penfold Posted August 11, 2015 Posted August 11, 2015 I'm sure this topic has been brought up numerous times but I need to clarify something before I start shouting after going round in circles. I bought a laptop from Tesco (Acer Aspire) in Jan this year which has developed a touchpad fault (it stops working) which from what I've read is a known fault. I took it into Tesco last night to send for a repair to be held there for 20 mins while they tried to contact acer and when they couldn't I was told I had to come back in store or ring Tesco helpline which was about to close to get the issue resolved. I asked why they couldn't do it but they refused to ring on my behalf today as apparently they have to speak to me. This rather annoyed me as the guy at the desk could see what the problem was. Now I've just rung the Tesco helpline to be directed through to Acer who then proceed to tell me that I need the serial number (which I don't have as it is at home and Tesco failed to mention that I would be contacting Acer directly) before they can do anything. Now I was under the impression that anything faulty within 12 months meant it should be dealt with in store as my contract is with Tesco NOT with Acer? Tesco's own return policy on their website indicates that their customer service team will help, but you don't actually speak to anyone there, you go through automated prompts and end up ringing Acer directly. I don't want someone to go through troubleshooting ideas with me, I need someone to take the laptop away to be repaired. Why can't Tesco do this?
rich_tech Posted August 11, 2015 Posted August 11, 2015 I would ring Acer direct to sort it out here, tesco in this is only going to act as a middle man, they probably don't have a designated repair server like PC World/Currys, though they do have some legal obligations thats undeniable in terms of goods sold. I would imagine if you had the SN to hand when calling it would have been a case of just confirming the fault and arranging a return for repair (I assume Acer don't do in-house repairs for this, especially as most touchpads form part of the case these days, its going to be a strip down job. Personally though I avoid Acer and Dell for these reasons, lots of "common faults" at the cheaper end of the market.
comrade Posted August 11, 2015 Posted August 11, 2015 Tesco won't care as 28/30 days have passed. They might offer to help, not sure what the rules are on paper but in reality they have their money from you and its Acer's problem. As others have said forget about Tesco, just contact Acer. You get what you pay for with Acer, other brands. The cheap models are cheap.
penfold Posted August 12, 2015 Author Posted August 12, 2015 Thanks all, I managed to contact Acer last night and they are sending me a form to get the laptop picked up. The only thing I need to do is make sure I package it well as they will take no responsibility for any damage. Don't get me wrong I'm not expecting Tesco to "fix" the problem, but I was expecting them to send the laptop off for repairs. @Galyway - I was under the impression that for the first 12 months my contract is with who I bought the device from(Tesco) and if you have any problems then it is for them to resolve. This is where I am a bit annoyed at Tesco. I need to ensure that the laptop now gets to Acer without any incident which to my understanding means I will need to pay for cover. I thought Tesco should be the ones who send it back and that way if anything happens in transit they are responsible not me.
GeekyPete Posted August 12, 2015 Posted August 12, 2015 Tesco have subcontracted their service department and it's all for their benefit not yours. I had a similar problem with my Son's Hudle which is even their ow brand. I took it to the store I bought it from who called the service centre, they had to send a courier out to collect it but they were not allowed to collect if from the store! Problem is I work in the Field and my wife is a Home and Hospital teacher who works here, there and everywhere. We were just not available for the courier. No Local family and the neighbours we speak to all work too. And to be honest after that why the hell should I take a day's holiday to sit in and wait for a courier when I drive past the store I bought it from every day! Tesco were quite literally saying that if I didn't arrange my life to suit their driver then I may as well bin the Hudle because they aren't going to offer anything else. I was fuming! In the end I googled the CEO and the Director of Customer services and outlined my woes to them in an email. They made a "one off jesture of goodwill" and ended up refunding the full amount of the Hudle and I bought the boy an iPad online. I now never buy anything electrical from Tesco. I spent 15 years in electrical retail before being a school techie I would not have thought that such poor service was possible from such a prominent retailer. Once bitten twice shy. Doesn't really help your situation other than to illustrate that you are not alone in your frustration and Don't let it drop. Take it all the way to the top if you have to.
penfold Posted August 12, 2015 Author Posted August 12, 2015 @GeekyPete - This is my frustration, I haven't tried to arrange a collection but hopefully it will be easier than your experience. However as you say, my frustration is buying from a shop which I then can't take it back to... even PC world are better for things like this in my experience. To be fair to Tesco in the past when my Dad has bought a monitor from them, it was faulty and they swapped it, but this was when it was faulty when it was bought, not developing a fault further down the line. It just seems a bit sneaky of them to provide you all the details of their so called tech support for items under warrenty which actually does nothing but pass you through to the manufacturer to sort out yourself.
pcstru Posted August 12, 2015 Posted August 12, 2015 I was under the impression that for the first 12 months my contract is with who I bought the device from(Tesco) Your contract is and always will be with Tesco. and if you have any problems then it is for them to resolve. This is where I am a bit annoyed at Tesco. I need to ensure that the laptop now gets to Acer without any incident which to my understanding means I will need to pay for cover. I thought Tesco should be the ones who send it back and that way if anything happens in transit they are responsible not me. It is frustrating but unfortunately I think in the end a court would say that that was Tesco providing a reasonable route by which you can resolve issues, should you want to. An alternative for you might be to say that it is a known defect that renders the device not fit for purpose and you want your money back. That is easier to do up to 6 months from purchase than after, but it is still possible after.
GeekyPete Posted August 12, 2015 Posted August 12, 2015 @pcstru I agree and have no doubt that Tesco's lawyers have gone over it and they probably satisfy all the requirements of the sale of goods act. But in my experience Lawyers seem to equate legal with moral or acceptable. However it's a long long long game and ultimately consumers have the last word as long as we realise it. That's why I don't buy anything from Tesco where a warranty is important to me. Exercising my choice is my ultimate redress. Since the Hudle incident I have purchased the iPad, Coffee maker, Mobile phone, 24" tv and a Printer/Scanner elsewhere. The TV I actually put in my trolley until my wife reminded me! All these things I saw in Tesco before I purchased them. Poor service has cost them over £700 of my business so far.
pcstru Posted August 12, 2015 Posted August 12, 2015 But in my experience Lawyers seem to equate legal with moral or acceptable. I've not met many lawyers who would automatically equate 'legal' with 'moral' (you would probably need to define 'legal' a bit better - is it statute, the judgement of a court or something else), although I think it is absolutely correct that if something is legal then it is by definition 'acceptable'. However it's a long long long game and ultimately consumers have the last word as long as we realise it. That's why I don't buy anything from Tesco where a warranty is important to me. Exercising my choice is my ultimate redress. Since the Hudle incident I have purchased the iPad, Coffee maker, Mobile phone, 24" tv and a Printer/Scanner elsewhere. The TV I actually put in my trolley until my wife reminded me! All these things I saw in Tesco before I purchased them. Poor service has cost them over £700 of my business so far. Quite right. I chose to boycott Tesco around 5 years ago which must have deprived them of a fair chunk of my disposable income since I did most of my food shopping there.
GeekyPete Posted August 12, 2015 Posted August 12, 2015 I've not met many lawyers who would automatically equate 'legal' with 'moral' (you would probably need to define 'legal' a bit better - is it statute, the judgement of a court or something else), although I think it is absolutely correct that if something is legal then it is by definition 'acceptable'. QUOTE] Interesting, Adultery is legal.
penfold Posted August 12, 2015 Author Posted August 12, 2015 @Galway - Thanks for that. I actually remember reading something along the lines of dealing direct with the manufacturer can void my contract with Tesco so I may be going back to Tesco again. Have you got a link to confirm this?
penfold Posted August 13, 2015 Author Posted August 13, 2015 Just a quick update on this, went back into Tesco last night and spoke to other members of staff including a manager. They informed me that it is their policy not to sort any faults on any electronic goods after 14 days and it is the customer responsibility to deal direct with the manufacturer. They refused to take the laptop telling me if I send it back to Acer it will get sorted but if it gets damaged in transit then basically "tough". The manager also spoke to someone in head office who told him that the packaging they send is very good and they haven't heard of any items being damaged. When I pointed out that they are not sending any packaging they didn't have anything to say. I spoke to trading standard this morning who have confirmed that Tesco need to deal with this as the goods fall into the category of not fit for purpose. I have emailed Tesco stating this and have requested that they inform me what they intend to do. I'm waiting for a response. The only positive thing I can say about my experience is that I'm glad it was a cheap laptop as I won't be buying anything electrical from Tesco again if it is this difficult to get anything fixed should anything go wrong.
GeekyPete Posted August 13, 2015 Posted August 13, 2015 Good on you. And trading Standards is dead right. They cannot fob you off on to the manufacturer. My issues was a little different as the Hudle was a Tesco own brand they were still technically dealing with it themselves. I just had to jump through hoops to get it sorted. This is definitely more clear cut. I hope you get it sorted. 1
teejay Posted August 13, 2015 Posted August 13, 2015 Did you buy it in a Tesco store or online as there are different regulations which apply.
Edu-IT Posted August 13, 2015 Posted August 13, 2015 I've been through the exact same thing with Tesco over an Asus laptop. It took a bit of discussion before Tesco realised they do have a duty to help. In the end they refunded the laptop in full. Persevere and take it up to the highest level complaint you can. Don't be pushed from pillar to post.
penfold Posted August 13, 2015 Author Posted August 13, 2015 @teejay - bought from tesco direct & collected in-store. Also I paid by credit card so there is (apparently)another avenue to do down should they refuse to help. I just don't see the problem - all the need to do is arrange a pickup of 1 item.
difinity Posted August 13, 2015 Posted August 13, 2015 Their returns policy is clearly stated here. Returns policy - Tesco They will either collect it by courier or you can return it to any Tesco direct collection point.
penfold Posted August 14, 2015 Author Posted August 14, 2015 (edited) Just to update this for anyone else who may have similar issue. So far Tesco have not come back to me, but I have spoke to Trading Standards again to clarify a few things. I am entitled to go with the Sales of Goods act which means Tesco have to do something about it, but there is one issue which is a grey area. Namely the cost of sending something back for repair. Apparently I can send it back recorded delivery and then claim the money back against Tesco but the time it will take to do all that just means people will give up. This to me just seems like a cop out by Tesco. As the item you have bought needs to be sent off for repairs then it seems they can tell you that you need to send it off directly which means that you need to pay to ensure you have some sort of insurance should something break while it is being sent. Considering I bought this from the shop I would expect that you should be able to take it back into the store. This just seems like a nice loop hole which shops like Tesco can exploit meaning the general public end up paying more for stuff. I'm even more annoyed as the laptop is 7 months which means I have less rights than if it was 6 months or less:( @Edu-IT - how old was your laptop? Edit: I did ring the number of the Tesco website about returns to ask to take it in store as stated on their website to be told the same thing of I need to send it off again... Edited August 14, 2015 by penfold
difinity Posted August 14, 2015 Posted August 14, 2015 I'd print this out and return with your laptop to the store.
penfold Posted August 14, 2015 Author Posted August 14, 2015 @difinity - unfortunately that doesn't help. I rang the number and quoted the website you have just put up but am just told that they do not accept the laptop as it is one of the items that they can't accept as it must be collected from my house. Personally I would say it's a small item but I'm getting sick of going round in circles. I know it's what they want, but I have more important things I need to spend my time on than arguing with staff telling me that this is an exception.
penfold Posted August 14, 2015 Author Posted August 14, 2015 This is what I would expect buying anything from a shop. I would expect them to take it back and deal with it/sort it. I've since found that this is nothing new -Return faulty laptop to Tesco, or Acer?
difinity Posted August 14, 2015 Posted August 14, 2015 That website clearly states a small item is one that can be carried by one person. The website details no exceptions. I would not ring them again, just return to the store. I would do it on a Saturday with my best polite louder than normal I'm not budging voice. (I appreciate this isn't for everyone) It was for something costing £1.50 i fell out with Tesco a few years ago. I do not shop there now as they clearly don't have a clue about customer support nor really care.
elsiegee40 Posted August 14, 2015 Posted August 14, 2015 That website clearly states a small item is one that can be carried by one person. The website details no exceptions. I would not ring them again, just return to the store. I would do it on a Saturday with my best polite louder than normal I'm not budging voice. (I appreciate this isn't for everyone) It was for something costing £1.50 i fell out with Tesco a few years ago. I do not shop there now as they clearly don't have a clue about customer support nor really care. I agree there's a tone you use that indicates that the volume will go up the longer you have to argue with them. I did it on Christmas Eve with a broken 11 month old kettle that they wanted to send for inspection and possible repair. I got a new kettle.
penfold Posted August 14, 2015 Author Posted August 14, 2015 Yeah, unfortunately I only had time to go in the evening this week when it is quiet. I'm of the mind set that if there is particular bad service I will tell people who are buying things at the till that they should think twice as there are problems with after sales. During the evening there was no one Thinking about it the actual counter is right in the corner out of the way...probably for that reason.
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