To think I'm not being entitled with TV guarantee?

[Lurapuppypants]

Three years ago DH and I splashed out on (for us) a very expensive TV at £1800 (including fitting). It was one which has the "art mode" so when it's on standby, it looks like a picture in a frame. We decorated our living room to incorporate the "art".

We bought it from John Lewis, mostly because it came with a 5 year guarantee.

We have had the TV now for 3 years, and it has developed a fault. John Lewis sent engineers round, but the part to fix it is no longer available. They accept completely that the TV's fault is nothing to do with us and shouldn't have happened.

John Lewis have offered us £1200 to spend on a new TV. The equivalent model to the one we currently have (same size, same brand, just a 2021 version as the 2019 we bought is no longer available) is now £1400 - so a lot less than we originally paid, but they won't cover this.

Their guarantee is supposed to cover an "equivalent" - I'm not demanding the £1800 we originally paid, of course - we've had the TV for 3 years - but I would expect them to replace like with like. Their reasoning is that with a new TV we would get another 5 year guarantee - but as this doesn't actually seem to cover what we need it to, it's hardly a selling point!

We literally just want the same TV we already have - we have offered to have a refurbed TV (they don't do them), to wait for a repair (not possible), or to have the same model that they currently sell (this is where they won't offer enough money towards it).

AIBU to expect the guarantee to actually cover like-for-like?

Have you asked them about fitting the new one & disposing of the old?

If they'll cover that, it's not such a bad deal, IMO.

DM fell and broke Mum and Dad's TV. DF had paid £800 for it a few years ago, then covered it with insurance by Domestic and General. They agreed to pay for replacement, and having looked at the spec, said that £369 covered it. They were right - the spec could be met for that amount. It didn't feel brilliant for DF, because the TV was a very 'good' TV when they bought it, but now it seems fairly basic, but it did achieve like for like. Also, when their dishwasher failed, Currys worked it all out so that they still got the installation paid for, because they'd paid it on the old dishwasher.

You need to push for an equivalent. £1200 doesn't allow that.

They know that people buy their tvs from JL for the 5 year guarantee. Otherwise we'd go somewhere cheaper.

Honestly they shouldn't pull an M&S and try and trade off their old good reputation when they're acting like Curry's would.

I agree. They're saying the art feature is not part of the "spec" - so doesn't count. But it is a selling point and the reason I bought it in the first place.

So the new tv doesn’t have the art mode? Then i agree, it’s not an appropriate offer.

I think you're right to keep pushing for a proper replacement with no cost to yourself. You shouldn't have to pay for installation either.
I bought a tv from Aldi once - it cost €650, and had a 3 year warranty. After two and a half years it stopped working. They had no televisions on special at the time so the manager gave me a full refund. A few weeks later a better tv came on sale for only €350, so I bought that. I was lucky to get the money back, but if the timing was right, I would have taken the new tv.

I am going to assume that is a Samsung "the frame" TV. I've just looked at the current J Lewis blurb for one of these sets. I would say that the "picture" aspect was fairly fundamental.

Keep arguing OP. If you can find/make a PDF of your warranty....

Yeah that's such BS. I don't think a warranty should be any different to insurance in a lot of ways.

Years ago I had a laptop stolen. It's selling point was that at the time it was a rare type with a proper graphics card in it. It had cost £700 online. That was the reason I bought that one. The rest of the spec was very average.

My insurance company Only would allow me to find a replacement from currys PC world, which at the time had a very limited selection. They had plenty of excellent machines, but the only laptop with a discrete graphics card they sold as £1500. A lovely machine in every way.

They gave me that laptop, because I argued that was the only one that matched the part of the feature set that I specifically needed.

Tl;Dr - the specification and the features matter.

As always - a bit of 'public' nagging on twitter might be worth it - companies tend to like making customers happy when their slightly awkward policies become more visible.

If you feel you have a case you could go to ombudsman? I think there's a protocol so takes about six weeks to get started.

OP, I also have a Frame TV, which I absolutely love for the same reason as you - the art mode. I would not accept as equivalent replacement any TV which would leave me with a black screen in the middle of my gallery wall. Stand your ground!

Typical JL these days. They should pay for the 2021 model and deliver/install for free. Doesn’t matter that you’d then be better off. They guaranteed an item that buggered up and they need to replace it like for like or better. I don’t trust them anymore anyway after they tried to screw me over with a faulty washing machine.

Years ago my laptop got damaged. I claimed on Currys insurance. My laptop had 4 USB ports. The only laptop that had 4 USB ports was double the price of all the others. I should have pushed for it but let them convince me that 2 USB ports was reasonable. Don't let John Lewis do this to you. I reckon you'd win in Small Claims Court.

Surely a TV should last longer than 3 years anyway? So guarantee or not, what about your statutory rights?

I would push for paying the £200 (worth it for a new warranty) but they fit for free and dispose of the old one.

Keep pushing.

I had a stressful experience with a phone recently from JL. They’ve lost my repeated custom.

John Lewis have offered us £1200 to spend on a new TV. The equivalent model to the one we currently have (same size, same brand, just a 2021 version as the 2019 we bought is no longer available) is now £1400 - so a lot less than we originally paid, but they won't cover this.

What size is the faulty TV?

JL website has a 2021 50” The Frame for £799. The 2022 50” model is £1399.

I would continue pushing for the 1400. I agree with you.

We had a smiliar issue with our expensive couch and chairs- the chair broke a good way into the guarantee and they no longer made the part. We were offered to go in and choose something to the same value as we originally paid, we chose something a few hundred less and they refunded the difference too.

It's a 55 inch.

Slightly off the subject, but who pays £125 for installation?

Any new TV should be able to be mounted on the same mounting frame.

Lift old one off, put new one on.

If it were me, I’d take the £1200 on offer and buy the 2021 50”, as long as I got the £400 balance plus the 5 year guarantee (but then I’m not overly fussed about huge TVs).

Are they offering £1200 cash or a voucher?

If the art feature isn't on the replacement then it's not like for like.

Indeed. Especially given the name of the TV

The frame

it’s literally the primary selling point. There is no argument.

Yes I was also thinking this, Forget the warranty and look at the Consumer Rights Act.

www.which.co.uk/consumer-rights/regulation/consumer-rights-act-aKJYx8n5KiSl

www.businesscompanion.info/en/quick-guides/goods/sale-and-supply-of-goods (this is advice for businesses but still useful)