We bought an LG Television from Very in March 2022 and just after the 12-month warranty expired, the screen went blank and it is no longer watchable.
Very passed me on to its repairs operation, but the company will not authorise action unless it gives the go-ahead. I have been told by my local repair man this is a common fault with this model, and that it will cost £200+ to fix.
He wants a £65 fee to produce a report for Very to this effect. If I pay him this, will I see it back? After hours of phone calls I feel I am being given the runaround.
KB, Bolton
The Consumer Rights Act makes it pretty clear that once six months has passed the burden of proof is on you – the consumer – to provide evidence of the product’s fault, so it was not unreasonable for Very to ask for a report.
In this case, I asked Very about your case and it has agreed to refund you the cost of the report and, if a manufacturing fault is found, as appears to be the case, it will refund the cost of the TV.
In normal circumstances, where a manufacturing fault is found, it says it usually offers customers a partial refund for the report and a partial refund for the product based on its age, in line with the Consumer Rights Act 2015.
Generally, if the product was expected to last five or six years – the minimum term that most people would expect for a decent TV – and it had failed after two, you could get a refund of about 60%, on the basis you had had two years’ use. You must always bring the claim against the retailer – not the manufacturer.
Richer Sounds, arguably the best TV retailer out there, offers six-year guarantees and is probably the place to source a replacement if you go down that route.
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