Hi all,

I purchased a steam iron from Currys about 5 months ago but recently it stopped working. I wanted to take it back under the year's warranty it had on it but when I went to find the receipt i saw that it was faded and barely legible. Turns out it was printyed on some sort of thermal paper that fades with time... either way, no surprise, they wouldn't accept it as proof of purchase.

Has anyone else had this problem????

And if so what did they do to get around it?

Not the most expensive item but ridiculous that I can't take it back through no fault of my own. They should print these receipts on better stuff.

Thanks

Did you pay cash?

Yeah. Was around £40 I think

Yeah

Well, welcome to Currys. If it was John Lewis, you would have had a no quibble return. If it's Currys, then it's always a bit of a gamble depending on which store you are at and who you speak to. You have drawn a short straw. The trouble is that with Currys, there seems to be lots of short straws.

Currys use these till receipts and they must know about the problem and yet they continue to use them. Apart from anything else, it's a great way of avoiding liability.

If you search Google on reading or restoring a faded receipt, you will find all sorts of advice including reading it with black light – which doesn't restore it but apparently makes it legible while the light is shone on it. This would then give you an opportunity to photograph it – maybe.

There are also technique suggested using heat – maybe a hairdryer or a light bulb. I would be very careful and only try these techniques on a small part of it to see if it works and then gradually reveal the more important information. If you can reveal the information then photograph it – but not with a flash camera. Don't photocopy it because that will also use a bright light which might then render the whole thing black.

Frankly, if the iron is a model which is sold by Currys and if the receipt is a type which is used by Currys then I would be up for challenging them anyway just to give them a slap because this kind of crappy quibbling approach that they have towards ordinary decent customers, because they – Currys – decide to use in adequate receipts which leave their customers at a disadvantage.

I would go on to say that the receipt itself, which is part of the contract, must be of satisfactory quality under the Consumer Rights Act. This will be a wonderful action to take against them because it would shake Currys up completely and force them to adopt a different system. There are loads of companies which print out receipts on ordinary paper or less sensitive paper.

It depends on whether you are up for trouble. We are. If you wanted to make a real issue of this and have some fun, then we would help you all the way.

https://www.receiptrolls.com/blog/5-ways-to-read-a-faded-receipt/

Have you had any personal experience with it??

No. I never buy anything from Currys. It's too risky. I normally buy from Amazon and I find that the prices are generally better than anywhere else, and the customer service and returns policy is Rolls-Royce. I don't understand why anybody bothers to go to Currys

I am pretty certain that this problem was highlighted a few years ago - I always photocopy receipts from Curry's and PC world because of this.

Thread moved to the appropriate forum.Thread title amended.

Regards

Andy

Interesting - the Telegraph have picked up on this story !

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/07/10/consumers-left-without-warranty-as-text-on-receipts-fades-away/

 

Consumers left without warranties as text on receipts fades away

 

Consumers are struggling to return goods to shops after it emerged that receipts issued by some of Britain’s biggest retailers are fading within weeks.

 

Many shoppers are being confronted with blank receipts when they try to claim money back for faulty products, it has been disclosed. This means some are unable to return items even though they are in their warranty period.

 

The problem lies with new thermal printers introduced by British retail chains because they do not require ink cartridges. The printers form text by directing heat onto temperature-sensitive paper. But, because the paper is chemically unstable, writing can fade if the receipt is exposed to light or heat, including body temperature.

 

Under UK law, there is no obligation for retailers to provide a receipt to customers, meaning there are also no rules protecting the quality of a receipt.

 

The British Retail Consortium, a trade association, said that there was no industry standards for receipts. This means the obligation to prove a purchase lies with the customer.

 

 

had problems in the past with currys receipts and other companies even HSBC, always scan to computer since!

The British retail consortium is talking rubbish.

There very definitely is a legal requirement to provide a receipt.

The British retail consortium is talking rubbish.

There very definitely is a legal requirement to provide a receipt.

Only if VAT registered I understand.

https://www.gov.uk/invoicing-and-taking-payment-from-customers/overview

And of course what type of purchase is involved...

https://www.theguardian.com/notesandqueries/query/0,5753,-22696,00.html

THIS is why I always take a photo of receipts with my phone. As it's set to backup photos to Google Photos, all I need to do is type the word "documents" and hit search - Brings up every receipt I've ever stored. Plus, no problems with losing/changing phones as it's all still there..

Mike

In future when paying ask them to email the receipt. It's an option on purchases.

I have just discovered this problem myself.

I buy inks for my printer from Curry's, It is the printer I use for my business. I started buying from Currys about a year and a half back and I normally just toss the receipts into a box and process at the end of the year. So now I have about 20 to 30 receipts that are just bits of paper. Luckily I normally pay with a card so I can tract the expense, but some were cash payments and my only proof of expenditure, My Accountant won't be happy.

The odd thing is that every time I buy any ink I also get a voucher for 10% of the next purchase of ink, and I have never seen any sign of fading on those. The one in my wallet at the moment is about 3 weeks old and perfectly clear, but I have had vouchers that were months old and still OK. As far as I know the vouchers are printed out of the same printer as the receipts. Not saying there is anything deliberate about this, i'm just saying.

I'll be in Currys in a few days buying more ink so I must complain about the fading receipts.

Jim

Only if VAT registered I understand.

 

https://www.gov.uk/invoicing-and-taking-payment-from-customers/overview

 

And of course what type of purchase is involved...

 

https://www.theguardian.com/notesandqueries/query/0,5753,-22696,00.html

That refers to an invoice, not a receipt. Just to clarify, it means if both parties are VAT registered, not just the seller.

I actually think the British Retail Consortium is correct, I remember reading a legal document or article a few years ago that very definitely clarified that there was no legal requirement to provide a receipt. I concede that I can't remember what the document was.

Worth bearing in mind that if you pay by card the entry on your bank or card statement is usually acceptable as proof of purchase. I don't know what the legal position on that is but doubt Currys would challenge it in court.

And finally, it depends on the item but I find plenty of goods in the shops cheaper than online, particularly on Amazon. I've bought plenty from Currys and resold on Amazon. Ebay is also often cheaper and buyer protection, as any ebay (and Amazon) seller will tell you, is now very comprehensive and leans heavily in favour of the buyer in the event of a dispute.

The issue of faded receipts isn't a new one, although perhaps Currys have opted a for a new cheaper supplier where the fade is worse than before.

Most High St retailers use some form of thermal printer for their receipts. It's just like the old fashioned fax where over time the print will fade. Heat and light can speed this process, in fact heat can turn the whole sheet of paper black so I'm not sure the suggestion above to use heat to 'restore' the text is a good idea!

I worked for Comet for 10 years, a significant amount of that time in 'support' roles in various branches. I am sure that the system Currys use will be similar in nature, in that 13 months of transaction data will be available via the in store server.

The variation in response in different stores will no doubt be down to the ability of the person dealing with your enquiry to search that data (and of course your attitude towards them...)

Invariably with more expensive products (as a rule all purchases over £100), we used to ask for a name and address. Quite often this was declined which made the searching harder, as a surname /postcode cross reference made the task of finding a transaction child's play and certainly within the ability of that teenager serving you.

With smaller items, i.e the iron, tracing the transaction was harder. If you arrive armed with your bank statement showing when you purchased then the data matching was simple. Otherwise I might be reduce to looking at every sale of iron xyz101 to see how it was paid for. If by card, then the last 4 digits would be available plus expiry date to allow matching to the returning customers. Invariably there would be cash transactions, but caution would be needed as there is the potential to match against one of those only to have another customer turn up with that receipt at a future date and be told 'sorry you've already had a refund'.

Of course the law doesn't require a receipt, only reasonable proof of purchase, so in most instances your card statement should be adequate. If you are asked for a name and address when purchasing then my advice would be to let them have it. Perhaps Surname and postcode, but decline the house number to stay off the mailing list. If paying cash, keep the instruction book and note the date inside that. Keeping the receipt there may well help to avoid the fade.

And regarding the brand that no other store sells, yes it might be obvious it came from that retailer but not when. In my experience a customer who said they purchased something 6-8 months ago was frequently surprised to learn it was in fact a year or more.

Contrary to popular belief, most staff on the Help Desk in retail stores do want to help you. Often constrained by company policies (which we all know as often only just within the law), but sometimes the obstacle is the customer who isn't trying to help themselves.

At the end of the day, while the retailer must provide a remedy when you have a case, the onus is on you to provide the proof of sale to make the claim.

Whenever I've shopped here, they've offered to email a copy of the receipt. I always accept the offer as it's so convenient.

Re. paperman2, the reason most people refuse to give a name and address is because they believe it will be used, or sold on to other companies, for marketing purposes. It would also help if staff were honest - you are usually told "It is needed to validate your guarantee". This has happened several times. No it isn't, and I even spent ten minutes arguing the toss with a member of staff before walking out.

If staff simply offered the explanation that it would make the transaction easier to find in the event of a claim it might help both themselves and the customers. It might also help if information was offered n the receipt stating that it will fade or become unreadable if left near heat or light, but I file my receipts away in a folder kept in a dark, generally cool cupboard and they still fade.

However, I would still defend the retailer in most cases. Speaking as a trader myself, customers know they have a basic responsibility to make sure their receipts are safe but rarely take enough care over such things. Many customers are ignorant and lazy these days, won't take responsibility for anything and expect too much from the products they don't look after properly and the retailers who sell them.

Regarding thermal printers, they have been around for decades now and are not used to try to con the customer, it's simply an efficient method of printing receipts. You don't want a cashier having to mess around with ink cartridges every time one runs out when it's far more efficient and sensible for them to be able to simply drop in a new roll of paper.

Everytime I've purchased something from Currys recently my receipt has been stapled inside of a card wallet. I'd imagine this will help to protect it from light sources and combat the issue of fading.

Currys are crap. Always have been. Would never use the place- and they had better watch out because Amazon will shut them down. Comet were rubbish- look what happened to them.

Anyway. After the currys rant- I learned about this when Mrs crusher had a baby scan years ago- they vanish as well. We were told to photocopy them. I've since don't the same with these stupid receipts.

A few things to say here:-

1 - Shop at Currys and you deserve all you get. Period. Though I accept that in a lot of locations these days people don't have that much choice. In my own area, if you're looking for 'white goods' it's Currys or do without. Their 'business model' is to screw you over - realise that before you step into their shops.

2 - Thermal-printed receipts have been a problem for years - and right across the retail sector, not just with Currys. The use of this technology isn't accidental. It's deliberate policy to issue customers with receipts that - hopefully - will be unreadable within a few weeks, depending upon how they are stored. I kid you not.

3 - If you have a receipt from ANY high street store - photocopy it IMMEDIATELY upon getting home - an inkjet-printed copy should last for years, inside a folder - staple the original to the copy. Not many people these days who don't have at least access to a scanning printer.

4 - If it's over £100, use your credit card, if only for the protection. Fall out with Currys (or whoever) and you still have some chance of getting your money back.

5 - Above all - KEEP RECORDS SAFE - don't just stuff receipts etc into a drawer and hope for the best.

Thermal printed receipts are not "Deliberate policy to issue customers with receipts that will hopefully be unreadable within a few weeks". Either you really are kidding or you have no idea what you're talking about.

As has been said the reason retailers (Not just Currys but virtually all high street retailers) use thermal printing for receipts is because it's quick. There's no need to worry about ink cartridges running out (which would in turn lead to faded/incomplete receipts) and no need for someone working on a checkout to spend ages changing a cartridge then having to wait while the cartridge was primed.

I used to make fire alarms about 20 years ago. They had thermal printers included that we built and would print off status, errors and faults etc. Guess what? We could read those still a good 5 years after production.