Item bought online - faulty 6 months later - rights?
Discussion
I know this has been done to death on here, but this has a slight twist.
I bought a "Chair mat for carpet floors" carpet protector back in February.
It's developed cracks in three specific places so is clearly not fit for purpose.
Having complained to the company concerned, they want me to return it to them which is all well and good - BUT - the company is in Germany.
The twist here is that the company represents itself as a UK company, they have a .co.uk website and call themselves xxxxxxUK - but cllearly they are not in the UK (outright deception in my opinion - I thought I was buying from a UK company!).
They want me to pay to send this mat back for a "defect check".
Now this mat is 120cm x 150cm so not exactly small (or lightweight) so shipping costs to Germany won't be cheap - added to that, I have no suitable packaging available.
So what are my rights here?
Can I demand a refund?
I have sent them pictures of the cracks.
For what it's worth, the mat cost £64 so it wasn't cheap!
I bought a "Chair mat for carpet floors" carpet protector back in February.
It's developed cracks in three specific places so is clearly not fit for purpose.
Having complained to the company concerned, they want me to return it to them which is all well and good - BUT - the company is in Germany.
The twist here is that the company represents itself as a UK company, they have a .co.uk website and call themselves xxxxxxUK - but cllearly they are not in the UK (outright deception in my opinion - I thought I was buying from a UK company!).
They want me to pay to send this mat back for a "defect check".
Now this mat is 120cm x 150cm so not exactly small (or lightweight) so shipping costs to Germany won't be cheap - added to that, I have no suitable packaging available.
So what are my rights here?
Can I demand a refund?
I have sent them pictures of the cracks.
For what it's worth, the mat cost £64 so it wasn't cheap!
[quote] For what it's worth, the mat cost £64 so it wasn't cheap!
[/quote]
I’m not being funny, but yes - it was cheap. Maybe not a particularly cheap mat, but a cheap thing (and not a very expensive mat either).
You ask what your rights are. The answer is that they are the things you can enforce through the courts. In this case, courts in a foreign jurisdiction, most likely. You will not do this over £64!
If the retailer isn’t playing ball, put it down to experience, and buy from a reputable local retailer next time who is more likely to assist if there’s a problem.
[/quote]
I’m not being funny, but yes - it was cheap. Maybe not a particularly cheap mat, but a cheap thing (and not a very expensive mat either).
You ask what your rights are. The answer is that they are the things you can enforce through the courts. In this case, courts in a foreign jurisdiction, most likely. You will not do this over £64!
If the retailer isn’t playing ball, put it down to experience, and buy from a reputable local retailer next time who is more likely to assist if there’s a problem.
For what it's worth - I just found some reviews of this floor mat supplier on Trust Pilot.
There are many others with cracked floor mats, and no sign of replacement or refund.
I won't name and shame, but suffice to say; if you want 'Floormats' from the 'UK' - then I advise you to check for reviews of the company you are buying from, as sometimes things aren't always as they seem.
There are many others with cracked floor mats, and no sign of replacement or refund.
I won't name and shame, but suffice to say; if you want 'Floormats' from the 'UK' - then I advise you to check for reviews of the company you are buying from, as sometimes things aren't always as they seem.
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