PLEASE HELP, SPENT £815 ON A PRAM, HANDLE FELL APART IN UNDER 3 MOTHS.

[bellarose2011]

Hi, i have already posted about this to see if anyone else has had the same problem with this pram but had no reply.
i bought an icandy peach blossom from the county sleep shop in shrewsbury for £815. this is meant to be a top of the range pram.
within 3 months the handle had broke in the middle and the whole chassis felt loose and unsafe. i had looked after this pram really carefully as it cost soo much money and i wanted ebay it when i had finished with it so i know it wasn't my fault.
the shop are only willing to fix it but i don't believe it is fixable. i also think that when you spend that kind of money you shouldn't have these kind of problems.
is it fair to expect a refund?
do i stand a chance in a small claims court?
i have already sent 2 letters stating the sale of goods act but there still saying no to a refund
please help!!!!

Personally I think it's only fair that the shop has the chance to try and fix the problem. If they try and fix it and then you have another problem that that would be the time to be demanding a refund.

i would agree if this was just a small fault but were are talking about a serious fault that affected the safety of the pram.
when the handle broke i only had my newborn in it but if i was using it in double mode im sure it would have collapsed. as i know i did nothing to damage the pram this was an inherent fault.
also they are selling this as a premium product, surely they should have a premium refund policy?

You have had the pram for too long to reject it and demand a refund, I'm afraid. You have to return the goods within a "reasonable time" in order to get a full refund. What counts as a "reasonable time" varies depending on the product and the fault, but 3 months is generally far too long.

You are now entitled to a repair or replacement. The shop can generally choose whichever approach is cheapest, so they are entirely within their rights to offer to repair the pram. If they are unable to repair it they can still offer a replacement.

If they cannot repair or replace the pram you are entitled to either a reduction in the purchase price or your money back less an amount for the use you've had. But you must give them the chance to repair or replace first.

thanks for replies. i don't believe the pram is fixable to a satisfactory standard, what are they going to do glue it back together?!
i reported the fault within 2-3 minutes of it happening, so i couldn't have taken it back any sooner as the fault was not apparant.
doesn't it state in SOGA that the time is from when the fault is first seen?
how could i have known any sooner that this was going to happen?

Well, I bet your next pram want cost a months salary.... As you have learnt, price does not always equal quality.... Just because YOU dont know how to fix it, does not mean the manufacturer wont either.

Accept the shops offer of repair, and see where that get you.

You should be able to get some advice from Trading Standards. Also if you paid by credit card (not debit card I think) you get some protection from the credit card company. If they do replace it maybe EBAY it new and buy yourself a different one?

quintessential: you are sooo right. to be honest i couldn't really afford this pram. i scraped every last penny together and borrowed some off my mum purely because i thought it would last, i would never have to buy another one and i could ebay it when i had finished with it. thats why i'm so devastated, i can't afford to just write off £815 as a expensive mistake.

i just don't understand how a shop can sell you something thats meant to be one of the best in there range, it falls apart in under 3 months and all i get is a broken botched back together pram as compensation?
sorry if im ranting but im really upset about it x

They aren't suggesting you have a "broken botched" pram. It's perfectly possible that they will be able to replace the handle unit completely. You do need to give them a chance to do so before taking it further.

I had the wheels fall of my brand new maclaren stroller, and took it to be fixed, they replaced the entire wheelbase. Have Faith!

Good luck.

I bought a fab new pram (less than £300 though) a travel system when ds2 was born (he is 7 now, so this was before the stokke and the icandy, etc), hoping I would recuperate some on ebay. It sold for £20, plus postage..... It looked brand spanking new.... You rarely get your moneys worth when selling second hand, the opposite is true when buying second hand!

No, the "reasonable time" in the Sale of Goods Act starts the moment you walk out the shop door clutching your purchase in your hand. The clock does not start again when you find a fault. If a fault only becomes apparent weeks after purchase you are only entitled to ask for a repair or replacement. It is too late to demand a full refund.

I would anticipate that they will replace the broken components with new ones. If the repair is unsatisfactory you can take it further.