Can I return this pram for a full refund?

[Curiosity101]

I bought a new stroller online. A Bugaboo Butterfly cause we wanted something lightweight that folds down small rather than our huge travel system.

Did loads of research, we only intended to use it to and from the childminders (0.8 miles each way on pavements) and on days out to places with good paths. Seemed well built and perfect for our needs.

The pram arrives, I unbox it and it seems alright. Quite difficult to put up compared to all these people popping it up one handed on the videos. And the release buttons are quite sticky/stiff. But fine, figured that was just that I needed to learn the knack of it. Then we take it for it's first trip out. It almost tips over sideways several times. Turns out it's centre of gravity it quite high and it really wants to tip sideways on anything other than perfectly even ground once it's got 11.5kg of baby in it.

Nevermind. I'll return it for a full refund. It looked perfect but it isn't suitable for our needs. I packaged it back into its box and sent it back, it was collected maybe 3 days after we received it.

We've received an email stating it has signs of wear so they can't accept it back and will be returning it to us without refund. They're not wrong in the sense that it has been used once. Just long enough to realise it wasn't fit for purpose for us. I've attached the picture they sent.

I didn't think we actually needed a reason to return under distance selling? In hindsight if I'd have known I'd have given the wheels a quick wipe with a cloth as it's genuinely just surface dust from the 1.6mile round trip on dry pavement.

Have I misunderstood or are they trying to wiggle out of their responsibility to refund?

You're trying to return the pram in the way you would return a good you have not used. A no questions asked return under distance selling regs.

However, you have used it and there is wear and tear. That doesn't necessarily mean you cannot return it but you would need to prove - for example - there has been a breach of contract. Did they lie (i.e. make a fraudulent misrepresentation) about what they are selling for example, on which your decision was made and were you clear to them that you needed the pram for this purpose?

Legally you might have an avenue but probably not to the extent it was worth pursuing. But you could make a massive fuss about being missold something and see if they offer you anything?

We returned it for a full refund. They eventually agreed that we were using it under very reasonable circumstances and that it wasn't reasonable for it to be able to tip like it was.

Personally, I'd recommend you keep looking.

Never had a pram that tipped over - Bugaboo or not. It’s not fit for purpose, OP.

@Peashootpetra yeah, they eventually agreed. Obviously it'd be a very different thing if it was tipping backwards due to putting things on the handles (which is what most people initially assume you mean).

But it's almost certainly due to it being a high seat and a very slim wheelbase. Particularly the fact the back wheels are closer together than the from wheels. The centre of gravity is just too high.

You can 'fix' the problem by putting a lot of weight in the basket as it brings the centre of gravity down. But we expressly wanted it as a lightweight run around. And you shouldn't have to weigh it down to make it safe and usable.

I was ready to say YABU but if you have a look on the John Lewis website there are loads of reviews which refer to tipping so I'd say you have decent grounds for asserting that the buggy is not fit for purpose given this is a known issue.

@HolidayHappy123 it wasn't a known issue when I purchased it. I bought it only a month or two after it was released. Unfortunately that meant I only really had paid/shop reviews to go by.

I did start doubting myself after awhile, but the fact it could tip whilst stationary but with my little boy stretching out to the side was absolutely crazy. 😅

Yes! That was a sorry I had too - what if my girl was hanging to the side a bit or whatever while I stepped away to grab something off the shelf at the grocery store - shouldn’t have to worry about that! So I went with the Uppababy Minu V2 instead 😜 thank you for your post, it helped me!

A worry not a sorry **