To return a toy we bought 2 days ago just because it's AWFUL!

[heyhey11]

What the title says really,

Bought DC a toy from smyths he'd been saving up for, for ages.. it was £50 so not cheap for a toy and it's just shocking. He's been so looking forward to it and even he's saying I don't want it anymore, it's broken etc which isn't like him.

It transforms into a few different things and it's just awful, held on by latches and keeps coming open so when he's playing with it in a certain mode it just falls apart! Plus it's not user friendly at all. All the characters have like holes in feet and back so they can sit on the chairs etc (like Lego characters do) but the chairs and stuff don't have any connectors. In turn the toys just go everywhere and fall off. He's trying to carefully play with it bless him but as you can imagine one slight move and they all fling off. Meltdown central 🙃

Anyway I'm kind of pissed off, 1. He was so looking forward to it and it's awful, 2. It was £50! And now it's sat in the corner of my room. Should I take it back and explain? Or will they just tell me to bugger off because it's not actually faulty I guess. Just poorly designed?

Try to Return?
Or sketch it down to a waste of money and hope he plays with it again

A £50 toy from a proper toy shop should definitely be playable with! You were right to return it.

I'm a childminder so have gone through a lot of toys and unfortunately ime the Peppa, Paw Patrol etc play sets tend to be crap.

The stuff I've found that is geuinely long lasting/good quality:
Lego/duplo (I have bricks that are 20-30 years old)
Playmobil 123
Playmobil but not the dollshouses or castles, they fall apart. Just the figures and furniture and we use a big wooden Melissa & Doug dollshouse
Magnatiles - genuine ones not Temu or Amazon fakes which are a health hazard
Lanka Kade or Schleich animals
Happy Land

Deffo return!!!!

This

Absolutely 💯 return it back

You're not alone, I guarantee many of us parents have had to do the same! Some toys are just badly made. I mentioned earlier a baby Annabelle doll that wasn't working at all (the crawling one) and I just remembered a Barbie toy we had too! It was the skipper lifeguard set and my god, we tried so hard to make it work but it just fell apart repeatedly. Got an exchange from the entertainer for it. Toy shops are generally very understanding as long as there's proof of purchase, hasn't been destroyed purposely or accidentally, and if you're nice to them. Hope you find a better toy!

Well done, OP. I would never let anything like this go .

On a slightly tangential point, to the poster who suggested NOT bringing your child with you - I completely disagree !
I have been teaching my kids how to complain politely and coherently since they were very small ! And they are all pretty good at it now !!
I know the OP's little boy is only 5 but still - never too young to learn this in my opinion. It also instils confidence .

In fact, it’s important that everyone understands consumer law here. If you have bought something for a particular purpose (ie a ‘quality’ £50 toy for a 5 year old that will transform from 1 thing to another - ie that’s its purpose) and your 5 year old finds that it doesn’t actually transform but just falls apart, you are entitled to ask the seller for your money back under the ‘Sale of Goods Act’. They are not doing you a big favour out of the goodness of their heart - you are entitled to have your money back if it’s not fit for the purpose for which it was bought.

Don’t let them fob you off with telling you to send it back to the manufacturer as that’s the seller/retailer’s responsibility. Your ‘contract’ as the purchaser is with the seller/retailer under the Sale of Goods Act. You can quote that to them and ask to speak to a supervisor or manager if you are not satisfied and quote ‘not fit for the purpose for which it was sold’ under the ‘Sale of Goods Act’.

@heyhey11 really happy you got your refund.

And 🤞🤞 your ds will find one that’s ticking all the right boxes fir him!

@ItsameLuigi - the toyshop (or any other retailer) doesn’t need to be understanding, and the purchaser doesn’t have to be specifically nice to them. If something is unfit for purpose it is the consumer’s right to return it for a refund. It has nothing to do with the feelings or demeanour of either party.

Knew it would be the Bluey Plane set. We got one for our daughter last year, she’s 4. She spent six months asking for it, it’s the absolute worst.

I’m amazed! Every Peppa toy we’ve had has been terrible quality, I can’t tell you how many characters we have with missing limbs 😂 good to know though maybe we’ll consider it for Christmas.

Definitely return

Yes- don't be fobbed off onto the manufacturer.
Sales of Goods Act and all that as others have said. Shop should refund. If not, hopefully you paid on credit card as even though it's under £100, you can still open a case through them but I imagine shop will refund.

Was it this one @heyhey11 ?
Bluey Playset Transforming Plane 3-in-1 | Smyths Toys UK

Well done @heyhey11 !

Glad to see sense prevailed!

Glad you got a refund.

I'm certain Smyths will catorgise their returns in the things are are just not wanted, that can be put back on the shelf and things that they effectively need to scrap because they have been opened and played with but are rubbish.

Sounds like good customer service from Smyths, that's nice to hear.

@User9784754 I worked for a supermarket. When I did refunds for faulty items or poor quality, the refunds were done under a certain category. Any faulty toys were put under the category - quality general merchandise. Though this covered everything from faulty toys to double duvet covers with only one pillowcase - it said two and this happened to me. Then we put a sticker for returning to the depot that deals with faulty returns along with a printed return receipt

You cannot see until you open the product's box or assemble it that there is something wrong with it.

There have been retailers who have taken refunds on faulty products them sold them on, either intentionally or accidently. My DM bought an iron and got back and the cable was frayed.

That’s odd, we have the Bluey plane and my 7 year old loves it! He’s been playing with it the last few days actually. He likes that it’s not hard for him to set up alone.