Advice please RE: Faulty goods testing (WITH A TWIST!)

[Deadmeat]

And that twist is...IM A RETAILER! BWAHAHA!

 

I've been lurking for a while and have found the posts very informed on this forum and thats why as a supplement to a question submitted to Trading Standards and the DTI, I though someone here might have prior knowledge.

 

Scenario:

 

Customer returns a PC component (lets say a CPU) and informs the retailer that it is faulty. The retailer then asks the customer to sign for the item to be booked in. This entails the customer writing themselves what the problem is and signing off on it. Checks (and any subsequent repairs) may take up to 3 days normally. If a replacement is needed it would be 6 days at the outside befiore it arrived. Goods were all bought in store. Goods have been returned with all accessories and proof of purchase (Purchased 5 months ago). So far so good.

 

Problem:

 

Customer refuses to allow CPU to be tested. Demands immediate replacement. We inform the customer that a machine will be free in about 60 minutes and we will begin testing. We will then supply a brand new CPU the instant we see a fault. We do explain that it may take up to 48 hours to find the fault. Customer refuses to accept this.

 

Solution?????

 

As a retailer, I dont really want to do a straight swap (I'll elaborate more if anyone cares to ask ) as if the CPU is NOT faulty, I can no longer sell it as new and will have to reduce it as second hand to get rid of it. However, I would ideally like to help this customer out.

 

Has anyone came across, as either a customer,

[blitz]

A retailer is fully entitled to test the goods for a fault, before issuing a refund, replacement, repair. As long as its testing in a reasonable amount of time. Seeing as within 6 months its upto the retailer to prove that a fault is not present, or was not present when purchased, they have to be given the opperunity to do so.

[jampot]

A retailer is fully entitled to test the goods for a fault, before issuing a refund, replacement, repair. As long as its testing in a reasonable amount of time. Seeing as within 6 months its upto the retailer to prove that a fault is not present, or was not present when purchased, they have to be given the opperunity to do so.

 

Absolutely agree.

[Bookworm]

Totally agree with you.

 

There is a difference between being assertive and pushy, and your costumer is being the latter, IMO.

 

48 hours is being more than reasonable, and it is a "up to" anyway, and any other recourse customer tries for is going to take him longer, so I don't see what his problem is. :-?

 

(Only notable exception I could think of would be "no-quibble guarantees", but these are only for about 14 or 28 days max anyway)

[gyzmo]

I would write to the customer detailing the situation and action taken so far, and that under the circumstances, you are unable to take any further action. If the customer complains to Trading Standards, you will have something to show that you have done everything you can. If I received teh complaint, I would be telling the customer to get their head out of their a**e.