry the boss isnt here, Ill get him to call you back this afternoon', a phone call I have yet to receive.

Ive been played like a chump, I guess Im just too trusting. There is a lot of outrage of small high street and local businesses going under, but when you get service like this, compared to a large store that would take it back no quibbles, its not hard to see why things are going down the pan.

The worst part as far as I was concerned was that they were willing to tell the repair guy to disable the safeties that are there for a reason.

Anyone have any ideas on what I can do??

Oh and the small details;
-Paid in cash (they dont do cards).
-Yes, I have a receipt (Hand written on standard copy pad type job).

i know it's a bit "official" but you could inform the office of fair trading, trading standards and even ask advice from the police.

name and shame the shop for a start and then go to the shop again and demand to see the owner/manager and make them aware that you will not leave the premises until you have done so!!!then while your waiting if any customers come in to purchase anything make them aware of the problems you are having with the company!!believe me they would rather resolve the matter rather than have all the problems you could cause them!!let us know how you get on tho!!

I don't think shop owners like these realize that every one of their customers is a walking, talking advertisement for their business.

And we all have access to the Internet! So if we get s****y goods and/or service, EVERYBODY we know, (and even those we don't!) gets to hear about it!

And I think that's probably been a big contribution to the "down the pan" scenario... and good riddance!

I fully agree with pokerchamp, name and shame 'em! And on a practical note, try the Citizen's Advice Bureau.

Thanks for the advice so far.

I just feel like I've given them the benefit of the doubt at every turn, rather than being 'that customer' and just been taken for a ride.

The reason for not naming and shaming was I wasnt sure if it was allowed. Is it allowed to name and shame on here??

My first thought was to print a load of flyers about what theyve done, post them on every parked car windscreen within half a mile of the shop and then stand outside the front and hand them to passers by lol.

of course you can name and shame them,pm me and i will do it for you if you like!!!!hahaha

go on i dare you.you have nothing to lose

do it do it do it do it do it!!!!haha

Well, Im going to go again tommorrow and demand to see the manager, the outcome will dictate if my printer is going to be busy or not.

from your guitar shop post jawide



oh well

So, PM everyone who has commented on this thread, we'll PM all our contacts telling them to PM their contacts etc. soon everyone will know.

I think with regards to the flyers and putting them on car windscreens is that you can't actually say "don't buy anything from ****** shop" but instead have to word it as "ask me why I would never buy anything again from ****** shop" and then obviously if someone contacts you you can tell them.
I'm not sure where it was that I heard that advice but it could have been many years ago on the programme "That's Life"
Anyway, I too always try to go to small businesses wherever I can but as you say with customer service such as you've experienced makes you want to not bother again.

Just curious too, what was the difference in price with the refurbished one as opposed to buying brand new? Having bought a couple of refurbished electrical items in the past and had problems, I always try to buy new when possible.....you at least know you will have a warranty with the manufacturer and can also buy an extended one too. Good luck anyway I hope you get some satisfaction soon

a friend of mine bought a fridge freezer last july 2011 and its now gone faulty hes contacted the company that makes the f/f they said contact where you bought it from their excuse for fobbing him off is because its in your shed its not covered by warranty whats the difference it can be tucked up in bloody bed with you if thats where you want it so now they the supplier have said its not covered so I think hes going down to C.A.B. over it

You could try the Small Claims Court - info here CLICKY

quick and painless.

some time ago I had a dispute with a shop in Liverpool..they refused to honour a contract I had with them..I tried all the obvious ways to get the matter sorted but as with this instance no joy..I rang the police and told them I intended to stage a placard demonstration outside the shop and to hand out notices to the shops prospective customers advising them of my experience....I was told that it was in order providing I kept moving and did not obstruct the highway..I then rang local newspaper and they promised to send down photographer etc. ..i took up station outside the shop wih aa large placard stating my grievance and the owners rang the police who told them they knew what was going on and my protest was in order..the shop owners then rang security at St Johns Market and two heavies arrived telling me to xxxx off..I invited them to try to move me advising them, in front of what by now was quite a sizeable crowd that if they so much as laid a finger on me I would sue them for asault..they took the hint and left..the shop manager then came out and asked me to go into the shop to discuss the matter..I refused and told him to bring out the £135 I was owed or I would continue the protest..five minutes later he appeared with the money...just a matter of minutes before the press arrived...a word of warning..make sure you are accurate in what you say documenting everythibg to have available just in case the police want proof of your grievance.....good luck

let us know what happens and where you bought the item from , i like to support the small business but if their customer service is not up to scratch i would like to know so i dont go there and get ripped off. good luck with the battle

Lots of info here and as I understand it the shop that sold the faulty goods is the place to start not the manufacturer.

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Governm...ghtswhenbuyinggoodsandservices/DG_194650

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Although everybody is trying to be helpful on here, the best way to resolve your issue is to involve Trading Standards. To do this, you need to speak with Consumer Direct who deal with all initial enquiries. Consumer Direct or 08454 04 05 06.

A friend of mine had issues with a TV that broke and the advice given to her was fantastic - the shop rolled over once they knew Trading Standards were involved. The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) do not deal with these type of complaints, it's your local Trading Standards office. Give it a try, that's what they're there for!

Admin Notice : Please Note : Your Grevience with a shop a Business may be accurate from your point of view, how ever with out that shops input it is a unfair statment to make. To avoid this situation we do not permit the "Naming" of a Shop Business but you may "Generalise" its location. But not a description. This keeps wiki out of any leagal disputes that could follow and still allows you to get the advice from members, as naming it wont change your problem. We do not permit / allow naming and shaming. We dont have your proof and we dont want it, please respect our views on this.

Thank you.

This isn't recommended but remember a few years ago when an establishment wouldn't replace a faulty TV that our kid went down with a hammer, asked for replacement goods, which was refused and so put a few screens in and got instant success. We called him "Maxwell" for a while. Funny then but I wouldn't condone anyone doing it now.

The thing to remember in these cases is that the retailer, not the manufacturer, is legally responsible for sorting out faulty goods. So don't be fobbed off.

Under the Sale of Goods Act, you are entitled to a replacement, repair or refund if the item was not fit for purpose. It doesn't matter if the item was new or secondhand.

If you haven't already done so, write a letter to the retailer setting out your case and give him a deadline by which he must redress your grievance. There is some excellent advice on the Which website, with sample letters. Find it at ...

http://www.which.co.uk/consumer-rights/sale-of-goods/understanding-the-sale-of-goods-act/

Although you understandably feel outraged, try to keep calm and businesslike - it will stand you in good stead if you have to take the matter further. Good luck.

Well good news (sort of), eventually got hold of the new owner, he said he would sort out delivery and get back to me. A week later, plus another 3 phone calls and promises of getting a call back later, he agreed to pick it up, which he actually kept to. So got my money back, less the £10 delivery charge (which wasnt on the receipt) and a ripped lino floor .

4 months after the trouble started its now gone, I am so angry but having to accept the result rather than pursuing further which will just start to cost me more. Needless to say, I wont be using them again, anyone wishing to know the New Ferry shop involved, pm me.

glad yoy got your money back, even though it shoulnt havebeen an issue