Bought products which fall below reasonable quality standard

[dgsmith]

Have a few days ago bought some keyboard/mice combos however the build quality of these is very poor indeed, so much so that the buttons on the mice can just be snapped with very little force (wouldn't last a day in any classroom).

 

Our request to swap them for another brand is accepted however at quite a high price premium; given our reason for return is that the products fall below what we deem to be a reasonable level of quality, rather than simply a change of mind, is it reasonable for a supplier to treat (and cost it) as a standard "customer changed mind" return? The fee seems to be associated with restocking however I am sure if an item is bought in a shop and it falls below what is reasonably deemed to be sufficient quality then the customer wouldn't be expected to pay a "fee" to the shop to restock. The items to be returned are as-shipped and unopened.

 

Never had this situation before so just need some advice, as I am sure our bursar will query why we are having to pay a premium to swap items which are falling somewhat below quality control.

[ICTDirect_Dave]

If the product is not fit for purpose there shouldn't be a restocking fee, we certainly wouldn't try and charge one!

 

It's reasonable to charge the difference in price for the product upgrade, but I'd treat this as a warranty case and arrange to have the goods swapped or upgraded.

[dgsmith]

The cost of the goods we wish to have instead are about 80-odd pence each *cheaper*, yet the fee we're being charged is about 80-odd pence per unit each (I'd have expected a courier fee perhaps of a few quid). However as this is a new scenario to us I have no idea whether we actually should be expected to pay any restocking fee or not.

 

The item lot is a fairly standard one by a known brand.. V7, however I just needed to know what the standard procedure for this would normally be. I wouldn't say the items are defective as such, but just shoddy-built and QC obviously didn't occur!

[localzuk]

There's no law covering this sort of business-to-business transaction, it comes down entirely to your contract with them when you purchased them.

 

Many companies will charge you for this, as they still see it as you not wanting the product and they now need to handle their re-entry into their supply chain.

[witch]

Which is precisely why we cultivate relationships with suppliers. My 3 main suppliers of choice, two of whom are on here (yes, I'm talking to you @Millgate and @ICTDirect_Dave ) would certainly help out in this situation.

As it is - it's a pity a couple didn't break to show them how shoddy they are.

[pcstru]

Did you have prior to purchase any stated requirement in terms of quality that you can use to show the supplied product does not meet that requirement? Other than a perception of "poor quality", does the product actually function as intended? Is the supplier someone who you do a lot of business with?

 

In the end I think if you can't show that the product doesn't meet what was agreed, or that it doesn't function as it should, then the supplier can charge a fee or simply refuse to take them back. If you do a lot of business with them, then you have some leverage in terms of future orders.

[Millgate]

Have a few days ago bought some keyboard/mice combos however the build quality of these is very poor indeed, so much so that the buttons on the mice can just be snapped with very little force (wouldn't last a day in any classroom).

 

Our request to swap them for another brand is accepted however at quite a high price premium; given our reason for return is that the products fall below what we deem to be a reasonable level of quality, rather than simply a change of mind, is it reasonable for a supplier to treat (and cost it) as a standard "customer changed mind" return? The fee seems to be associated with restocking however I am sure if an item is bought in a shop and it falls below what is reasonably deemed to be sufficient quality then the customer wouldn't be expected to pay a "fee" to the shop to restock. The items to be returned are as-shipped and unopened.

 

Never had this situation before so just need some advice, as I am sure our bursar will query why we are having to pay a premium to swap items which are falling somewhat below quality control.

 

Sorry to hear that. It doesn't sound like they are very good at all.

 

This is one of the things I emphasise when speaking to schools/companies. We are a very fair and flexible company to work with we NEVER charge a restock fee when it's not your fault. Even if it is your fault, we hardly ever charge. We'd rather to have a chat and work something out.

 

Feel free to use me in the future @dgsmith

 

Luke

[LeMarchand]

Pictures in the local rag (or the Daily Fail) or sad kids holding up shoddy goods might work if other channels don't.

[PotNoodleTech]

Here's a question - how much did you pay for them? You do realise that if you buy mice and kb's for £1.50 each... they are not going to be built out of stainless steel!!! There's only so much "value" you can get before you end up just sacrificing build quality.

 

I flirted with "high value" peripherals a few years ago and never again as we ended up with a 30+% failure rate over 2 years (and they were actually poor to use too, the kids used to unplug them every lesson and fight over who got to plug a Logitech one in).

 

I stick to decent brands now as the above scenario was penny pinching gone mad!

[chazzy2501]

I right now am trying to purchase older second hand dell or hp peripherals. They're built so solid, I have 5 year old ones here that still work. Cheapo stuff lasts a week (usually thin leads). The Logitech B110 is a modern mouse that lasts can't recommend anything else though.

[ICTDirect_Dave]

I right now am trying to purchase older second hand dell or hp peripherals. They're built so solid, I have 5 year old ones here that still work. Cheapo stuff lasts a week (usually thin leads). The Logitech B110 is a modern mouse that lasts can't recommend anything else though.

 

I've got bags of HP Keyboards and good wyse mice.

 

Drop me a PM if you like, I've got new ones and second hand ones

[dgsmith]

@AButters: I mentioned nothing about the price.. certainly if they were just £1.50 a pair then i'd be embarrassed about querying poor quality We have bought cheaper combos than the one in question that have been stronger and better built. Yes, the price wasn't a heck of a lot but from previous experience and the fact that V7 is reasonably well known, as a consumer you'd expect better really.

 

@ICTDirect_Dave: We bought some used Logitech keyboards from you about a year back.. besides a few duffs they have been very good indeed (and the same good quality ones we already used), however it seemed you didn't have any left. Could you drop me a message about reasonably priced ones you have available atm (prob used as price matters)?

 

Not blaming the supplier as it's not their responsibility but then as noted above it's when you have issues that you realise how good and willing to help suppliers are

[denzal2k4]

We have V7 mice, think we pay £4.50 each and haven't had any issues with them, no more then we have with our old logitech ones, kids can't tell the difference.

[dgsmith]

We have V7 mice, think we pay £4.50 each and haven't had any issues with them, no more then we have with our old logitech ones, kids can't tell the difference.

 

We have bought V7 stuff too (keyboards and mice) previously which has been fine, hence why I opted for them this time round. This is why I am so surprised as they don't at all look like or meet the standards i'd expect of V7 kit!

[ICTDirect_Dave]

@AButters: I mentioned nothing about the price.. certainly if they were just £1.50 a pair then i'd be embarrassed about querying poor quality We have bought cheaper combos than the one in question that have been stronger and better built. Yes, the price wasn't a heck of a lot but from previous experience and the fact that V7 is reasonably well known, as a consumer you'd expect better really.

 

@ICTDirect_Dave: We bought some used Logitech keyboards from you about a year back.. besides a few duffs they have been very good indeed (and the same good quality ones we already used), however it seemed you didn't have any left. Could you drop me a message about reasonably priced ones you have available atm (prob used as price matters)?

 

Not blaming the supplier as it's not their responsibility but then as noted above it's when you have issues that you realise how good and willing to help suppliers are

 

Sent

[denzal2k4]

How much were they if you dont mind me asking?

[dgsmith]

How much were they if you dont mind me asking?

 

The standard sell price of the ones we bought is about £6.50 for the pair. I tend to lookout when for when Misco do their 2-for-1 offers, but then recently I have noticed when they have done them, they have almost doubled the price before saying they are "giving you one free", which is a bit sneaky and so we haven't got any of those from Misco for a while