Re: Sale of Goods Act Electronics

Hello,
I have moved your post to the Television section to avoid resurrecting an old thread.

Ok, You seem to have misunderstood the Sale of Goods Act here slightly, you have 6 years in which to make a claim for faulty goods, this does not mean that good must last 6 years.
In a situation like yours, you could own it for 2.5 years, and then, you can theoretically wait until the tv is 8.5 years old before raising any action with the retailer.

As you are outside of standard manufacturers warranty, there really is no redress to be made here unless you deem the goods to be of unsatisfactory quality or should you decide that the tv unit did not last a 'reasonable length of time' or should you find that the tv did not meet the description.

Now satisfactory quality is dependant on a number of things, and is totally per your thoughts. Whereas descriptions are on a factual basis:
Factors to consider are: branding, expectations, any product claims, claims made by the retailer - in writing or orally, build quality, materials used and the retail price (though price is not the be all and end all).

Should you believe that the goods did not last a 'reasonable length of time', again this does in fact fall under Section 14 of the Sale of Goods Act (under Satisfactory Quality), yet this has concern to the lifespan. You can judge whether or not the tv has lasted a reasonable length of time by the average expected lifespan of a tv of similar specifications + price.

For example: If a £100 tv should be reasonably expected to last 1 year, and a £500 tv expected to last 3 years, and your tv was priced at £500 yet only lived 2.5 years, you'd have a claim to make.

As you are outside of your manufacturers warranty, you can try to claim one of the above if you so wish, however by being outside, you are generally expected to front any delivery/collection costs, however should your claim be upheld, you can also expect this money to be returned to yourself.

You would most likely find that the retailer is only prepared to repair it provided it is not economically beyond repair, in which instance you can expect a tv of similar spec at a similar price range if not below what you initially paid.

Hope this helps!

An excellent and very comprehensive answer thanks ALewis. The only thing I would add is I would try emailing the Managing Director of Sony UK with your issue to see if you can bring any pressure to bear.

You would need to make it clear you understand the contract is with the retailer, but ask if 2.5 years is a 'reasonable' life expectancy for a Sony branded TV. I'd be surprised if they say yes in writing to that, as you could massively damage their reputation.

The MD's email is: christopher.bowen@eu.sony.com