I need help with PC World! - Page 2

JonCris · 14th January 2007, 04:13

Marilyn

You can take it back to your nearest branch of PCW. You don't have to travel a long way to the supplying branch.

Your contract is not with an individual store but with PCW the company

JonCris · 14th January 2007, 04:24

spike I'm not clear as to what your intending to say other than stating that members should not be advised as to their legal rights or that we should take whatever they say with a pinch of salt.

Most of the advice given is perfectly valid & if as has been indicated the goods are less than 6 months old the consumer can demand a replacement or refund without having to prove anything other than that the goods ARE faulty.

If the retailer doesn't like it then tough! That's the law. Which by the way wouldn't have been imposed on suppliers if they hadn't ripped off consumers so badly over the years.

Something which even today continues unabated in the form of their worthless & very expensive warranties.

Almost forgot I too purchased an Advent which turned out to be faulty. Returned it to the store within 6 months for a full refund

rosiecotton · 14th January 2007, 11:13

Quote:

Originally Posted by spikeachu

One thing that people on this forum are overlooking is that there are two sides to this story, the consumer who says that the product has failed through normal use and the retailer who says it's been abused. Without seeing the product to confirm who is correct, no one on this forum is entitled to say what the retailer should do to resolve the problem, if anything, or what the consumer can go into store and demand.

I'm always fully aware that there are two sides to every story and ultimately it's only a judge in court who can decide who is right and who is wrong.

But the OP has come to this site for advice based on the information she has posted, which she has got.

Your post does make it sound like she should just accept the verdict the store has given her without a fight, even if she has a good case.

If everyone did that, the stores would try this tack all the time in the knowledge that they'd get away with it and people wouldn't bother pursuing their legal rights. And in some cases I am sure this is true!

If the case did come to court, it would be down to the trader to convince the judge - with evidence - that the item had been abused. If they can do this, then they may well win the case. But if this evidence is flimsy or questionable and the consumer can defend it, then the consumer could well win and get their repair or replacement.

spikeachu · 14th January 2007, 12:20

I'm not saying that anyone should not be advised of their legal rights. What I am saying is that everyone is assuming that the store have made an incorrect decision regarding the fault with the laptop.

I am simply contrasting your responses by saying that if it is the consumer that is pulling the wool over our eyes in this instance and the laptop has been damaged through misuse, then he/she can expect no redress through the Sale of Goods act.

JonCris · 14th January 2007, 12:35

Spike I still am not clear why your here. Perhaps you could enlighten us

We don't care what the store might claim. They are big enough to look after themselves. If they have a case they will defend it.
Our experience (mine included) is that suppliers (including PCW) often try & ignore the consumers statutory rights by telling them a load of hogwash & we here must assume that the member is being candid. Anyway based on the members claims the advice given fits the crime.

demon_x_slash · 14th January 2007, 12:50

The whole point of this forum is to give the consumer advice...y'know...Consume r Action Group...?

Marilyn22 · 14th January 2007, 15:17

When i rang the tech guys i said that i had not used the laptop for a week, it has been on my desk in its hard protective bag with nothing on top of it. When i went to use it again i described the screen as being one half white one half blue with black spots over it. They just replied youve dropped it it will cost you £350 to be repaired. When i took it into PC world the bloke said he wasnt an expert didnt even turn the thing on and then said no youve dropped it!! I then replied but your not an expert so how would you know? Which he repiled ive seen it before and its been dropped! Its amazing how they could diagnose it without turning it on isnt it!!?! There is not a scratch on the laptop and i know for a fact i have not misused droped or roughly used it! Still waiting on the replies by the way!!

JonCris · 14th January 2007, 16:22

Doesn't matter what they say. Less than 6 months old so they have to prove it or refund your money.

Strongly advise you take pictures of it for later reference should it suddenly 'aquire' some visible damage when you return it

Also don't hang about take it to the nearest PCW explaining it's a long way to travel & request either an exchange or your money back. You might even find they are more reasonable than the bunch your currently trying to deal with

noiseboy135db · 16th January 2007, 01:01

Just a minor point,

I have two laptops which do get dropped, thrown about in soft bags, sat on & stood on by my baby (while in their bags), and I have not had any problems so far. one is two years old, the other is 9 months old. I have had many gadgets in the past that I have killed and through experience there is, generally speaking, only components that people have admitted to prior knowledge of problems that tend to go in instances like this case.

Most technology can take a lot of abuse as our lifestyles dictate that.

For something to go like that, so soon after purchase I would immediately suspect component fault, It is just a shame that PC World staff (generally, we have one good guy locally) are not experienced enough, normally in shoelace tying, let alone computers or customer service, to realise that it really is down to them to sort it out

Just my twopenneth!

Larkrise · 23rd February 2007, 15:22

Don't despair - I have just sued PC World through the Small Claims Court and WON.

My son bought a laptop in October 2005 for, amongst other things, gaming and store recommended a particular Toshiba as being all singing ,all dancing etc..

Within a week suffered multiple crashes and obviously not suitable - took back to store to be told "we don't do refunds" and laptops were not suitable for games!!!. Cutting a very long story very short - we got no satisfaction from store (Chester) or Head Office, so referred to Consumer Direct and on to local Trading Standards.

Were told we had every right to a full refund as :- a) faulty at purchase and/or b) not suitable for specified use. Trading Standards helped draft letters and firmly believed that we would receive refund almot immediately.

PC World maintained their arrogant anti-consumer stance and we eventually got our day in court last December 2006.

We heard today, February 23 2007, that the Court had found in our favour as the Laptop did not do what the salesman said it would.

It's been a lengthy campaign but we were not going to be bullied out of our rights -I strongly recommend anyone with similar problems not to be fobbed off with PC World blatant bullying tactics - remain calm and refer to Consumer Direct.

JonCris · 24th February 2007, 12:25

Great! Well done.

No allowance made for 'wear & tear' then?

Yours is not the 1st & it certainly won't be the last where 'full' refunds have been obtained/awarded some time after purchase

Rich44 · 24th February 2007, 13:19

Dropped it my backside...

Colour faults on laptop screens CAN be caused by dropping it BUT its not the only cause another could be a faulty invertor causing the backlight to fail/not illuminate properly which is a VERY common fault with laptops I see it several times a week.

Not to mention it would be fairly obvious if it were dropped there would most likely be some form of impact damage usually around the hinge areas or some scuffing but even that is not proof of dropping. I find it highly unlikely that PCW staff are of a high enough skill to make that determination even as a computer engineer of 12 years I would be reluctant to make that call as I do not make laptops its for a manufacturer to make that call

Darrylles · 24th February 2007, 23:44

Hi,

I know that their hasn't been any massive 'press' release regarding the way that Trading Standards have been given more empowerment (or money) to act.
I'm surprised, especially as the government need some good reviews right now, but through personal experience I can testify that Trading Standards are a lot more pro-active in coming forward and taking large (or small) companies on - head-on.

I was shocked by Trading Standards attitude to handling companies that are obviously breaking the law. They swept me off my feet, took control and sorted it.

If a law is being broken (this is key - a law must be broken by the company) - Trading Standards will take responsibility of your case - period. They will resolve it - period.
It will not cost you a penny, nor will you need to do anything apart from make a statement and corroborate it with a signature - done.

With large companies, I would imagine that your case would be resolved within a week or two - simply with Trading Standards involvement, however, that company will still be fined by Trading Standards to recoup the cost of having to have a Trading Standards organisation.

If this 'large company' decides next time to NOT resolve the customer issue quickly (because Trading Standards are going to fine them regardless), then Trading Standards will take this into account and penalise them even more.

Contact Trading Standards, and come back to this thread to let us know how your problem was resolved.

ATB

Darrylles

rosiecotton · 25th February 2007, 00:36

Trading Standards have no powers to act in civil law. This means that they cannot enforce, say, the Sale of Goods Act or the Supply of Goods and Services Act. Only a small claims court can do this. They have not been "given" any more empowerments and certainly no more money!

Some TS departments are better resourced than others, and can assist in cases and attempt to mediate. Others do this for just the most vulnerable members of society. Other TS departments do not offer any civil intervention or advice at all. It all depends on resources. None of them can force traders to take any particular course of action. They cannot guarantee to resolve anything for you if it is a civil matter, such as those detailed in this thread, simply because they do not have the legal powers. They cannot fine companies for failing to comply with the Sale of Goods Act in individual cases, for example.

If a trader is continually acting "to the consumer's detriment" it is possible that they can take Enterprise Act action to stop this practice, but again it won't necessarily resolve individual cases unless the trader agrees in informal talks.

Just trying to clarify what TS can and cannot do

Quote:

Originally Posted by Darrylles

Hi,

I know that their hasn't been any massive 'press' release regarding the way that Trading Standards have been given more empowerment (or money) to act.
I'm surprised, especially as the government need some good reviews right now, but through personal experience I can testify that Trading Standards are a lot more pro-active in coming forward and taking large (or small) companies on - head-on.

I was shocked by Trading Standards attitude to handling companies that are obviously breaking the law. They swept me off my feet, took control and sorted it.

If a law is being broken (this is key - a law must be broken by the company) - Trading Standards will take responsibility of your case - period. They will resolve it - period.
It will not cost you a penny, nor will you need to do anything apart from make a statement and corroborate it with a signature - done.

With large companies, I would imagine that your case would be resolved within a week or two - simply with Trading Standards involvement, however, that company will still be fined by Trading Standards to recoup the cost of having to have a Trading Standards organisation.

If this 'large company' decides next time to NOT resolve the customer issue quickly (because Trading Standards are going to fine them regardless), then Trading Standards will take this into account and penalise them even more.

Contact Trading Standards, and come back to this thread to let us know how your problem was resolved.

ATB

Darrylles

rosiecotton · 25th February 2007, 00:37

Quote:

Originally Posted by JonCris

Great! Well done.

No allowance made for 'wear & tear' then?

Yours is not the 1st & it certainly won't be the last where 'full' refunds have been obtained/awarded some time after purchase

In this case the goods were clearly faulty from the outset so the consumer had a strong argument in court that they had had no wear and tear from the item. Had they been able to use it for a year or so, the case would probably have been different.

JonCris · 25th February 2007, 01:37

Quote:

Originally Posted by rosiecotton

In this case the goods were clearly faulty from the outset so the consumer had a strong argument in court that they had had no wear and tear from the item. Had they been able to use it for a year or so, the case would probably have been different.

That is NOT what you have stated on other threads

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