why is it the customers job?.........

[emszxr]

......to return faulty items back to a shop.
i bought a jigsaw in inverness yesterday for my daughter and when we got it home there was one piece missing and 4 duplicate pieces.
i phoned up the store this morning and i'm still waiting for a call back as to whether they have another in stock that they will post out to me.
is it not a shop/company's responsability to the customer to supply them with correct items. okay it may well be the supplier to the shop that sent them the faulty item, but i didnt buy from the supplier i bought from the shop, so the shop should replace my faulty item and then get a refund from their supplier.

[Lolabelle]

I would imagine that the shop is responsible to replace the faulty product and then have it replace inturn by their supplier. You'd think so anyway.

[jaykay]

It is the resposibility of the shop to replace the faulty item. However it is up to you to take the item back to the shop for replacement. I doubt they will post a replacement to you and if they do they would be entitled to charge you for the postage. One of the advantages of buying locally is the fact it is easier to sort this sort of thing out.

[Angela]

The shop should certainly offer you a replacement/refund.
But I'm afraid you will most probably need to take the faulty jigsaw back to the shop first, and the shopowner will then have to return it to the manufacturer/supplier for a credit/replacement.
Obviously the fault lies with the manufacturer and it's a problem for the shopowner as well -extra work all round.
It would be good if they could handle the problem efficiently and couteously though! :roll:

[Geo]

Yes it is the store's responsibility, not the manufacturer. Wait and see if they will send out the new one.

This section giving examples covered by the Sale of Goods Act may help:

"Q. A consumer rings a trader to say that the TV he/she bought from that trader during the previous week is defective but he/she isn't prepared to return it back to the shop. Can the trader insist that he/she returns it?

A. If the consumer can prove that it is faulty and he/she hasn't accepted it, it is sufficient for him/her just to give notice of rejection and allow the trader any reasonable opportunity to collect the TV. The consumer may be prepared to return the goods to the trader if the trader offers to cover her travel and parking expenses, but he/she does not have to do so."

Taken from:
http://www.tradingstandards.gov.uk/cgi-bin/bglitem.cgi?file=badv073-1011.txt

[Buttercup]

......to return faulty items back to a shop.
i bought a jigsaw in inverness yesterday for my daughter and when we got it home there was one piece missing and 4 duplicate pieces.
i phoned up the store this morning and i'm still waiting for a call back as to whether they have another in stock that they will post out to me.
is it not a shop/company's responsability to the customer to supply them with correct items. okay it may well be the supplier to the shop that sent them the faulty item, but i didnt buy from the supplier i bought from the shop, so the shop should replace my faulty item and then get a refund from their supplier.
You'd probably get a better response if you contacted the manufacturer. I doubt if the shop will pay the p&p to replace it, whereas the manufacturer more than likely will. (Just something to think about if you're unable to viist the shop personally for a replacement).

[Piglet]

My mum had the same thing last year.

She bought a item that was then faulty from Elgin.
She called them up they advised her to send the item back & they sent her a replacment by return & didn't charge her p& p But did send her a £2 voucher to cover cost & inconvience.

[George Brims]

In the US a lot of products now come with a bold-printed brightly coloured leaflet inside the box that tells you not to take it back to the shop if bits are missing or damaged. I think the manufacturers are finding it simpler to have a call centre where people with the right information get you the exact part you want and send it out. There's never a charge for the part or the shipping.

[j4bberw0ck]

In theory, you're quite entitled to inform the seller that there's a problem, reject the goods as unfit for purpose, and you invite them to come collect them and give you your refund.

Or, you could offer to return them to the shop and charge for your travel expenses and your time - tell the seller what it'll cost them and ask how they want to play it.

In practice, they'll tell you to stuff it. It's quite wrong, but unless you want to carry it through all the way, you have little alternative other to return the goods; it's really only worth the effort of making a real issue out of it if there's a lot of money at stake.

That said, you're absolutely, 100% right to wonder why the poor old customer has to carry the can. Though if the retailer was forced to make good any defect at any price at their own expense, things would be a lot more expensive to buy.