Buying off Amazon

[Galena]

I bought 2 Inkbird 303's from Amazon 11 months ago. One of them has just gone faulty, it still operates but the display is now almost fully lit up, so I don't have faith in it lasting so decided to return it under the 12 month warranty, that I assume it has under UK law?
Anyway I was surprised that it seems Amazon only offer returns for 2 months after purchase. They have agreed to refund me for it however as I am a "valued customer" as a one off only deal.
I asked the customer services on chat, how do they justify this as they are operating under UK law and surely the 2 month return policy was for items that perhaps don't fit, are not as described or I just don't like? What if I buy a domestic appliance like a fridge or washing machine, or a camera, do those only have 2 months warranty? To which it seems, as far as Amazon are concerned yes that is all they have? So perhaps they are only fit to sell unbreakable items and not anything that may breakdown at some point.

 

[The Baron]

Hi Galena I think it comes under distance selling and the rules are not as straight forward as a ordinary sale. If you look on the UK Gov site it will cover the rules and regs.
Did they not explain to you why it was not covered? I would have asked for a explanation why at least you can make a decision on whether to buy from them again

 

[Chippy_Tea]

I have asked forum sponsor Inkbird to have a look at the thread.

 

[Random Badger]

Possibly some confusion between your option to return an item under Amazon policies vs your consumer rights to get it repaired or replaced under warranty?

 

[obscure]

My knowledge of consumer law is somewhat hazy and may be wrong so as with any advice found in the internet take this with a pinch of salt. But buried in Amazon T&C is a clause about how their returns policy doesn’t affect your statuary rights from what I can remember after the 2 month period with Amazon you no longer have an automatic right to a refund if a product is defective but Amazon does have an obligation to repair or replace products as long as it can be demonstrated that the issue is the result of a manufactures defect (basically if you drop it and it breaks that’s probably on you). You don’t get to choose if it’s a repair or replacement.

Of course as is often the case Amazon isn’t going to bother trying to get a set of Inkbirds repaired and it is often cheaper just to offer a refund or replacement.

 

[Clint]

Distance selling has the same rules as anything else..they're trying it on.
Retailers often think they're above the law...I took an Xbox controller back to Argos that stopped working and I was given a load of flannel about it having to go back to Microsoft blah blah blah...
I just asked for the store manager..they had the cheek to tell me he was busy! So I said I could wait all day until he wasn't...within 10 minutes I had a new replacement.

 

[RichardM]

There seems to be some confusion between Consumer Rights The Consumer Rights Act 2015. And Distance Selling Regulations Online and distance selling

 

[Galena]

Well I have just ordered a replacement from Brew2 Bottle, this is how the old one looks at the moment on the strength of their 'one off refund'
I was tempted to give the MJ version a try but I am familiar with the Inkbird and it attaches to the wall easily

 

[obscure]

Distance selling has the same rules as anything else..they're trying it on.
Retailers often think they're above the law...I took an Xbox controller back to Argos that stopped working and I was given a load of flannel about it having to go back to Microsoft blah blah blah...
I just asked for the store manager..they had the cheek to tell me he was busy! So I said I could wait all day until he wasn't...within 10 minutes I had a new replacement.

Unfortunately they aren’t actually wrong on that one, of corse if they sent a controller back to the manufactures the response would likely be ‘beyond economical repair cheaper to replace‘ but none the less the retailer does have the option especially the case with laptops and more expensive items.

As for Amazon

Defective Items After 30 Days
Troubleshooting and product support may be available to resolve any issues with your product, as outlined in the Product Support Help page. If your item becomes defective after the Amazon return period, Amazon will repair any defective item. The repair will be completed by the manufacturer or by a third-party repair service provider authorised by the manufacturers to repair their products. If a repair is not possible, we'll send you a replacement, and if a replacement is not available, we will refund the purchase price. Repair is only available for qualifying items sold by Amazon.co.uk or Amazon Warehouse. Amazon does not accept a return after 30 days for consumable products (e.g. batteries, fuses, ink, light bulbs, etc.) or if the defect is due to accidental damage, deliberate damage, caused by external factors, or general wear and tear. For more information go to About Warranty Repairs.

 

[Galena]

As for Amazon

I guess that depends on what they call qualifying items?

 

[Galena]

Just received an email confirming the refund and adding the following

Normally, in this situation, I'd create a replacement order for the defective item right away, to be sent to you as soon as possible at no additional charge.

However, your order was sold by a third party seller, Gooasis. This item was labelled ‘Fulfilled by Amazon’. Items labelled ‘Fulfilled by Amazon’ are sent to you directly from an Amazon.co.uk Fulfilment Centre but because the Seller's inventory is constantly changing we can't replace any items sold by them that are Fulfilled by Amazon.

I guess the moral of the story is, be careful who you are actually buying from