On Fri, 29 Jul 2005 15:26:47 +0100, "JoeJoe" wrote:

I bought a PPro drill from them 3 years ago.

Despite using it only on the very rare occasion, one battery is now
completely dead (wouldn't charge), and the other discharges after about 10
minute work.

Also, the drill bits seem to slip quite often as the locking mechanism is on
its last leg.

I just checked the receipt, and unfortunately it was 2 months out of the
warranty period. Speaking to the shop they washed their hands off it and
claimed that as it was more than 3 years it was tough luck on my part.

I am not particularly please to say the least. It was £90 - hardly a cheap
and nasty one I would have thought, and I believe that I have the right to
expect it to work beyond 3 years.

Is there anything I can do about it?

As a worse case scenario I was thinking about forcing them to fix it as I
believe they are obliged to do - I bet they don't have any spare parts for
it....

Cheers,

J.

PS: Probably worth mentioning that it wasn't abused, and the batteries were
charged according to their instruction.


I think that you are being unrealistic. £90 is not anywhere close to
top end for a drill-driver. Prices range from £30 to over £300.

The battery is dead because this class of drill uses cheap batteries
to minimise the cost - it's the most expensive part.

The mechanics are the next most expensive part and up for cost saving
where possible and it is not surprising that the parts have failed.

The reason why there is a three year warranty is threefold:

- It appears to be an attractive deal to the customer, who then gains
the impression that the product is decent and that the supplier is
standing behind it. Nothing is further from the truth.

- B&Q is a volume box mover and has supplier contracts which will
undoubtedly factor in a certain return/throw-away rate. THe supplier
may have to replace up to a certain percentage or it is factored into
the margins.

- There is no spares or repair backup. Faulty ones go in the skip.


There is a statute of limitations of 6 years which means that you have
the opportunity to make a legal claim against the retailer for up to
that time. The warranty is a convenience only.

Had you bought a top end drill like a Panasonic or Makita at around
£300, it would be reasonable to expect a long lifetime from it, and
indeed you would probably get one. There would be spares and service
backup if it failed. You would have had quality batteries and
mechanics and it is fairly unlikely that the problems that you have
seen would have occurred.

So let's say you went to court with this. Had it been a £300 product
and top of the range, then it would be a reasonable claim. However,
set a £90 product against that, and it's difficult to argue that a
three year warranty is unreasonable.

I think that there are three options he

- Go back to the store and ask nicely on the basis that it has hardly
been used and is only two months out of warranty. I have been able
to persuade B&Q of this in the past, but it was on a higher end and
different product.

- Try some pressure with a threat of small claims action. Frankly if
I were the retailer, I think I'd stand my ground, though.

- Chalk it up to experience and buy a Makita product for £150-180 and
avoid the problem in the future.





--

..andy

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