GHD Straighteners - RESULT!!!

[Bookworm]

Just found this on MSE and I thought it would be worth adding here, in case others read this thread because the same thing happened to them:

Date: 17 May 2006
A Yorkshire based company whose haircare products are widely used in professional salons appeared before Cirencester Magistrates Court this week to face charges of supplying electrical products which were unsafe.

Jemella Ltd. of Bradford, West Yorkshire, the company behind the ghd ("good hair day") brand, pleaded guilty on 15 May to two offences of selling ceramic hair straightening irons which failed to comply with strict safety laws intended to protect consumers from the hazards of electrocution.

The prosecution brought by Gloucestershire County Council Trading Standards Service followed a complaint made by a Gloucester resident in January 2003 who had been alarmed to see flames and sparks coming from the product after the power cord failed.

As a result of the complaint, the Trading Standards Service commissioned an expert electrical safety report on the consumer's irons and two pairs of irons it subsequently purchased. In all three cases the experts reported that the irons failed to comply with the Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations.

The product, which retails for around £90 and is only sold over the internet and through salons, is imported into the UK by Jemella from Korea.

The Trading Standards Service brought proceedings in January 2004 but for two years the company mounted a legal challenge to the case. It was only on the first day of what was to be a five-day trial before Cirencester Magistrates Court that the company finally accepted that their product breached safety standards.

In passing sentence, Deputy District Judge Champion remarked that the case involved potentially serious breaches of safety standards which could give rise to a serious hazard for the user and that the company must have been aware of the problems. He also remarked that Jemella had fought the case at every corner when prosecution expert reports clearly showed a breach of the law. Judge Champion fined the company £2,250 on each of the two charges and took the unusual step of requiring Jemella to pay the Trading Standards Service its full prosecution costs of £35,705.

Roger Marles, Head of Trading Standards, said: 'This service takes complaints about electrical safety extremely seriously. Where the circumstances require it, we will prosecute companies that flout the law. In this case, there was substantial evidence of a breach of safety legislation. These were very expensive items and consumers should quite rightly expect the products they buy to be safe.'

[natalie]

Wow, that's pretty shocking, what does this mean for the consumer? do they have to refund faulty straighteners?

[Bookworm]

Truthfully, I don't know. Any company worth their salt would recall the faulty items, but I think the above clearly shows they are not reputable in that aspect...

I would imagine that it will be on a as-it-comes basis, if the thing fails, get if fixed FOC, and if they try to charge you £23, point out the court case...

[snoopy16]

Hi Everyone,

I've just broken my second pair of GHD hair straightners right in half! The first time it happened i went out and bought new ones and didn't bother contacting GHD or anything because i didn't know you could. Now that it's happened again, i'm really not keen on having to buy another pair for £105! I bought them from my local hair dresser back in March this year, i'm not sure how long the garuntee is for but i've still got a proof of purchase and the box and everything. Do you reccomend I contact GHD directly and explain that I broke them myself, or the hairdresser i bought them from? Should i even say that i broke them myself, or pretend that they "broke themselves?" I can't believe i broke my second pair and there's no way i'm paying another £100!!! Any replies appreciated, thanks everyone xxx

[Bookworm]

March this year? March 06? You'll have 1 yr warranty on this anyway, so take it back to hairdressers and ask for an exchange. If they try to fob you off to Jemella, stand firm. Read up on this site about warranties and on the Trading Standards site too. Your contract is with them, not Jemella.

Keep us posted, and start your own thread on this so your issue doesn't get confused with mine for new readers, thanks.

[collymore]

Does anyone know the address for the Ghd straightners to return them as mine are also faulty?Reply asap.thanks

[Bookworm]

Originally Posted by collymore

Does anyone know the address for the Ghd straightners to return them as mine are also faulty?Reply asap.thanks

As found by a Google Search:

ghd UK - contact

Tel:
0845 3301133
Fax:
01535 651 511

Address:
PO BOX 397
Keighley,
BD20 0WX,
UK

[PitmanTheBRAIN]

Hi all!!! i have found this site soo helpfull!!! i only joined last week about trying to recieve a refund from all my bank charge!! awaiting my charges from the last 6 years to be put through the post!! fingers crossed it all goes well!!

Anyway!! my second pair of straighteners broke last night, exactly the same way as my last pair!! at the start of the cable there were sparks and flames coming out of a hole on the cable right beside the actual straighteners!! exactly the same place as my last ones!!

so im going to send them both back explaining there must be a fault!! i dont have reciepts or the box's for any of them as they were both presents, and never thought the need to keep the box's, i know there both under a year old, but dont know where they were purchased either!?

Do i have a chance of getting them both replaced!?

i dont know what to right in the letter i send them? can anybody help me how to word the letter correctly maybe include my right as a customer - to make sure i get them both replaced!?

Hope some1 can help me

[Lucy2121]

I know this is quite an old thread but i could really do with some advice from yourself bookworm! im in the same position as you were with GHD my daughters are only 14 months old and after sending them back last week they have sent me a letter basically saying exactly the same as what your said, they also say they cant repair them but offering to sell me a new pair for a discount price of £70 or they will send my old ones back for £10!!!

What details did you write in your letter back to them to get a result !

Please help i think its awful that they sell these things for so much and they only last 12 months!

Lucy x

[den3371]

They probably thought best to fix them as it wasn't long ago that they were on Watchdog, with complaints of exactly the same fault!

Apparently a certain batch had the same fault and would burst into flames of their own accord. Even if the unit was not switched on, but the plug was in the socket - it could still burst into flames.

Pretty scary stuff!

[lou_zzz]

I founf this thread when searching for info on faulty GHDs. Mine have stopped working completely and are about 2 years old. I am in the middle of composing a letter just now, so I'll let you know what what happens. It sounds like I might be in for a fight though!

[Bookworm]

Looking forward to your update.

[bushwackah]

My 3 yr old ghd mark 3 straighteners recently accquired a fault - the light flickered and they lost heat now and again - because it isnt constant I suspect it is a break in the wire, so emailed Jamella and explained the fault and asked if they could repair them. Got a reply email same day from GHD:

We were sorry and concerned to receive details of the problem you have experienced with the ghd irons.

The ghd iron is a high quality product and we pride ourselves on the reliability of the products in our range.

If you're in the UK or Ireland you need to return the irons to us, preferably by a registered delivery service insured to the value of your parcel so you can keep track of them, accompanied by a brief letter detailing the problem.
we aim to repair or replace them and return them to you within 14 working days.


To obtain an update on the progress of your returns you need to contact our customer services team on 0845 330 11 33.

the next day a pre paid self addressed envelope from Jamella arrived for me to send back the straighteners for examination and possible repair.

then a week later this arrives:

we write in relation to the ghd styling irons you recently returned to us. We are sorry to see that yu have experienced a proble mwith these. Your styling irons have been examined and we have determined the reason for fault occuring. It was concluded that the fault was not associated with and manufacturing defect but rather due to wear and tear. Unfortunately the styling irons are considerably outside the manufacturers warranty period which is 12 months from the date of purchase.
Due to the age of the styling irons which you have returned to us we are unfortinately no longer able to support this model of iron as the parts are no longer manufactured. This would mean that yoru styling irons cannot be repaired. However as a valued ghd customer we would like to take this opportunity to offer you an updated model ghd styling iron for a significant saving over the rrp.
If you wish to have your styling irons replaced please contact out customer service team they will be happy to assist you with replacing your ghd styling irons and a ssist you with a credit or debit card payment. should you wish to send a cheque we would have to wait 10 days for it to clear.
please note that these ghd styling irons come with a full 12 month warranty however should you elect to replace your irons with the new mark 4 iron tis would come comlete with a 2 yr warranty. All ghd styling irons are fully tested in accordance with prevaling electrical safety standards. please comtact us within 21 days to advise which wourse of action you wish to take. Please note that if you request your styling irons to be returned to you they may be subject to a small postage and handling charge.
we need to make you aware that your styling irons will not be returned unless you call and may be disposed of after a period of time if you do not contact us.

I replied by email to find out how much it is going to cost me to replace the irons on a like for like basis. Someone from Ghd gave me a call just now and said it will cost £60 for the mark 3, well there is no way i can afford to spend that much given i have already spent 105 on the pair i have sent back to them, I have hardly used them! I used them only when i went out on the town which is about once a month. I dont think around 36 times is excessive wear and tear and they would know by looking at them they have hardly had any use they still look like new.
Anyway I explained to the woman I cant afford to spend that amount, so could they please return my straighteners which i will just have to make do with.
She said it is going to cost me £10 postage and handling fee to return the straighteners.
I am appaulled that I am now being told I have got to pay for the return of my item when there was no mention of this before I sent it them.
I dont call £10 a small postage and 'handling' fee considering it would actually cost 2 or 3 pounds to post them. I offered to send a pre paid self addressed envelope with insurance and they refused, said They arent allowed to do that.
I said please hold the straighteners and do not destroy them, while i seek legal advice.

I feel really annoyed that I wasnt informed of this £10 charge to return my straighteners to me BEFORE I sent them.

are they allowed to do this by law?

[chibaca]

Yesterday I received exactly the same letter as the one pasted by bookworm. I bought my ghds 3 and a half years ago; the top plate came free just out-with the warranty period. I should have sent them in at the time, but didn't contact Jemella until I had heard of a number of people who had the same problem as I. I wrote them a letter explaining my concerns to which they replied with a pre-paid special delivery bag and no letter. I sent the ghds in this bag, and their response was to send me the letter as received by bookworm. I replied to them with a letter to Andrew Harris, the head of customer care. I received a letter back from 'him' with a further offer of £20 off styling product - i think not!! They did say that I would be charged £10 to get straighteners back. I think by law they can do what they like, however, if you were to take them to a small claims court (not sure if they have that in England) you may be able to claim the costs back as being unreasonable and not part of your contract. As far as I am concerned it is Jemella who asked for my irons to be returned - I had never suggested to them that they might want to look at them. To give them their due, they do reply to letters, but I think it might be helpful if all of us who have similar problems with the irons all sing from the same songsheet! I for one am not prepared to let this drop. They may be charging £10 for their handling charge, however my handling charge for sending the irons to them as per their implied request is more expensive than that: in my estimation (yet to be confirmed), the time take to wrap this item,take it to the post office, and the petrol costs incurred amounts to about £25. If anyone knows the legal position on this, their advice would be much appreciated!

[chibaca]

oops.. the same letter as bushwackah - not bookworm