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Original poster

Bought a travel cot which is broken

18 replies

cuppachar · 09/06/2009 19:52

I bought a travel cot on ebay almost a month ago, collected it from seller's house soon after and only got round to trying it out today. Two of the sides don't appear to lock properly.

What should I do? I only paid £13 and the seller lives a 20 minute drive away.

Is there a time limit for returning it?

OP posts:
poopscoop · 09/06/2009 19:54

well, i can only suggest that you send them an email explaining what you have said here and see what they say. I don't hold out much hope that they will refund it now though.

Original poster
cuppachar · 09/06/2009 19:56

I can't find anything in the ebay help files about the time limit - do you know what it is?

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CarGirl · 09/06/2009 19:56

Is it a lift and click, or a rotate?

In either case the base needs to be in the lifted up/not flat position?

Just in case that's the problem.

thisisyesterday · 09/06/2009 19:58

well, i would e-mail them and ask them if they can show you the knack!

because, I have a travel cot and we have the exact same problem. only, it isn't broken it's just really, really, really hard to get the sides to lock into place.
we've been at it for ages sometimes and then all of a sudden it just goes. am sure there is a trick to it, but like yours this was a second hand one so don't know the trick!

FlappytheBat · 09/06/2009 20:00

try locking the ends in position first, I have a graco travel cot and the sides won't lock until the ends are locked off first,

Original poster
cuppachar · 09/06/2009 20:01

It's lift and click, similar to another travel cot we have. I can do one of the short sides and one of the long sides but not the other two. I've tried with the base up and down and can't manage either way.

Good idea to email them asking if there's a knack to it though - I'll try that.

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Original poster
cuppachar · 09/06/2009 20:03

Flappybat - thanks for another new idea. Still doesn't work though unfortunately...

I've found on the paypal website that you have 45 days to open a dispute so I still have time. Don't fancy doing that really though when I would have to go to the seller's house to return the item - would be embarrassing / awkward / generally not very nice. Hopefully we can agree something via email instead!

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thisisyesterday · 09/06/2009 20:04

yes, ours is lift and click too.
like I say though, it sometimes does take forever to get it to click into place. dp is much better at doing it than me

lynniep · 09/06/2009 20:07

I had the same problem with a travel cot that I got from tesco (hauck dream n play) - one of the sides just didnt click into place and no amount of fiddling could get it to work. Luckily for me though I could take it back without feeling wierd. I agree email them and say you're having trouble getting it to work - hopefully the response will go one of two ways - helpful and apologetic and offering a refund, or nasty and unhelpful in which case you tell them you're going to have to raise a dispute.

FlappytheBat · 09/06/2009 20:09

on the mothercare website, you can search for instruction manuals, they may just have one for your cot?

Original poster
cuppachar · 09/06/2009 20:13

The instructions are printed on the base of the travel cot. Sounds exactly the same as the way my Mothercare travel cot works so in theory easy....

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Original poster
cuppachar · 09/06/2009 20:14

I've just looked back at the photo on the listing, and one of the long sides does look a bit droopy, although both ends look OK...

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FlappytheBat · 09/06/2009 20:24

good luck with getting in touch with the seller!

Pingpong · 09/06/2009 20:30

I HATE our Mothercare travel cot. It stays at my parents and my Dad and I fell out trying to put it up. Without looking at the instructions I can't remember which way round it is but I think it's the short sides that have to go up before the long ones. The first time I tried to put it up the long one popped into place before I could blink and then we were really stuck.
The Hauck one (from Tesco) that I've used is much easier and it doesn't seem to matter about the order of the sides going up.
So really what I'm saying is that is is defintitely worth finding out if there is a knack.
Hope the seller is understanding.

Original poster
cuppachar · 09/06/2009 20:32

thanks - this is the kind of thing that puts me off ebay.... I wish now I'd asked them to demo it when I picked it up but I was in a bit of a hurry and they said it was fine.

OP posts:
geordieminx · 09/06/2009 21:18

paypal wll only cover you if you paid using paypal - if it was cash on collection then you have no come back unfortunately

Original poster
cuppachar · 09/06/2009 21:55

I did use paypal. The more I think about it though the more I think I won't open a paypal dispute as I would feel very unhappy about opening a dispute and then having to go to the person's house and all for the sake of £13. So if I can't resolve it directly with the seller I think I'll just leave negative feedback and then drop it.

Anyone want to buy a travel cot? Only used a handful of times, good condition?

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Original poster
cuppachar · 10/06/2009 19:29

I sent a polite email to the seller yesterday and got a reply today saying they did find it difficult to put up too and it takes a bit of patience. He's going to ask his partner if she has any advice on how to do it.

I replied again saying maybe I could pop round with it so they can show me... hopefully they might take me up on that, as then if they can't manage either I can just ask for a refund and see what they say (and leave it with them so I'm not left with a travel cot to try to fit in the wheelie bin!)

thanks everyone for your advice

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