I purchased a brand new car and within 5 miles of driving it the car broke down because of mechanical and electrical fault Am I entitled to a like for like replacement or do I have to accept the car which is being repaired by the dealer who is also willing to extend the warranty by 2 years

If in the wrong forum please move to the appropriate forum. Thanks. In May 2011 we purchased a front towing cover for our caravan. This prevents stone chips on the front of the caravan from stones being thrown up when travelling. We had to supply them with details of the caravan etc indicating that the cover was made especially for our type of caravan. On arrival and before fitting the first thing I noticed that there were no see through panels for the front lights and reflectors. I contacted them immediately to complain and was given a story that the lights could be seen through the material. At the time I did not think of the reflectors which I now believe are a legal requirement on a trailer. I told the company that we were unhappy with our purchase and that as it was within the 7 days under the DSR I wanted to cancel. I was told that as per their terms and conditions we could not as the cover was made specially for the caravan. Unfortunately I foolishly accepted this and it was only later I found out that the front towing cover was a universal fit. During the summer we were towing in the daylight and had no issues, however now that the days are short and murky, we have discovered that on a murky day the lights are not really visible and of course the reflectors cannot be seen. At light the lights are a subdued glow, but again no reflectors visible. We are of the opinion that the front towing cover is not fit for purpose under SOGA as it doesn't comply with the laws of the land as a trailer should have the front lights clearly visible along with the front reflectors. The cover was purchased using a debit card. What sort of action can we take now? Thanks.

On 10th May we ordered a front towing cover from Specialised Covers for a 2011 Lunar Delta TI caravan. It cost £99 and we paid using a pre pay Mastercard. Cover was delivered on 7th June. We then try to fit it onto the front of our caravan, but found that the rail across the front of the caravan protruded outwards for about two centimetres on either side. When the cover was fitted, you could see that the material was stretched on the points of this rail on both sides. We felt that after use, the rail would eventually wear through the cover. They told us to put something over the end pieces to prevent premature wear. I asked them why they had supplied the something and was told it was my problem. We also notice that the cover covered up the front lights on the caravan. Although they are visible through the cover in the dark, they are not very visible during the daylight in heavy rain. We contacted the supplier who persuaded us it was okay and that we should try it out. A day later we went on holiday and on towing we noticed the bottom front corners worked loose and started flapping in the wind thus accelerating wear. On our return two weeks later the same thing happened despite us following the instructions to the letter. Last weekend when we were away, we met up with another person who had the same caravan and the same cover. He had exactly the same problem as us. Bottom of cover comes loose within first 10 miles! We then emailed the company about the cover giving them the opportunity to either modify, repair or refund, but they never responded. If you look at their website you are unable to get a 2011 Delta TI off the drop down list. In their returns policy they state no return due to it being a special order yet their website in numerous places states "Universal front towing cover". Where do we stand with a return fo the cover? Can we utilise the Distance Selling Regulations as we notified them of the issue verbally within two days of receipt of the cover, but at that point they persuaded us to keep it. Secondly can I do a chargeback and if so how long do you have to wait before you can do this?

We have bought an Audi A3 diesel about three weeks ago. After we had the car about a week my we noticed that one of the wings looked a slightly different colour and took it to a body repair shop for advice. On further inspection the mechanic said 'nothing on this car is straight' he said that 'diy' bolts had been used to fit the panels on the wing and that spacers up to 3/4 inch had been used to try to achieve alignment. He said that some of the fixings were missing and that the bonnet had been fully adjusted to try and make it fit. This obviously rung alarm bells and so we went straight back to the dealer who had advertised the car on autrader as in 'excellent condition' The dealer said to take it to their mechanic so he could check this out as he could not take our word for it. We took it to his mechanic and he said to us that part of the chasis was bent and had not been straightened out before the panels had been replaced. He said the car is not right and if I were you I would ask for your money back! We went back to the dealer and owner of the garage armed with this information. We had a somewhat lively response from him including swearing, shouting and at one point when we mentioned our rights as a consumer to leave. We said we wanted a refund but his response was 'it's not going to happen.' He said he would get us another car and would start looking on line that day. We then said if he could find us a car that we were happy with that would be fine, but we would have to let our mechanic check it out before we accepted the car. This made him shout and get angry and say 'I will check the car. I am not going to spend another 50000 and then you don't want that, then I will be ten grand down.' As you can imagine we were not impressed with the customer service that this person offered. He then said that he would not get another car until he had got his money back for our car and when he saw the dealer that had sold it to him, that he is going to smash him! We left the garage and went home to decide what action to take next. We then telephone a few days later and spoke with the original salesman who had sold us the car. He said could he call us back in an hour. He didn't call back in an hour and when we called back initially there was no answer that was until we withheld our number and then he answered straight away. They have never contacted us or called us back when asked to. We then took the car to our own garage for an inspection and they did a written report of their findings. When we went to pick the car up they said we are most worried about the engine problem. The car is running on three cylinders when idling and is misfiring and there was a turbo oil feed leek . The diagnostic was inconclusive and would require a full strip down to investigate further. There was a insecurely fitted radiator and air conditioning sensor. The car would fail an MOT as the headlight was wedged between two panels and was broken at the back and fitted on with bolts so could not be adjusted unless the whole corner of the car was straightened. The headlight is facing the wrong way so would be dangerous as it would blind oncoming traffic. It would also fail on a worn ball joint. This is the car that when we bought had done 100 miles since the MOT and 400 miles at this inspection. We were told by the our garage that we were covered to drive it home but that once we got it home not to drive it anymore as it is unroadworthy. We then called the garage with this information and they said we will find you another car and will start looking for one next week. We reminded them that the owner had said that we could not have a replacement car until he got his money back for our one and that we would not be able to get it checked by our mechanic so this was not satisfactory. We said we wanted our money back and that we had reported them to consumer direct who will pass the information on to trading standards and at that point they said they would only deal with us in writing through their solicitors and put the phone down. We have since had a further inspection of the car and a failed MOT certificate. We now have two written reports detailing all the problems with the car and a failed MOT certificate. We have contacted VOSA regarding the MOT but as it is more than a month ago they said they could not help. But our mechanic said there is no way that car could have passed an MOT three months ago. We are at the stage where we have written and rejected the car and asked them to come and collect it. I have found this forum very helpful. We are so frustrated as we have no car and have to deal with people who clearly have no care for peoples safety or anything else. We have tried to talk to the bank about a chargeback as we paid for part of it via debit card. They said unless we return the car they cannot take it on as we still have the goods. We have asked them to collect it but cannot return it ourselves as we would be breaking the law to drive it. I will check this with visa as I am sure this can't be right. We will take this through the courts if necessary but we have a car we can't use and our money tied up until this is sorted. GRRRRRRRRR! very angry. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks

Hi, have tried to search to see if anyone else has had same issue but haven't managed to find anything. After reviewing many printers, I bought a Kodak ESP 3250 from PC World 8th Jan 2011. Beginning of June 2011 after changing ink cartridges the printer developed an error message that would not clear, so I contacted Kodak support team for help. After following all instructions and nothing working they sent me a replacement printer 17th June 2011. October 2011 the printer developed the same fault so I contacted Kodak again, this time Kodak offered a replacement printhead stating 'I would also like to inform you that we have implemented several changes to our product and manufacturing processes. T he latest printhead include these changes, and we are confident about it because we are getting positive feedback. With this solution, the printers typically begin to function normally, producing the high-quality images you expected when purchasing the product.' The printhead lasted 6 months, May 2012 and any black printing is illegible. I have since read several further reviews of this printer and a lot of people appear to have had the same issues. I complained to Kodak stating I did not want any further replacements just my money back as the printer is clearly not fit for purpose, naturally they are not the ones to refund me and they rightfully pointed me in the direction of PC World. PC World have told me that while the printer is in warranty I have to go back to the Manufaturer. Can anyone please advise me as to how I can get my money refunded. Thanks.

Hi, this is my first query . I bought a refurbished laptop from my local company a month ago. However, the laptop is not performing as it should: 5 minutes or more to access emails/internet, messages that the programme is not responding, etc.I had explained very clearly what I wanted from my "new" laptop. I have a 1 year warranty. I have now lost confidence in this new machine & its seller. A friend of mine who knows something about IT tells me that I have been sold a faulty machine. Am I entitled to a full refund? Thanks. Janine:mad2:

Hi, i brought a 2006 C4 from the main dealer at the end of October 2011 for £4000. Cash price/cash buyer. The car broke down on 5th November with a faulty fuel gauge and again 4 weeks later. The first time it was taken in and 'repaired' so i carried on driving (12mths warranty). On the second time I had my newborn baby in the car and i was very anxious about keeping it but the dealer promised it would be sorted and they had it for 3 days and 'repaired' it properly, or so they said. It has now broken down again today, 28 May 2012 so a few months later but the same fault for the 3rd time. The car shows 4 bars of petrol (showed 93 miles at brake down) but broke down. I got to a petrol station and put £20 in and it showed 103miles remaining so only topped up 10miles.It really is awful and chuggy and so i have left it near the garage and got the pushchair out and walked home. I explained in December that all confidence in the car had gone but they reassured me they would sort it etc. Now i absolutely have no confidence in it and do not want the car anymore. The mot and tax run out at the end of may and all set to mot and tax it wednesday but not now... where do i stand, i have done about 2000 miles in it since purchase. Any advice on how to proceed with the dealer tomorrow appreciated