One of the first things retail workers learn on the job is that the customer is always right. That’s true in most cases. Every customer has consumer rights that they need to know by heart. This is so if and when they feel they’ve been shortchanged, they know what to do next.
For instance, let’s say you recently bought a pushchair for your one-year-old toddler. It seems to be working perfectly during the first few weeks. After a month or so, it’s no longer working with a chance of compromising your toddler’s safety. The question is, what should you do?
In the next section, we’ll tell you what you should do with your faulty pushchair. Should you try and get your money back? Or should you have the pushchair repaired or replaced? Here’s all you need to know about your consumer rights:
Get a Refund
Your first option with regards to your faulty pushchair is to try and get a refund. Here’s what the law has to say: if you bought it before the 1st of October, 2015, you can reject it within three to four weeks and get a refund, according to the Sale of Goods Act. On the contrary, if you bought it after the aforementioned date, you have 30 days to reject it and get a refund as stated by the Consumer Rights Act. That said, stop using your pushchair, record the problem and return it to the store. Be firm when you say you want your money back. Don’t settle for a repair.
Get a Repair or Replacement
Now, you are aware that you are covered within 30 days under the Consumer Rights Act? But what if it’s past 30 days? What are your rights as a consumer? If the pushchair becomes faulty after 30 days, then you can have it repaired or replaced. How should you proceed? You can ask for a repair or replacement in writing if the shop doesn’t want to fix or replace the item. Here’s the catch: it’s the retailer’s burden to prove that the item wasn’t faulty at the point of purchase within the first six months.
Claim under Warranty
What are warranties for in the first place? Most retail shops provide warranties for most items. If your faulty pushchair is still under warranty, then you can certainly ask the manufacturer to repair or replace it. All you need to do is write to the manufacturer, tell him what happened, and attach proof. If the manufacturer doesn’t want to repair or replace your faulty pushchair, then you can take further steps to exercise your consumer rights.
Claim from Credit Card
If you bought the pushchair using a credit card, the credit card company is liable along with the retailer for a breach of contract as stipulated under Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act. This means that if the item is worth more than £100 and you paid for it using your credit card, then you can ask your card issuer for your money back.
Resorting to Court
What if you’ve followed the steps above, to no avail? You can take legal action as a last resort. However, you must do everything to resolve the dispute prior to taking the claim to court. When you do so, ask yourself if you have a chance to win, if you will be able to recover the money, and if the amount at stake is worth the cost of the court case. If you answered yes to all those questions, proceed and make sure to follow the Practice Direction on Pre-Action Conduct to be in compliance with the law.
If you’re looking to learn more about how you can claim compensation, Consumer Reclaimers is
your best option. Get in touch with us today to see how we can help you.