Hello, I have bought an engagement ring for my then-fiancee. It has a central diamond and two small stones flanking it. After one year(ish), she noticed to her horror that one of the small diamonds fell out. It was actually five days before the wedding. I rushed with the ring to the place where I got it to have it repaired. I was told that the work will be done FOC, however, since I did not provide the missing stone, I would have to pay £65 for a replacement. To my relief, though, I was told that time wasx not an issue, and that the ring will be ready the same day. Indeed, it was ready within three hours. The new stone was not exactly the same, but it was a close match. In all, we did not complain and were in fact grateful for the quick rescue. HOWEVER, some 10 days later, in the middle of our honeymoon trip, the new stone fell out again (and again, we could not find it). I was surely ****ed, and my wife's distress was even greater. As soon as we came back, I took the ring to the jeweller again. Now, what they said was the same as before: they are going to do the job for free, but I need to pay again £65 or something for yet another stone! My question being, is this a fair trade practice? Is there a guarantee covering faulty craftsmanship like this one? Finally, where should I need to look to find support to fight my rights (if I am right, that is). I must admit at this point that I do not have the receipt for the first repair. I still have the receipt for the original purchase. The ring is ATM at the jewellers, uncollected, as I am still unsure about my next step. Thanks in advance! Jacek

I have collected the laptop back together with the deposit. I did not have to take lega action, 'sabre rattling' seemed to be enough. It is really sad that some people can do their duties properly only under pressure and not out of goodwill/dedication. Since the laptop is beyond repair, I will have to start to look for a new computer. I think I will go for a desktop this time, they seem to be far more resistant. The first desktop I bought stayed with me for over five years. Thank you for advice and support. Regards, Jacek

No, I bought it from a small independent retailer. PC World just seemed to be trustworthy and able to handle repairs. Unfortunately, they were not. With regards to the 'letter before action' - do I specifically need to send it or can I handle it out on my own (with my girfriend as a witness for example)? Regards, Jacek

The laptop was two years and some weeks old when it broke down - just as the warranty period expired. It is a P100-208 Satellite Toshiba, I bought it for £900, with a discount from £1100 due to the fact that it still had Win XP instad of Vista (Vista appeared some three weeks earlier, and everyone was installing it as standard). When it broke down, I took it first to PC World, described the fault, and adviced them that it is probably the graphic card that broke down. I was charged a flat fee of £200 and was told that it will cover all costs, no matter what is actually wrong with the laptop. After a week or so I was told that the laptop was ready. I could not pick it up straight away (I was on holiday), I did that after two more weeks. I was told that the LCD was exchanged and that the laptop was tested and fully operational. To my surprise, when when I tried to test boot it in the store, there was no response from the machine, it was just as I left it. The long story short: I left it again, was called back after a week or so, and AGAIN there was the same story - the laptop was as dead as I remembered it, although the repair specification clearly said 'everything tested and functional'. I lost my patience, got a full refund and took the laptop away from them. After that I decided to try anything but a major retailer, so I went to an electronics shop, just around the corner from my place, which offers lapto repairs. And the rest of the story is in my first post. I am considering a legal action if I do not get it back this week, do I need to adress any specific institution or organisation? Regards, Jacek

Hello My laptop has broken down sometime ago. I took it to repair and was willing to pay for it (it was over the warranty period). The retailer told me that he needs to keep it for examination, asked me to pay an initial service charge of £20 and adviced to wait. After three weeks or so I was told that the repair will be costly, around £250-£300. Since it was an expensive laptop I agreed, and was asked to pay a deposit of £150. That I did. Unfortunately, after some more time I was told that the repair will cost in excess of £600, which is more than I am willing to spend. I decided not to go ahead with it and asked for the laptop and deposid to be returned to me. I was told that once tha laptop is back we will sort out things. Now, it has been nearly three months and I still had not seen the laptop nor the deposit. I have been speaking with the retailer times and times again and heard promises that 'it will be back by next Saturday' (or something similar). I believe I am a fairly easy-going person, and one unlikely to kick fuss about broken items, but I would like to know what are my options (legal or otherwise) to enforce the return of my laptop and deposit if necessary. Regards, Jacek