Hi all,
I originally posted my problem back in January, but have been wary to post every stage of my dealings since then because, to be honest, I've had no idea where I stood. It now looks like the problem is resolved so I thought I'd post my experiences of the last four months.
Like a few people have suggested, the first port of call should be the retailer when something goes wrong outside warranty. I paid £2000 for the projector to a company that supposedly cares about 'customer satisfaction'. When I contacted my retailer four months outside the 12 months (the pj had 700 hours on it), they then contacted Sony, only to then report that Sony considered that it would have to be a 'paid' repair. The retailer explained that there was nothing they would do about it and that I should pay because 'everybody else pays'. I pointed out that the Sale of Goods Act demanded that they take responsibility for something that didn't provide 'reasonable use', and I had my local Trading Standards office contact them to make the same point. The company continued to maintain it wasn't their responsibility. Of course, the contract is made with the retailer, not the manufacturer, which means that it is their responsibility and that warranties do not invalidate our statutory rights. It was actually unfair to ask Sony to sort out a problem for which, in law, the retailer should take responsibly.
I was on the point of threatening to take the retailer to the small claims court, when I decided (as a last measure) to write to the MD of Sony UK. It was then suggested that I get a quote, which I did. Sony told me that the prism block repair would cost over £1200. It has been a long slog but I've now had further confirmation that Sony are now willing to replace my old HS10 with a HS50, though I have to pay the £300 difference. I think this is extremely generous of Sony, given that the onus should have been on the retailer to sort this matter out. It's easy to insult these large companies when things go wrong, but in this instance, I've been nothing but impressed by the way that Sony have handled the matter.
It has been a long few months but I've learnt a few things:
1. Never to again buy from certain small specialty stores advertising on the web. I hear that places like John Lewis are a little more expensive but at least they acknowledge their responsibilities under the Sale of Goods Act by providing long warranties.
2. Though we should not have to do so, it makes life easier if we buy an extended warranty and/or insurance on a projector. I'll have been missing a projector for 5 or 6 months, trying to get it repaired/replaced. I love films too much to put up with this again. I believe in my rights, but in this respect, the law really is an ass. I've had 'Oldboy' on the shelf since January and I've been torturing myself every night tempted to watch it on the small TV.
3. When dealing with these big companies, go to the top. Write a strongly worded letter, perhaps explaining about how much you've spent on their products over the years, and ask if they can be fair with you to help resolve the problem.
4. The whole business of the Sale of Goods Act is toothless. Too many companies ignore it, and continue to mouth the lie that faults 'aren't our responsibility' and that 'everybody else pays'. 'Reasonable use' means nothing to them when they can cite 'wear and tear'. Yet how are you to prove that some resin cracking or solder coming free is a 'manufacturing defect' and not 'wear and tear'?
Sorry for the length of this post. I just hope some of this will be of help to others who have similar problems as I spent countless hours searching the web for this kind of information.
David.