Curry's PC World?!!!!!

[reallyrainyday]

So I bought a new laptop on 16 October for use in our newly established business. Paid over £500 for it on credit card and one month later the screens got all kinds of lines and distortions on it. It's hard times, at the moment £500 is a lot for us and we really need the laptop for our new business which we had to establish due to covid job losses.... So I took it back to Curry's pc world who told me I can't have a refund and they will need to send it away to Hewlett Packard to be looked at. So in the meantime how am I supposed to work?!!! Can they do this? I just want a refund or a new laptop that I can use now. Can I get refund from the credit card company?

I've brought the laptop home to take the data etc off it as last time I left my laptop with PC world for a data transfer someone went mooching through my personal files!

Go back and demand a replacement. Your contract is with Curry's, don't let them try and fob you off with the manufacturer, quote the Sale of Good Act. Tell them you will reporting them to Trading Standards if they do not give you satisfaction.

Make sure you get a receipt for it when you hand it over and ask them to tell you what they will do for you, if they or HP lose it in transit.

About 16 years ago I took a video recorder (yes, becoming old-fashioned even then) back to Curry's for them to repair. They lost it, said they were going to offer compensation, then denied all knowledge and gave me nothing.

I wrote to them and said I wouldn't shop with them again. Haven't, Haven't regretted it. That's the choice a company makes when they chose a 'cheap stock, poor customer service' business model. Don't suppose they care either.

Currys/PC World and business service are incompatible. Your problems started there I'm afraid.

Worth checking with the credit card company, not sure whether you are covered.

I had the same. Its most likely a loose cable behind the screen. I took it in, refused to give them my password, said they did not have my permission to reformat it and they grumped about it but I was paying a warranty so just sent it away and I got it back two weeks later with wire reconnected. If it isn't covered by them, just take it to a high street repair place. Any idiot with a soldering iron can fix that, just don't give anyone your password and make it clear that they are not to wipe it.

just don't give anyone your password and make it clear that they are not to wipe it.

That doesn't protect you from them swapping the drive out and replacing it. It will be the customers own responsibility to have sorted out backups.

And if the hard drive is encrypted, they will need a passphrase to be able to boot the machine in the first place, unless they are working from a LiveCD repair kit.

The legal position is that for consumers within the first 30 days, you have your short term right to reject. This means that you can request a refund.

After the first 30 days, you (as a consumer) are relying on your right to repair unfortunately. The difference is that you’re not immediately entitled to a refund, the retailer can choose to repair/replace first if they want to. Therefore they aren’t fobbing you off by going to manufacturer, they’re covered by law.

You can involve your card company. For a standard chargeback/dispute, you will have to prove that you worked with the retailer to resolve this first. That may include entertaining their repair attempt unfortunately. You might come across as unreasonable if you refuse, unless you can justify it.

For a Section 75 claim, you can seek recourse against the card company directly without liaising with the retailer. Will probably take longer to resolve.

Your main problem is that this is a business to business transaction, where your consumer rights don’t apply. So you’re probably at the mercy of whatever the retailer offers you.

Thanks all. @sofiaaaaaa, when you say business to business transaction what do you mean? I bought the laptop from my husbands credit card it is not linked to a business in any way.

when you say business to business transaction what do you mean?

Are you sure you are running a business ?

If you bought the laptop for your business, it’s likely to be considered a business transaction - which means you don’t have any of the consumer rights.

Your best option then is going to be to go back and try to negotiate with them to replace it rather than try to repair it, or to find you a loan machine - but Currys have awful customer service so I would expect little, to be honest.

Do you have any business insurance that might cover a loan machine?

You said you bought it for use in your business, making it a business to business transaction (B2B). Consumer protections do not apply as by law, you’re seen in a more level position of power with the retailer & are presumed to make more informed decisions than a consumer etc.

Filing a bank chargeback will be more difficult as the B2B aspect could get your claim immediately denied. As consumer rights do not apply, you’re reliant on Curry’s T&Cs; they’re not currently in breach of those or your B2B statutory rights by offering a repair. Opening a chargeback now would be premature as you don’t have a strong claim.

Insurance is a good shout. Or write a really kind and reasonable email to Curry’s to appeal to their goodwill.

Is sound alike you bought it for your business rather than B2B?

I had nightmare with them (have you read their Facebook page, you’ll see hundreds of complaints)

I had a washing machine which broke down at 13 months old so out of the usual 12 months warranty. It was faulty, a fault which developed over time, water leak and blew the electrics

I had an independent report done by an engineer (£40) and approached Curry’s, they refused to act. I argued it was not fit for purpose under The Sale of Goods Act (6 years)

Anyway they still refused this was going back and forth for a month or so, so I sent a recorded letter to the CEO giving them I think it was 21 days to either replace or repair I followed the Pre Court Action protocol and used the template letter from the Citizens advice page. I listed the claim would be for the cost to replace the machine like for like, the engineers fee, the Court fee and the fee for using a launderette.

Within 10 days I had an apology, 2 days later an engineer arrived, 7 days later it was fully repaired.

Whilst your contract is with Currys, you'll be quicker to contact HP directly.

The biggest thing that will help you, don't be rude. Be polite, people will want to help. The moment you start name calling, the help stops. And the person you called a halfwit, they're laughing because they have a working laptop and you don't.

Short answer: Yes Currys can do that.

For consumer rights, returning faulty goods for a refund is within 30 days. Unless you told Currys about the fault on or before the 13th November, you are outside that timeframe. Currys can offer a repair within a reasonable timeframe. If they cannot repair it they could offer a replacement.

Or they may claim that the faults have been caused by accidental damage and refuse to give you anything, but they would have to provide evidence of that.

I don't think the fact you're using the laptop for work and can't afford another one will justify demanding a quicker response, compared to someone who uses it to browse Mumsnet and has half a dozen computers in their home. It's quite reasonable that the retailer needs to send the goods somewhere else to be inspected and repaired if possible and that necessarily takes some time.

If Currys deem it to be a business purchase and that is upheld in any disputes then consumer rights go out the window. B2B is generally "buyer beware" and you have only your contractual terms with the retailer and manufacturer.

You can demand an immediate replacement.

Go on to the Citizens Advice website and it talks you through your rights clearly.

HERE YOU GO:

www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/somethings-gone-wrong-with-a-purchase/return-faulty-goods/

You can demand a replacement. They will try and repair, but it will take many days and so I would refuse. It is within your rights.

Do not mention business v non-business. You do not have to explain why you need an immediate replacement. It could be your only means of watching telly, your only means of studying or doing homework. You do not have to explain. Just say you want a replacement.

If you did not but it on a business contract then you are covered by consumer law. (You could always say you simly mentioned you needed it for work to speed things up).

But yes be nice, but the law is on your side.

mY message above is based on what I was to,d at CURRYS yesterday....they told me repairs are taking at least 10 working days at Currys as a minimium at the moment. That is not a reasonable time given how new it is.

PP's are correct that if you bought it for business purposes then consumer rights don't apply. However this usually has to be identified at point of sale and there's nothing that would indicate it's for business purposes so as long as you don't mention needing it for your business you should be fine.

I looked this up just the other day as I also have a faulty laptop (Argos).

www.which.co.uk/consumer-rights/advice/what-do-i-do-if-i-have-a-faulty-product

You may be able to go direct to HP if you are into the manufactures warranty.

@DGRossetti its either going to be the graphics card or a loose wire, they don't need to log in, only boot it up. If they can read the prompt to log in, they've fixed it. I could have fixed mine myself but I would have invalidated the warranty by opening it up.

And they cannot swap out the hard drive without permission, it is the OPs property.