Hello,
I bought a Magimix ice cream maker from Argos on the 2nd of July 2008 for £34.99. It has been used less than 10 times over the past year, always according to instructions. When trying to use it a couple of days ago, I discovered that it was no longer working: it would churn the contents but not freeze them, despite pre-freezing the bowl for the required 12 hours. This renders the machine useless. (I wonder if it is possible that the cooling liquid inside had leaked and now there is not enough left to keep the bowl cool?) In any case, there are no external signs of the fault so I cannot tell why it has packed up.
I took it back to Argos where I was not overly surprised to hear that "as it is just out of warranty, there is nothing we can do" etc. I argued that a kitchen appliance costing £34.99 could be reasonably expected to last longer than 10 uses, however infrequently it is used. Had we tried to use it the weekend before, it would have been within the warranty - and I suspect that had we used it more often, the fault would have become obvious within the first few months after buying it.
The staff in Argos persuaded me to leave it with them to send off to the manufacturer, but warned me that I would be charged for the repair, although they reassured me that I would be able to decide whether to accept or reject the manufacturer's quote. On second thoughts, I realised that this was just a classic case of the retailer washing their hands off any responsibility, so I asked for the product back so I could pursue the matter with Argos headquarters instead.
Could you give me some advice as to how to proceed? I would not be surprised if Argos HQ tried to extricate themselves from any responsibility, and I wonder how to approach them in order not to get fobbed off again. Also, if it comes to having to prove that the product was used correctly, how can this be done? The machine is clearly in good condition and no external fault can be seen, but will this be accepted as proof?
Of course, I could just sigh and accept this situation, but I feel it is unfair for me to have to either write off or fork out more money on a product that packed up after less than 10 uses, when it must surely be designed to last longer (otherwise it would have to be producing the world's most expensive ice cream!)
Any advice would be much appreciated! Thanks a lot.
I bought a Magimix ice cream maker from Argos on the 2nd of July 2008 for £34.99. It has been used less than 10 times over the past year, always according to instructions. When trying to use it a couple of days ago, I discovered that it was no longer working: it would churn the contents but not freeze them, despite pre-freezing the bowl for the required 12 hours. This renders the machine useless. (I wonder if it is possible that the cooling liquid inside had leaked and now there is not enough left to keep the bowl cool?) In any case, there are no external signs of the fault so I cannot tell why it has packed up.
I took it back to Argos where I was not overly surprised to hear that "as it is just out of warranty, there is nothing we can do" etc. I argued that a kitchen appliance costing £34.99 could be reasonably expected to last longer than 10 uses, however infrequently it is used. Had we tried to use it the weekend before, it would have been within the warranty - and I suspect that had we used it more often, the fault would have become obvious within the first few months after buying it.
The staff in Argos persuaded me to leave it with them to send off to the manufacturer, but warned me that I would be charged for the repair, although they reassured me that I would be able to decide whether to accept or reject the manufacturer's quote. On second thoughts, I realised that this was just a classic case of the retailer washing their hands off any responsibility, so I asked for the product back so I could pursue the matter with Argos headquarters instead.
Could you give me some advice as to how to proceed? I would not be surprised if Argos HQ tried to extricate themselves from any responsibility, and I wonder how to approach them in order not to get fobbed off again. Also, if it comes to having to prove that the product was used correctly, how can this be done? The machine is clearly in good condition and no external fault can be seen, but will this be accepted as proof?
Of course, I could just sigh and accept this situation, but I feel it is unfair for me to have to either write off or fork out more money on a product that packed up after less than 10 uses, when it must surely be designed to last longer (otherwise it would have to be producing the world's most expensive ice cream!)
Any advice would be much appreciated! Thanks a lot.
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