DiXONS: Consumer Comment - ....17 December 2003
Name: Martin Shiel
My complaint is detailed below
The coverplan Warranty agreement clearly states "If we can't repair
your tv on our first visit and it has a screen size of over 17 inches
a loan set is available upon request." There is nothing ambiguous
about this statement, there are no ifs or buts which suggest that a
replacement tv will not be available.
I have tried to obtain a replacement set while my set is being repaired.
I rang Mastercare the service provider and was told that there was a
waiting list for a replacement tv and I could go on the list. This is
not acceptable
As far as I am aware televisions are not rationed in this country;
if the repair company does not have a replacement tv to provide to customers
in accordance with the terms of the coverplan agreement then it should
can go to and buy one.
When I raised the matter with the complaints department there response
was to say that there is no guarantee that a loan set will be provide;
it appears that the only guarantee is that you have the right to ask
for one (wow!).
Dixons/Curry's claim to comply with the British Retail Consortium's
code of best practise for extended warranties. One of the requirements
set out in the code is that warranties should not include misleading
statements. The BRC's website indicates that " Any retailer claiming
to follow the Code, but which is found to be in breach of these standards,
could be liable to prosecution under the Trades Descriptions Act".
My enquiries in connection with my complaint indicate that this is
not an isolated incident. Mastercare's response was that they cover
a large area and cannot provide everyone with a replacement set. What
they mean is Dixons/Currys sell lots of tvs and by there own admission
33% of them go wrong on the first 3 years.
Mastercare informed me that
* I am 10th in line for a replacement set.
* apparently the repair job on my tv was cancelled because I asked for
a replacement set (I didn't get a replacement set but apparently that
doesn't matter!)
* they cannot pick up my tv for repair until 20 December (nearly 3 weeks
after I rang to report the fault and 12 days after the engineer called
and confirmed that the set was not working).
I am aware that Dixons /Curry make very significant profits from warranty
business at and that , the Consumers' Association and the Office of
Fair Trading have both criticised warranties sold by Dixons and Currys
as being too expensive, and indicated that consumers will probably get
a better deal elsewhere".
http://www.which.net/media/pr/feb03/which/warranty.html
Martin Shiel
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