Broken Mamas and Papas cot/bed - help

[Brewster]

Our cot/cot bed has a stress fracture in the base.
We have contacted Mamas and Papas, sent photos etc but they say as it is out of warrenty they wont do anything...they are still 'looking into it'
obviously this is a manufacturing defect...

anyone else have a similar incident and how did it turn out?

It was the Longhouse cot/bed ....

what can we do if they wont replace it or offer us a new cot?
it cost about £500 and we got it cos we thought being that brand it would last for all our kids - as it is our 1st child is only 19months old!!!

Thanks

[OldLadyKnowsNothing]

I'm curious, how can you say that a "stress fracture" (which, to me, translates as "someone placing undue/unexpected weight/pressure suddenly on one part, which leads it to break") is "obviously... a manufacturing defect"? I'll happily agree that it may be, but I wonder what makes you so sure it "obviously" is?

Anyway, if you're certain that the cot/bed has only ever been used as per the instructions and not been subject to undue stress, (eg, an adult using it as a ladder) you have rights under the Sale of Goods Act. (Someone else may care to update this, it's too late at night for me to go googling!)

Essentially, the goods that you bought must be "fit for purpose" (and a cot-bed, especially one costing around £500, should last waaaaay more than 19 months, if properly used) and "of merchantable quality". As it is plainly not "fit for purpose" your first recourse is to the retailer, not the manufacturer. Contact the people who sold you the cot/bed, and tell them that you are rejecting the goods as "not fit for purpose". Your legal entitlement is to your money back; not repairs, or replacement, or vouchers - your actual dosh.

You can, of course, choose to accept an offer of repair/replacement/voucher if you wish; but be aware that if you do, you may no longer have the right to your money back.

If the retailer is difficult about giving you your money back, involve your local Trading Standards office. You have rights, here.

[Brewster]

well may stress fracture isnt the correct term but when I say obviously i mean that all that has been in the cot is my not hugely obese giant baby who has down pretty much nothing in it but sleep so...

mamas and papas are the retailers and we are in contact with them but they say as it is out of warrenty and now it is unproveable if it is a manufacturing default...

the manager is supposing to be contacting us today.

thanks for your advice

[LoveBeingAMummy]

Agree with advice given, a cotbed by definition should last longer than 19mths and therefore is not fit for purpose (ie the purpose it was intended for a baby sleeping in it until they are old enough to sleep in a bed).

The manager will most likely call you back and say there is nothing that they can do. Most shops say that. This is incorrect! If they are selling something that does not live up to the promises they are making then you do have rights.

I think if you were to explain the above and mention the sales of goods act you may get further but even then they may not buckle.

Try here and here for useful info which i suggest you read before he calls.

Good luck

[EldonAve]

www.consumerdirect.gov.uk/ should be able to help

[Brewster]

Thanks everyone.
Just had a word with Hubby who has alreday been in contact with consumer advice and we have said we will take this as far as we can....we want our money back or a replacement or equal value!!!!

wish us luck

[Cocoberry]

Hi,
Did you get anywhere with Mamas and Papas on this ?

We also have a cracked base on our cotbed (Mamas and Papas Savannah). We brought it almost 3 years ago (daughter not yet 3), and it has only been used for less than 1.5 years - daughter slept in another cot for first 1.5 years, and was only in the cot bed on the odd occasion during this period, so definitely expected it to last longer than this

The shop say its past the '6 month warranty' and that Mamas and Papas no longer stock the model so they will not repair/ replace.
The best the shop say they can do is to pass on an e-mail I send them to Mamas & Papas.

[Brewster]

Hi,
Yes, they will try to get out of it. Forget the shop, you need to be dealing directly with the main company.

Cots actually come with a one year warranty. However, the law states that any item must be fit for purpose, and a key factor of that is durability. Cot beds are designed to last a number of years, so the 6 month warranty is a weak defence at best.

After having no joy with customer services,
my husband wrote directly to the owner, Luisa Scachetti, including photographs of the damage. Within a few days they had called us, and arranged to have a replacement base sent out - despite claiming there was nothing that could be done because that model had been discontinued.

Know your rights, and stick with it. For the price we pay for mamas and papas the quality should be exceptional.

[ELB1]

Hi,
I am interested in this thread because I have two Longhouse cotbeds for my daughters aged 1.5 and 2.5. The one our 2.5yo sleeps in has been fine, but the more recent puchase of the second one, has had two broken bases now. Again - she is not a huge baby and she only sleeps in it. Of course - like most babies, she bounces up and down holding onto the edge of the cot when she wakes up but that should be normal use for such an item! In both cases, the base has broken around a knot in the wood - and the second time this has happened - it was even on the side of the bed against the wall - so not the side she bounces on!
Mama's and Papas replaced the base first time around, but this time around they say there is nothing they can do as it is discontinued. They have offered us a giftcard refund - but will only provide that once they have taken the faulty cotbed away - leaving us with no choice but to put her in a travel cot for as long as it takes to get a new bed, and only then would leave us with mismatched furniture in our girls bedroom (we bought two cotbeds and the matching furniture spending almost £2k)!
I know my rights and will pursue this - but it makes me wonder if this particular bed has been a problem for them!

[MrsHCB]

I bought a Horizons cot bed from Mamas and Papas. The cot bed looked lovely in the shop as a first time mum. I spent over £1000 buying two cot beds for twins. The cot beds are not practical when babies are teething as they have no teething rails. My son damaged the oak effect finish on the cot sides by biting it off. When I rang up to complain, I was told that you can not buy teething rails for the cot and to buy a replacement cot side would be in excess of £100, however not to worry as the product was safe to be eaten! The zip on one of the mattress covers also broke just after a year (literally just out of guarantee). Mamas and Papas could not repair the mattress cover and also could not offer a replacement cover. I was told that in order to get a replacement, I would have to buy the full mattress again! I ended up getting the zip repaired privately, so much for the zip being unrepairable by M&P! I would not recommend this product or Mamas and Papas customer service. I will not be buying from M&P again!