Aria Tech Refused Refund, Help Please

TheAlchemist

New Member
Feb 19, 2011
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Hello.

I recently purchased a number of computer components from Aria Tech, but had to return the motherboard because of a fault (RAM slots B1 and B2 would not accept RAM).

I finally got an email from Aria today, a week after posting the item (which is also an annoyance - it cost me over £8 to post the item, and they only refund £7 max!).

The email said:

Dear Aria Customer

We would like to inform you that the Item that you returned to us on RMA246051 has been
tested and has been rejected for the following reason


* pin damage

The item was only tested against the information you supplied on your original RMA request.
We are able to return your item to you; however this will be subject to a carriage fee. Please
contact us on XXXXXXXX Monday-Friday 9am-5pm (excluding Public and Bank Holidays)
or by email at XXXXXXX to arrange delivery. We will also answer any queries you have
regarding your item.
You have up to 90 days to arrange delivery and claim your item/s, after which time if no contact has been
made they will unfortunately be disposed of.

Please Note: Any items rejected due to physical damage will automatically be returned to customer.
The above information is woefully inadequate.
I thought the DSR (which Aria are so fond of quoting on their website) basically said that it is up to the seller to prove that any damage done was done by the buyer if they want to refuse a refund/replacement? But in this case they seem to have turned into judge, jury and executioner, and I am now £240 out of pocket!

Can someone please help me with this? What are my rights? Who can I turn to for advice or to take it further if need be?
 

TheAlchemist

New Member
Feb 19, 2011
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I am getting very annoyed now.
I just received this email:

The pin damage is in reference to the pins in the CPU socket. There is damage to the CPU socket, which unfortunately voids the warranty on this item. The pins in the CPU socket are very fragile and if out of alignment can cause the system to not work or cause erratic behaviour such as certain memory channels not working.

This item will be returned to you today for delivery tomorrow.
The CPU worked perfectly fine before I sent it to them. I have contacted Consumer Direct, and hopefully they will pass this case on to Trading Standards. I am not going to be scammed out of £150 by these shysters!
 

duncanm

New Member
Feb 3, 2011
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Had a very bad experience with them as well, still waiting for my money to be refunded after they shipped me 2 faulty hard drives. So far it's a month since they received them.

They actually have to prove that you did the damage which will be impossible, so make sure consumer direct act on your behalf. If they won't go direct to the local trading standards.
 

TheAlchemist

New Member
Feb 19, 2011
6
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Had a very bad experience with them as well, still waiting for my money to be refunded after they shipped me 2 faulty hard drives. So far it's a month since they received them.

They actually have to prove that you did the damage which will be impossible, so make sure consumer direct act on your behalf. If they won't go direct to the local trading standards.
Thanks for the vote of confidence :)
It's nice to know that I have the law/rules on my side.
When it turns up (which according to them will be tomorrow) I'll make sure to take plenty of pictures of the so-called damage.

I don't need the PC until early March (the first game that comes out this year that my old PC won't be able to handle is March 11th), but if it still hasn't been sorted out by then I'll have to buy another motherboard from a second shop and be out of pocket for the money until I can get a refund on the first, broken one.

And the waiting begins....
 

TheAlchemist

New Member
Feb 19, 2011
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I contacted Consumer Direct, and they replied with the following:

From the information you provide, your claim against Aria Technologies may be for a breach of the Sale of Goods Act 1979 as amended. This legislation states that goods supplied by businesses must be of satisfactory quality and fit for purpose. This means that they must be free from minor defects and durable, amongst other things. Where this is not the case, the seller of the goods can be held in breach of contract and may have to offer a remedy to the consumer.

When claiming under this legislation, the seller should be given a reasonable opportunity to repair or replace the goods, which may involve more than one attempt. This should be carried out within a reasonable period of time without causing the consumer a significant inconvenience. Once a reasonable opportunity has been given a repair or replace the goods, the consumer may be able to ask for a refund which would be minus any usage.

As you are within 6 months from the time of purchase, the burden of proof would lie with the trader. This means it is assumed that the goods were inherently faulty at the time of purchase unless the trader can prove otherwise. This may be on benefit to you, although bear in mind the 'burden of proof' would only be applicable if blame can be established by having an independent report carried out.


At this stage, I would advise that you write a letter to Aria Technologies, quoting the Sale of Goods Act 1979 requesting a repair or replacement. You should state that you are making ‘time of the essence’ for this to happen and request that they contact you within a reasonable period of time arrange this. The letter should be sent by recorded delivery. I would advise that you keep a copy of the letter that you write for your own records in case you need to use it as evidence at a later stage. You will find a template letter at the following link:
I posted that email on the Aria Tech forums, and they replied in the most weasely, doing-me-a-favour way:

Unfortuantely this is a very one sided response from the people at Consumer Direct.

The facts are that you have purchased a product and that in your posession has been physicaly damaged and the warranty been voided.

It is like going to pick up a new car, pulling off the showroom and smashing into the nearest bus. Then returning to the showroom complaining that the Radio didn't work and demanding a full refund.

As a business we have to look at the pro's and cons of situations like this. You will spend a lot of time putting effort into going through the process of getting your money back we will as a business have to deal with your request and it will all blow out of proportion and leave a bad taste in everyones mouths.

If you are willing to sit the cost of shipping the Item back to me I will Issue you with a full refund.
 

deludeddonny

New Member
Feb 27, 2012
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Just email them telling them to read this... note the underlined bit... they have to prove it was not damaged when they sent it to you... which they cant because they do not tet everything before it gets shipped!

Under the Sale of Goods Act 1979 any item you purchase from a retailer should be as described, of a satisfactory quality and fit for purpose. This means that if a product turns out to be damaged or faulty at the time of sale, or if a fault emerges over time, you are entitled to a refund, repair or replacement from the retailer.
It's worth bearing in mind that when you return an item the retailer is likely to ask for proof of purchase. While the most ideal proof of purchase is your receipt, if you don't have this, a credit card statement or cheque stub for the sale may also be accepted.
If you return an item as faulty within 6 months of purchase then the onus is on the retailer to prove otherwise. However, after 6 months the liability shifts and you will need to prove that the fault was present at the time of sale before a refund will be granted
 

SimonEccles

New Member
Mar 15, 2012
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Wow. Quite surprising. I build my own computers and often use Aria, never had a single problem with them. Hope you get this sorted.
 

Baron von Bismarck

New Member
Dec 15, 2015
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:mad:
Just email them telling them to read this... note the underlined bit... they have to prove it was not damaged when they sent it to you... which they cant because they do not tet everything before it gets shipped!

Under the Sale of Goods Act 1979 any item you purchase from a retailer should be as described, of a satisfactory quality and fit for purpose. This means that if a product turns out to be damaged or faulty at the time of sale, or if a fault emerges over time, you are entitled to a refund, repair or replacement from the retailer.
It's worth bearing in mind that when you return an item the retailer is likely to ask for proof of purchase. While the most ideal proof of purchase is your receipt, if you don't have this, a credit card statement or cheque stub for the sale may also be accepted.
If you return an item as faulty within 6 months of purchase then the onus is on the retailer to prove otherwise. However, after 6 months the liability shifts and you will need to prove that the fault was present at the time of sale before a refund will be granted
Sorry I am unable to help you as I have exactly the same situation with ARIA !
They say that the pins were damaged ? This is fallacious ,the motherboard was checked by a reputable computer repair company who stated that the board was faulty . They carried out diagnostics ( no pin damage noted).
I disputed their claim and they went silent ,even not acknowledging my request to have the motherboard returned to me at my cost !!
I am afraid the only course of action is the small claims court . I have had a notice issued on them and they are to respond by 21st December . I have reported the incident to Trading Standards under the Sale of Goods Act 1979. Would appear that they have problems with certain motherboards and are not willing to return funds ??
 

Baron von Bismarck

New Member
Dec 15, 2015
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Having issued a court notice upon which ARIA had to respond too by 21st December I thought I would take one more attempt and contacted Aria Taheri (CEO) ,by e mail . With due diligence he phoned me the following day to permit me to explain the situation that had led to taking court action . Aria Taheri listened patiently to my concerns and took it upon himself to investigate .
Within a few hours I received a call from his Head of Operations , Lee Turner, who asked me what it would take to rectify the matter without having to continue along the path to legal action .
We agreed a full refund which has been made in hours , I can only explain the situation as being a failure by Aria customer services to follow up matters and resolve issues ?
Very sad that I had to go to this extent to get someone's attention and my refund , it is the first time I have ever found it necessary to place a claims notice and hopefully the last. I am hoping that more efficient customer services at Aria will enable dissatisfied customers such as myself to be responded too in a timely manner and thereby avoiding taking such action.
 

vernicescheiber

New Member
Feb 22, 2016
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When you order goods and/or services from us, and we accept your order, you are entering into a contract with us for the purchase of the goods and/or the performance of the services. You must take particular care when providing us with your details to ensure that these are accurate and complete at the time of ordering. We will not be liable to remedy the results of any mistakes made when you enter personal details, such as address.
 

laurathomas

New Member
Nov 28, 2016
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I shopped with Aria about 5 years ago and will never do it again. Late delivery, one of the products was faulty, then the stress of going through the returns was horrid. You have my sympathies!