Go balistic at Go Outdoors for not honouring statutary rights and being incompetent

[smileyfacestar]

I am taking every opportunity to bad mouth Go Outdoors.

Bought a tent in March and have used it once for 3 nights. Tent poles were broken when we packed it away. Apparently Go outdoors do not guarantee their poles, not even after 3 nights.

After much emailing, store visiting and complaining they have offered to repair the poles. We got the poles back from HQ where they 'repaired' them and most are still broken (broken poles were clearly marked).

Statutory rights state that products should be fit for purpose and last a reasonable length of time. This is falling on deaf ears.

The store manager was rude, aggressive and basically called us liars(Cardiff branch btw).

This has properly messed up our summer.

Am I unreasonable to pursue through trading standards?

Let this be your warning if you buy a tent from them.

He has also said (sorry, thread monopolisation) that if you decide not to push for a refund, you could take your poles into Cotswold for repair - cost would depend on how many pole sections are split. They use Vango fibreglass sections for repairs which are likely to be sturdier than the low-end stuff GO will be using, but does come with the caveat that tents the size of yours usually do better with steel poles and whilst he's confident that the repairs will be stronger and if better quality than the originals, they can't guarantee they'll go the distance. It's just to give you a different option, if you want to do that drop me a PM and I'll let you know his name and working days so you ask for him when you go in.

I had the same problem, admittedly only with a pair of Bridgedale socks, which shrank after one wash. Go Outdoors, Oxford, refused to change them stating that I must have washed them at too high a temperature, which I hadn't. I sent them back to Bridgedale and they replaced them with no problem.

Having said that, I am wearing a Hi Gear fleece which was a bargain price and is as good as any fleece I have ever bought.

Its such a shame that Go Outdoors is selling crap tents! I always feel really sorry for people who think they are getting a quality product and they shell out a lot of money for rubbish!

Hi Gear were around before Go Outdoors and have always been a budget brand but they did produce some good kit, we have saucepans and some other bits and pieces that have lasted years.

Go Outdoors is not selling budget kit at budget prices it is flippin expensive.

I really hope you can get sorted OP!

I meant to say Go Outdoors must have bought Hi Gear out at some point!

oh fgs buy some poles already

Yes it's interesting that there is another shop similar to Go Outdoors called Cotswold Outdoors in Cardiff.
Interesting to me. Possibly not you but you took the time to post anyway.

Next time I'll pm you to get your permission to declare interest.

My Hi Gear has fared much better than my Vango - which did have breaking poles and leaks

The Voyager gets good reviews on independent sites which would suggest you have been sold a very duff one - they should definitely replace it

As a loyal GoOutdoors fan I would be very very disappointed if they didn't -

The CRA15 comes into force from 1 October this year, so won't cover you at the moment. Brenda why the hell should they?

Thanks everyone for the suggestions. Unfortunately we didn't pay with a credit card but will endeavour to do this for all future major purchases!

Sounds like we need to start shopping at Cotswold!

I'm not backing down.

Anyone know of any other way I can give them bad publicity?

I'm not buying anymore bloody poles. They should last!!!!!

Thanks Welsh, it's good to know that they are as clueless as they sound. I will be going to Cotswold in future! I'm going to keep pushing Go Outdoors as it's the principle of the thing now. They basically called us liars who can not put up a tent and are blatantly ignoring my statutory rights!
BTW where is Cotswold in Cardiff?

Wharton street - just off the Hayes, opposite house of Fraser. It's on the corner of the land that leads to metros.

Brenda - why should the OP buy new poles, it's not her fault they are unsuitable.

I would definitely contact trading standards although I think they might be called something different nowadays. Keep records of all conversations and keep up the online pressure.

Good luck

Cotswold price match, don't they? I was impressed last time I was in. I always thing GO is "pretendy cheap" - make a big song and dance about how cheap they are but I can almost always get a lower price elsewhere.

Yep, they do price match, if it's the same product, colour, year (in case of tents) etc and if you find it cheaper up to 7 days after you buy from Cotswold they'll refund the difference.

That said a lot of the brands Cotswold stock have pulled out of supplying GO and won't allow their brand to be associated with them.

My DB has had a Voyager 6 for a few years now. He doesn't ever camp for his main holiday, but has spent MA y weekends in his tent. He's had no problems at all with it. I think you've been sold a duff one. Don't back down. Good luck.

Those fibreglass springy poles are bloody awful anyway. Hope you get some compensation and then buy aluminium ones.

we have the Elite 6, also from the Cardiff store. No problems with poles even after idiot DH pitched it in the garden and buggered off for a long weekend during gale force winds