Richer Sounds

[maxw]

So today I tried plugging an ariel into my one month old 32" TV which I bought from a Richer Sounds store...nothing came up. I tried a different TV on the same ariel point and it worked fine! Off to Richer Sounds we go to ask them if I'd done something wrong. The guy who'd served me when I bought it was there, he said basically it was most probably to do with the ariel, not the TV. So I went back, re-did the ariel connections etc, tried it again...nothing.

I thought that it'd be best to just take it back and let them check it. Off we went again to the store, after handing it over to them, about ten or fifteen minutes later the assistant came back out and told me it was a faulty set.

I was fine with that, because I'd payed 10% and taken out a 5 year guarantee so I'd be covered. Well at least I thought I would be! A couple of seconds later "there's no more of that model coming in, we're finally out of stock", I was fine with that also as I assumed that they would just exchange it with a different model.

After much discussion it turns out that even with my extra five year guarantee, they wouldn't exchange it as it was the cheapest model they did and therefore they say there was nothing 'like for like' to exchange it with! The assistant also said that the TV wasn't very good quality. At that point I was very annoyed, why would they sell me a TV which had a strong likelihood of breaking. I answered back to that point saying that that's the reason I paid extra and got the five year guarantee.

They eventually said all they could do was give me a refund, or I would have to pay the difference on a different TV.

Why should I pay extra because the TV they sold me doesn't work?!

I accepted the refund and told them they would never be getting my custom again.

Now I'm hunting for a nice TV from John Lewis

The morel of the story. Don't shop at Richer Sounds. I wish I'd listened to the people who said don't use them.

 

[AMDFTW]

amazon seem to have some awsome deals on the new sammys

 

[llwyd]

Pretty unprofessional of them to cast aspersions over the quality of their products but the outcome you've got is the same as everyone who buys anything clearance from a shop that subsequently goes wrong. No way is any business, that's aim is to make money, going to upgrade someones product out of their own pocket when they can just give you your money back. Did they not offer a repair?

As above, Amazon have got some mental deals on respectable brands of TVs. What sort of TV you looking for?

 

[maxw]

I just thought it was bad of them to offer a 5 year guarantee and then it didn't really matter that it broke because they just gave me the money back. I understand that it isn't in their best interests to upgrade my TV, but at the same time if they sell me a product that breaks (and mine wasnt the only one which broke, the display model was a returned tv as well!) then they should provide me an exchange, even if it costs them. Because I bought that TV with the money I had, and now I am left with no TV because of their product breaking and them not being able to exchange it.

I think I'm just going to buy one from a reputable retailer instore. And especially from John Lewis as they've been the best service I've had with returns. (I know they cost more but after that I'm willing to spend that extra.)

Unless it's a lot of money off, then I may consider a good retailer like amazon.

I'm after about a 37" 1080p with FreeviewHD/FreesatHD (not sure which is the best option) and also maybe some extras like DLNA...

 

[alienware]

Why should I pay extra because the TV they sold me doesn't work?!

Because you didn't pay for a more expensive set. What next, buy a dodgy Fiesta take it back want a Ferrari?

My advice to you : don't be consumed with greed and the thought of getting something for nothing, not good for you.

As for the 5 year warranty? Not worth the money, complete con.

Edit. Sorry if that sounds harsh. I used to work in customer service and experience tons of people wanting something more expensive than they had paid for. Bottom line is if an item is faulty the best a company has to offer is a complete refund providing it is within 30 days. You get a full 7 day no quibble 'cool off' period but after 30 days all they need to do is either repair or replace within warranty. There are no 'like for like' laws for consumer goods I'm afraid.

Some companies will but most of them would be U.S based (like BFG or EVGA). However as I say, no law on the matter. The only time you can have a like for like is with home insurance. You can add a 'good as new' policy whereby they will replace, say, a four year old burgled Alienware for one that has just been released that matches what you had (say, SLI etc).

 

[llwyd]

Common misconception that John Lewis are more expensive. They do a price match promise, if you can find a product cheaper (no sure if it applies to etailers) they will match / beat it. Done it a few times, tell them in store and they've phoned wherever I've seen it cheaper there and then and confirmed the price then matched it for me.

 

[maxw]

Thanks for that llwyd, I'll have a look on their website for details, because most places exclude the cheapest e-tailers.

And by the way...

SUCCESS! I went back today to have another talk with them and take the tv remote & lead back. This time there were different staff (apart from one guy who served me yesterday) and there was one guy who was from a different store there.

The guy from the other store overheard what I was saying to the assistant and said that he knew they had two in his store!

After much deliberation they said they could get me one sent up from either his store or a different one by Friday/Monday.

So after a quick phone call to the other branch they organised to have one sent to the store! It's just a shame no-one thought of this yesterday as it would have saved a lot of messing around! So I was just lucky I guess. Well I'm happy now and they may get some more business off us as it's very convenient for me (about 7 streets away).

Now I'm going to take some time out to plan a nice sound system for the entire house!

 

[ppuff]

Glad it all worked out. Did you opt for the 5 year worthless guarantee again? Put those few extra bucks into the sound system!

 

[maxw]

Glad it all worked out. Did you opt for the 5 year worthless guarantee again? Put those few extra bucks into the sound system!

yep, I took out the 5 year guarantee. The guy even said "as we can't guarantee" at that point I said why would you sell a 5 year guarantee if you can't guarantee. It's silly really

Sound system will be very good soon, just got to learn more about it & how to wire the whole house with it!