I am caught between Argos and Hoover Candy in a dispute that I have been battling since March last year.

I am being passed from one to the other and neither will resolve my issue to my satisfaction.

I think they may be flouting the law.

I have called Citizens Advice and also Retail Ombudsman who directed me to the Furniture Ombudsman for Argos.

Nothing to escalate the problems with Hoover Candy.

I have seen reviews for Hoover on Trustpilot.

My last email to them was quite strong and I also emailed a link to the reviews so they could not argue about their appalling customer service and shoddy products.

I need some clear direction on how to proceed.

I am not a giver upper but this is making me ill.

Even so it is not in my character to let myself be treated in such an appalling way.

I am posting a copy of my last email which outlines the issues I think so that anyone can get the gist of it.

Sorry it is long winded.

I am at my wits end

I have today spoken to Argos, Citizens Advice and also the Retail Ombudsman about my rights under the Sale of Goods Act 1979,(my product was bought before October 2015) and how I have been treated by both companies.

Argos have said that although I contacted them in the first instance while this product was STILL in guarantee and they directed me to deal with the Manufacturer (Hoover Candy) it is NOT their responsibility at this stage because the original hoover was disposed of as instructed by you (I have that in writing) You did not instruct me to contact the retailer or to return the goods to them or to you for examination or investigation you told me to dispose of it. In this case I would have no evidence of the original faulty product.

The product I have now is a replacement supplied by you from your own stock.

You say that it is under the same contract because it is like for like under the same contract with Argos.

They say it is not because it is not supplied by them but by you.

You took responsibility for this issue and issued the replacement acknowledging that the original was faulty.

You did not ask me to prove the fault or to return the product.

You accepted that it was faulty. I have this in writing. All of it.

You cannot then say with hindsight that you should not have replaced it.

It is irrelevant.

You have dealt with this issue in a completely unsatisfactory way and taken months and months being as obstructive as possible as a company to get to this point

All of this action was started while this product was still under warranty.

I am not happy with the replacement.

You have a responsibility to me as the customer under the Sale of Goods Act to rectify that situation.

You provided the replacement which was only 3 months old when I complained about it again.

In that instance I do not have to prove there is a fault and I am entitled to a refund or a replacement.

I should also be entitled to some redress for the way my complaint has been dealt with and the length of time it has taken, the stress it has caused me and the costs incurred on calls etc. I have all of the contact with you in writing.

I also repeat that one of your advisors John, yesterday told me that I should tell ARGOS THAT THE HOOVER I HAVE NOW IS THE ORIGINAL because they do not check serial numbers.

That is deception and would achieve nothing.

The time scale is irrelevant on all of this because I started this complaint BEFORE the manufacturers warranty ended.

You came to a resolution after 6 months of being obstructive and replaced the faulty hoover taking complete responsibilty away from the retailer and told me to dispose of the original.

In the light of this you are now responsible to come to a satisfactory resolution regarding the replacement which I find unacceptable after just a few months.

I have the law on my side and I will take this to the next step if you do not agree to either refund me the cost of the original hoover or replace it FOC with a new model to the same value as my original purchase.

I fail to see how under the circumstances and given all the information and the conduct of your company regarding my experience, you can argue the point anymore.

Please do not ignore this email.

Hello and welcome,

I have formatted your post a bit to make it easier to read, hopefully you will get some help shortly.

Regards,

Scott.

What, exactly, is wrong with the replacement. Do you consider it to be faulty?

H

Experiencing same issues with replacement. Hoover wont do anymore and argos say not there responsibility cos not the original vacuum.

quite correct its nowt to do with argos

and I don't think CRA [which is the replacement for SOGA]

covers you under the manu rather than the retailer

you'd have to read it to find out.

I believe the warranty runs concurrent from the first purchase too.

and they cant refund you

they were not the retailer nor should they have to

the item is outside of any moneyback period if there ever was one.

repair or replace as they supplied it - but no refund

The CRA applies from oct 2015.

I bought before that.

I went to argos in the guarantee period.

They told me to go to hoover who led me up the garden path for months and then replaced.

Not happy with replacement.

Now they tell me to go back to argos.

I have been put in this situation by the two companies both now refusing responsibility.

CAB point to argos,

they point to hoover they point back at argos.

I must have some rights for redress with one or both!

So, again then, What, exactly, is wrong with the replacement. Do you consider it to be faulty?

What does it not do that it should do or does it do that it should not.

To determine liability, and a case if there is one, we need to know the fault. It wasn't mentioned in your first post and you've not stated it so far in any of your replies.

'Issues with the replacement' is not a description of a fault.

H

It does not work properly.

It is for pet hair and has a turbo tool which does not rotate or pick up after several uses.

I have had 4 tools which they expected me to pay for.

That is not fair wear and tear.

The hoover has a burning smell when stationary and using the tool.

The roller continues to rotate when stationary causing friction and damage to floor and carpet.

The same as the first one they replaced as faulty.

I came on here for help not an argument.

next door bought a animal brush cheaper and does the trick!

It does not work properly. It is for pet hair and has a turbo tool which does not rotate or pick up after several uses. I have had 4 tools which they expected me to pay for. That is not fair wear and tear. The hoover has a burning smell when stationary and using the tool. The roller continues to rotate when stationary causing friction and damage to floor and carpet. The same as the first one they replaced as faulty. I came on here for help not an argument.

Well pardon me for asking, I was trying to ascertain exactly what the problem is so I could offer a solution, not an argument.

I'm out.

H

Thank You

I am out to, had enough of this already.........I am dealing with The Ombudsman.