Consumer Rights

[Tetchytyke]

Cheers Troll, yes exactly, a silly way to do business isnt it

Absolutely. If it was a five grand car then yes, I can understand the thinking behind repair. But for a coat? Unless those were the specific instructions from Berghaus (and some manufacturers do insist on repair not replace/refund- Indesit did when my £250 washing machine broke down), it makes absolutely no sense.

 

[shredder1]

The problem is, sometimes you have to throw around threats of litigation for some stores to actually give you your legal rights.

I also agree with this, but only as a last resort though after you have tried to be reasonable.

 

[DynamicSpirit]

LSR, which is where it will probably be repaired, are reputable; they're not a bad bet at all if you need a paid for repair on older kit. I think they used to have something to do with Karrimor before Sports Direct destroyed it. In a way it will be good for you because it will mean it comes back with the defect you've found fixed but no other defects as you risk if they swapped it.

Out of interest, can you elaborate? Sports Direct destroyed what?

This may or may not be relevant to a different question I was thinking of asking when I saw this thread.... What would people's opinions be of this situation, which is not too dissimilar from the OP's question...?

About 6-7 months ago I bought a large Karrimor rucksack from Sports Direct for about £35 - the kind of one that looks like it probably should be a lot more expensive, but Sports Direct pricing... A week or so ago one of the straps tore off as I was putting the rucksack on, so the rucksack is now useless (Luckily I was putting the rucksack on for the very last few minutes on a trip, of walking to the station to my house). Now I know I bought the rucksack some time ago, but of course you don't use rucksacks every day. If memory serves me correctly, I've probably taken it on 3 trips (by rail) where I was going away to see friends etc. for a few days. So I've probably worn it for maybe 5-6 hours at most in total (with the rucksack maybe spending another 10 hours or so sitting in train carriages etc. full of stuff). Other than the broken strap, the rucksack still looks to my eyes clean and very close to new. My inclination was to write to Sports Direct, explaining the situation and requesting an exchange for an equivalent new rucksack (I haven't yet done that).

Bearing in mind the discussion in this thread, what are people's opinions on (a) what morally I ought to feel entitled to, and (b) what my legal rights would be, if it did come down to having to push them.

 

[Barn]

Morals should stop you acting fraudulently, but they shouldn't hold you back from raising a concern about a purchase from a retailer.

I think you stand a fairly good chance of getting a replacement if you explain the circumstances. You might not if the rucksack had shown signs of having been through 7 months of regular heavy use, which might be a reasonable endurance for the price.

 

[shredder1]

Its all about what you consider reasonable and fair trade of goods that are fit for the purpose and I think we all understand that. I have a Lowpro camera case that has eventually given up the ghost, its basically worn out after 20 years of use and the zips have now gone, it was really well made, not cheap at the time and has served me well, interestingly it also came with a lifetime guarantee, but I wouldnt have the cheek to test that.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Lifetime warranties don’t guarantee the product will not wear out, simply that it will perform for a reasonable length of time before it wears out without manufacturing defect. Sounds like a quality camera bag there!

Re Karrimor SD bought it and turned it from a true quality premium brand to cheap rubbish riding on a premium name.

 

[shredder1]

Lifetime warranties don’t guarantee the product will not wear out, simply that it will perform for a reasonable length of time before it wears out without manufacturing defect. Sounds like a quality camera bag there!

Re Karrimor SD bought it and turned it from a true quality premium brand to cheap rubbish riding on a premium name.

Yes indeed, sadly when I had to replace it last year they have changed the design and are also using cheaper materials, a great shame.

 

[Bromley boy]

Bearing in mind the discussion in this thread, what are people's opinions on (a) what morally I ought to feel entitled to, and (b) what my legal rights would be, if it did come down to having to push them.

A. Morally you probably should be entitled to a new rucksack, although the moral entitlement is less than in Shredder’s case as your product was less expensive, a lower quality make and the timescale has been longer.

B. Legally you’re on shaky ground. If you bought more than 6 months ago the same bit of legislation that gives you the right to a refund in the first 30 days places the onus on you to prove the defect was present at the time of purchase, after 6 months, in order to request a repair/replacement.

You could still ask for goodwill but with a company as awful as Sports Direxct selling a product as average as Karrimore for £35, I’d probably write this one off personally.