The Consumer Champian Harry Cichy from the Infamous Hoover free flight debacle. Is Looking Into Warranty covers sold by large Electrical retailers. Harry say’s ” Are these Warranty’s worth the paper they are written on”. In many cases the cost of a the Warranty, seems to be more than the goods themselves. When much of the company’s profits are because of Warranties sold, the old Buyer Beware slogan should be remembered by all customers purchasing white goods & ellectrical goods. In many cases the manufactures gurantee will surfice and basically the warranty sold is both expensive and a a waste of consumers hard earned money.
” I have been alarmed at the time scales repair take and the procedures in place to get repairs done.” After receiving a number of complaint’s from consumers Harry has taken up the challenge.
When Harry recentley asked how long, he could expect to wait for a Sony Lap top to be repaired, the Manager at the Comet store in Milton
Keynes said that they could take as long as they like. Harry replied, maybe their should be a test case to determine how long, would be considered reasonable to wait. After contacting Trading standards the same question was asked six weeks was the reply. One of the problems seems to be the proceadures of reporting a repair. In comets case you are given a phone number you then go through a magic circle of phone numbers and names a total of ten different numbers where given to Harry leading back to Comets head office in Hull.
There advice take the item back to the store in Milton Keynes. The Lap Top taken back to Milton Keynes stores repairs dept, was greated with, the assistant saying I will just have to phone the repair dept in Watford for confirmation. The crux of it all Comets do not reapair Sony Lap tops. The lap top had to be sent back to Sony workshop in Ireland. Sony then has to report back cost of repair to the warranty company. Are these warranties really worth the hasle. Clearley guidlines need to set on how long a repair under warranty, is deemed to be reasonable. The situation needs clarification and Harry will be contacting Comets MD Simon, at his Hull HQ. There are two issues hear customer service and the timescales of repairs, both need urgent attention from the head honcho at Comet.