Gary965 said:
No one said it was a warranty, it is there to provide consumers with an option if their purchase is not fit for purpose. Obviously you must prove that or go in with all the information that makes the retailer believe you have a fair and winnable case
I was referring to people on bargain forums that perpetuate the myth about the SoGA 6 year "warranty", such as on the sites I mentioned, MSE and HotUKdeals.
The reason I mentioned it was because the OP asked whether we need 5 year guarantees, and your response, to me, suggested he had similar rights under the SoGA...
As has been said you are fully covered in the UK for 6 years so paying for a 5 year cover is both pointless and expensive,
That, to me, could be a little misleading
As I said in my earlier post, you have a right to claim, but no automatic right for your claim to be upheld. Even if you do win, you can't demand a refund or repair, you might just get a compensatory sum which is only a small % of the initial purchase price. So, to me, that's not being "fully covered" in the way that a decent warranty would cover you. So a warranty, which may give you a new set, isn't really pointless IMO.
As I explained I have sold high value and low value warranties as part of my job for years and think you need to look long and hard at the small print before you think that it is unquestioned piece of mind cover, believe me many are not, as has been proved by so many watchdog style investigations over the years and indeed by my own experiences
I've also plenty of experience in this field
I never said all warranties were a good idea, I said that they can be a good thing if you choose carefully.
I just feel that a lot of these type of topics result in people believing that the SoGA will act like a warranty, when it's very rarely the case. As I mentioned in another thread, there may well be a lot of angry TV buyers out there in a few years time, when their TV's become faulty and they realise all the hoops they have to jump through just to possibly get a paltry payment for compensation for unfulfilled lifespan. I feel that quite a few folk may well look back and wish they'd got a warranty!
As I said, I've claimed and helped others to win claims under SoGA before. I hope that I know the Act and it's implications pretty well, but I still feel there are situations where a warranty is good value. In the current market, some stores offering 5 year warranties are only a few quid more than those offering no extended warranty. In this instance, I'd tend to pay the few extra quid, providing the warranty offered stood up to scrutiny.