Laptop Manufacturing fault out of warranty delay

I bought a laptop in PC World in Lisburn in January 2009. In Sept smoke & sparks started coming out from the side of it so I returned it. This was on 10-9.The co have accepted it was a manufacturing fault & repaired it. However when it was eventually returned to the store last week & I went to collect it I was advised that the hinge was broken presumably in transit so it would have to be sent off again for repair. I am now without the laptop for nearly 2 months and feel that this is excessive & at the minute they cannot give a date that the machine will be returned repaired. I have spoken to the store manager & explained I really feel at this stage I should be offered a refund or replacement. She is liasing with a " save our customer" care team but as yet not been able to offer anything as the PC is being assessed but she has stated that I will not be offered a replacement or refund. I feel this service is unacceptable & I understand that under the sale of goods directive it should be resolved within a reasonable period but wondering what is considered reasonable?

Have a read through or phone www.consumerconnect.ie to see what they have to say on the matter.

Sue Ellen said:

Have a read through or phone www.consumerconnect.ie ...

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Can they advise on a cross-border issue (Newry / Monaghan)?

I did contact consumer connect but they cannot give me a definition of what is reasonable either.They have advised submitting the documentation to them & their UK office will then assess & decide if they should contact the retailer to advise them of their obligations!

Madilla said:

I bought a laptop ...in January 2009. In Sept smoke & sparks started coming out from the side of it so I returned it. This was on 10-9....I am now without the laptop for nearly 2 months...

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Could you clarify the dates as given above - what is 10-9?
Is that the 10th of September 2011?
TIA

Yeah sorry not very clear fault developed in Sept 2011 & returned to shop on 10/9/2011.

Expert Reviews (online home of Computer Shopper and other magazines) did a recent article on dealing with faults with technology. UK legislation is very similar to our own, so this might be of some help.

The big question is always: how long should a product have lasted before that fault can be considered reasonable wear and tear? This is where the question of 'what is reasonable?' becomes vital. Unfortunately, there are no legal guidelines, so common sense must be applied. How long any product will last depends on a number of factors including build quality, how much it's used, for what activities and the conditions in which it's used and transported. When buying, try asking the retailer for an indication of how long the kit would last under normal use and conditions.

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So perhaps ask a friend to pose as a potential customer and ask them how long they would expect this or a similar spec laptop to last under the conditions yours was subjected to. That then should help for the basis of what they consider reasonable.

Have you googled the model number to see if other owners are reporting similar issues?
Leo

PC World have repaired the initial fault and have stated that it was a manufacturing fault. The issue now is that the machine was damaged in transit on being returned to the store after that repair was carried out. I have now been left without the machine for 2 months without any indication of an expected date of return of the repaired machine .I feel this is an unreasonable length of time for me to have been deprived of the use of my machine and it is for this reason that I have requested a replacement or refund. Unfortunately there seems to be no definition of what is a reasonable time in terms of the remedy being provided within the sale of goods directive. I would assume the machine will be repaired eventually but when this might be is the issue.The company will have provided the remedy but can this be considered a reasonable timeframe???? I certainly dont feel it can.

I think any reasonable person would consider 2 months for such a repair to be excessive. I had a similar issue in the past with their sister company, they were giving me a similar story about a repair taking that long so I told them it was uinacceptable and I was lodging a claim with the Small Claims Court. They got back to me later that day offering a replacement.
Leo

Madilla said:

Yeah sorry not very clear fault developed in Sept 2011 & returned to shop on 10/9/2011.

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Thanks Madilla - just making sure - in that case the delay is poor form.

I did contact them yesterday & advised unless they came up with a resolution immediately the only course of action which I felt was open to me was to make a claim through the small claims court. I phoned this morning & was told a manager from their know how section would phone back shortly so I'm waiting patiently.

Have just had a call from PC world know how team. They can still not tell me when or even whether they can repair my machine.They are assuming they will be able to carry out the repair & are offering a £40 credit for the inconvenience.If they cannot repair the machine they will calculate a depreciated value( cant give me a figure yet) in order to take into account my use of the machine. I am not at all happy with either of these options but would certainly have thought if they cannot repair the machine I should be being offered a full refund.