John Lewis 5yr Guarantee and replacement

[Mikeeee30]

Hi folks

 

I am looking for a bit of advice on whether John Lewis are being fair in their offer to me in regards of the below. I don't feel it is a fair offer but wanted to check where I stand from a consumer rights perspective

 

I bought a plasma TV from JL in May 2004 for £3299 (ouch) it was a top of the range Hitachi Plasma and substantially more than the majority of products on the market then. I have been incredibly happy with the TV and the picture is superb, better than my 6 month old Sony 32" LCD in the bedroom, and people always comment on how good the picture is.

 

All was well and good until last week when the TV developed a fault, a thick black line down the whole of the screen. After numerous chasing of JL they have now come to the conclusion that there are no spare parts available for theTV and have offered me £900 as compensation.

 

They say they are unable to repair it or replace it with a similar model. I have looked at TV's and those at around the £900 mark don't match the picture quality of mine.

 

Where do I stand as they say they offer a 5 year guarantee but if they can't repair or don't attempt a repair they can pro rata the cost over the 5 years (they say they do it over 6 to be fair) and only offer £900.

 

Am I entitled to a full refund or is it really pro rated over the time period. If this is the case then the value of a 5 year guarantee diminishes over time is virtually worthless towards the end of the period.

 

What should be my next step?

 

Thanks in advance for any help

 

Mike

[Guest Old_andrew2018]

Hi Mike,

Do you have the original terms and conditions of the guarantee, looking at their web page I could not find any useful information.

Have you dealt with one of their branches or contacted head office.

Andy

[Mr_Joe]

i think if you can get an independent evaluation which shows that it is a manufacturing fault i.e. nothing you have done has caused it then you may be able to claim under SOGA.

[Mikeeee30]

I have just dealt with the branch to date.

 

They are not saying there isn't a problem with the tv they just are saying that they reduce the value of the guarantee by 20% each year during the 5 year life of the tv. This means that towards the end of the guarantee it is not worth the paper it is written on. If I had bought a £1000 tv they would only be offering £200. This doesn't feel like a real 5 year guarantee.

 

The quote on the website says if we can't fix it or it isn't cost effective to us to fix it thn we will agree a figure with you.

 

There is no room for agrreing I am told they just work to a formula as described above.

 

What should I do next write to head office? I want to get this sorted quite quickly as my wife is insisting we talk every evening now the tv doesn't work!!

 

thanks

Mike

[Mr_Joe]

if they have admitted fault then you could say you either want it fixing or replacing under SOGA.

 

"For up to six years after purchase (five years from discovery in Scotland) purchasers can demand damages (which a court would equate to the cost of a repair or replacement)."

 

You could try explaining this to the store manager where you bought the tv. If they refuse then write a letter to head office giving them 14 days to respond. If you get no favourable response then I would suggest a LBA with an independent evaluation giving them a further 14 days, then submit a court claim.

 

I wouldn't worry about going to court as JL are likely to pay long before it gets there. The only problem you will have is having to talk to your wife for a while longer unless you buy a cheap tv until you get your big one back.