Consumer Rights advice - aibu for being pissed off with Dyson

[Newtothis2023]

I know there's far worse things going on in the world and this is nothing of significance, but I'm so sick of big consumers monopolising the market and having shitty customer care.

I was gifted a dyson hair straightener for Christmas in 2020, so coming up to 3 years since purchase. And we all know these are far from cheap items and are a luxury to have. I love mine and use it very regularly, if not daily. The battery started giving me trouble in the summer and won't last 5 minutes when using it (despite being charged overnight).... The straightener just cuts out without warning within 5 minutes, so technically the battery is faulty and not fit for purpose.

I was messaging customer care for nearly 2 hours yesterday, which is ridiculous in itself, and one of the reasons I didn't contact them sooner as I rarely have the time to spend explaining again and again what the issue is. Anyhows, their solution is they'll give me 25% off to buy a new one (costs €500 new) or I can buy a refurbished one for €120. I'm furious and disappointed with this solution. They're charging me to fix a faulty product.

I know the product is out of it's 2 year warranty but do I have any rights here?

Sorry for the long message and thanks for any advice. I don't know if I'm being unreasonable for being furious with this solution and feeling let down as a consumer or if they're being fair with their solutions. Advice welcomed please and thanks.

I see you used euro rather than £ price so check the law where you are as I think the laws referred here are England

That’s roughly what their lifecycle is. Sure, they aren’t cheap but the solutions they provided are quite standard. I’d take the 25% off and get a new one- I’ll know I can get 2-3 years out of it at least.

Can you use the EU Online Dispute Resolution service OP? They're quite good.

@Cookingdoesntgettougher Thanks. Yes I will look into it from within the EU.

It is a good lesson in that pricey brands do not last any longer than cheaper ones often. If they are out of warranty then there isn't much you can do.

This is what I was going today. Interesting to read it doesn't apply to batteries but I don't think it can be stated often enough that warranties tend to be a total rip off, especially with big ticket items as you already be protected legally.

My Miele is 1000000000 x better than my dyson!

They use high quality cells in their products tbf, I've taken loads apart previously. But any batteries, even really good ones have about 500 perfect charges in them, and you'll never replicate that perfect charge, after which point they are around 50-60% stated capacity. A few hundred more cycles and they'll be useless. Couple this with the fact people recharge them imperfectly and there are environmental factors to consider as well. I hate non user replaceable batteries, it should be illegal. Or at least an easy affordable service offered by the manufacturer

However I don't think nearly 3 years of daily use from anything battery powered is that unreasonable.

Dyson do make some rubbish though but in general the battery quality is excellent

As someone who specializes in consumer protection law, this answer is pretty much spot on. It's a wear and tear issue rather than an inherent fault, in my view. Although I agree it's frustrating because you expect an expensive product (including battery) to continue working for a fairly long time. They do make it clear here that batteries don't last forever but I wonder how clear that is when people buy their products... https://www.dyson.co.uk/support/vacuum-cleaners/cordless/battery-care

Anyway, I have had similar issues with Dyson batteries (but on a vacuum cleaner). We bought a replacement battery and it was as good as new. Do they sell a replacement battery for your item?