Dead Battery

[Spooner]

Battery died in my Defender this morning - went out and flat as a pancake. It's a Halfords '4 year guarantee' one which has the date of '09/08' on it. So off I trundle to local Halfords (after putting in a new battery from local indepentant). After a call to the manager is made by the girl on the till, he refuses to give me a refund... Have I missed something here..? He tested it with his green thing and proclaimed it 'dead'... well done mate.

It's a Halfords battery - I couldn't of bought it anywhere else

It has '4 year guarantee' written all over it

It has the date of 09/08 embossed on it.

Without a receipt he wouldn't entertain any kind of refund. I can't even remember when I bought it let alone if I bought it on it's own or with something else.

Looking for advice here... I asked for head office details but the wife has started to talk about 'Statutory rights'..

cheers

[Phillis]

you should of got a replacement.

[Retroanaconda]

I think you do need to provide proof of purchase, this doesn't have to be in the form of a receipt so could be a bank statement etc.

Take it above the store manager, they certainly don't like it when you do that as it tends to get them in the soft and smelly!

[MrKev]

As far as I am aware, you need proof of purchase, but this needn't be a receipt. This could be a credit card statement, or possibly even a witness - a friend?

Kev

[Bowie69]

Should've given them a chance to swap it out really, rather than replaced it first....If you had gone in asking for an exchange with no receipt I expect there would have been no problem.

[brighouse shed]

Try Purchase of Goods legislation, the fact that it's got Halfords and a date on it means you couldn't have bought it before said date. As it is clearly not meeting it's own guarantee it should be replaced, sorry they don't have to give you the money back same as a car warranty they make it good not give the money back. If they can't/won't supply a working replacement to meet your guarantee then it's money back time, they will try fobbing you off with no receipt but it's clearly theirs and has date on it. No receipt means they can try "not from this branch" ('tough you dealing with Halfords per se') or "we can only offer vouchers" (this more tricky to fight, but you may want some furry dice and neon underlights esp as you have a new battery, if you do want cash get them to pull their records from the time you bought it, all companies keep records of every purchase by branch and product for analysis)

if you get nowhere say you disappointed in their attitude and ask for the regional manager's mobile number and e-mail, he should give in at this stage , failure with this ....then move up to regional director then uk sales director and finally md.

One other thing try and get e-mail addresses as well; once you have the format joe.obstructive@halfords.com then you can use their corporate part of the website (all senior suits love their name on t'internet web page thingummy) and hammer all the board with e-mails (nicely constructed and detailing that you have gone thru all the correct steps (oik, senior oik, minion, senior minion) and are now completely fed up. Bottom kicking will ensue all the way to your branch. But always start at the bottom work up and detail it, sadly too many people start with the MD whose PA deletes it, fully versed complaints get to the MD.

Good Luck

tony

[PGM316]

What good customer service, I was thinking of getting a battery there, will save money and get it online...

[nickwilliams]

If you get into a fight with them be careful not to confuse your statutory rights under consumer protection legislation with your rights to claim on the enhanced guarantee which they offered at the time you purchased the battery. Your statutory rights do not extend to a 4 year money/replacement warranty, but if this was offered to you at the time of sale and you purchased the battery on this basis then it forms part of the contract of sale and so they are bound to honour it. However, AIUI, this is a civil matter between you and them (breach of contract) and not supported by the criminal sanctions which are provided for in the Sale of Goods Act, etc.

You will stand a better chance of getting satisfaction if you are clear and correct in your argument as to which legislation you are claiming they have failed to meet.

Nick.