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[shyboy]

On 1/10/2015 I bought a 'special offer' Ultimate Speed car battery charger from Lidl which did a great job charging various types of battery until it stopped working a few days ago. The cost was only £13.99 so my initial thought was to dump it and forget it.
However, the warranty period was 3 years from date of purchase so I went through the process for making a claim and what a pleasant surprise it was.
I rang the 0871 service number in the product manual and after giving full details from the receipt, and name and address etc. was given a freephone no. to ring to have the call transferred to the German manufacturer. Less than 5 minutes later the issue was settled without any fuss by their agreeing to send out a brand new replacement item, on condition that I retained the faulty original for 6 months, so that it might be reclaimed by the manufacturer if they want to investigate the possibility of a defective batch.
If the replacement arrives in 4 or 5 days as promised, I call that excellent customer service, and it reinforces my high opinion of Lidl as a company to buy from with confidence.

[Varche]

We have the same experience here in Spain.  No quibble guarantee. We buy quite a lot of electrical stuff from them.

makes a change form some other shops here. Buy a toaster and it develops a fault after a few weeks and you have the problem of taking it up direct with the manufacturer which i think is all wrong. 

[shyboy]

I think statutory rights in this country make the retailer responsible in the first instance, but many companies seem to make the warranty claim business as difficult as possible for the customer, presumably in the hope that they will just give up.

[Lizzie Zoom]

I think statutory rights in this country make the retailer responsible in the first instance, but many companies seem to make the warranty claim business as difficult as possible for the customer, presumably in the hope that they will just give up.

The Consumer Rights Act of 2015 has made the process much clearer with the retailers responsibility clarified.

It is a great improvement on the Sale Of Goods Act 1979 that I used to have to live with and enforce.

As for great customer service, the best retailers in our land are the ones who give great customer care, such as John Lewis, Marks & Spencer, Sainsbury's, Argos, etc, and they are the ones who will survive.  The ones who mis-lead and try and fob their customers off are the ones (I could name them, but for legal reasons I won't, and you know who they are as they frequently are in the auto game) who will eventually expire.

[Bigron]

Happy to report a similar experience with Advanced Batteries a few years back: despite a low price, their Warranty service was excellent. My battery developed a dead cell nearly 4 years in to the warranty, so I reported this, with my voltage figures to support, and they immediately dispatched a new replacement and sent another courier to collect the faulty one.

Ron.

[Rods2]

It is in the interests of the retailer to provide good customer service when all goods are on sale or return. The major multiples also include warranty performance terms in supply contracts as this also reflects on their reputation and customer satisfaction.

I find both Aldi and Lidl excellent and the incumbent big 6 supermarkets have still much to learn from both of them in terms of shopping experience. They also operate on much lower profit margins. The last time I looked at the Aldi UK annual accounts they made 2% profit compared to around 10% for the incumbents. Aldi will consider the UK one of their higher profit countries where in some markets they only make 0.5% overall profit. 

[Lizzie Zoom]

It is in the interests of the retailer to provide good customer service when all goods are on sale or return. The major multiples also include warranty performance terms in supply contracts as this also reflects on their reputation and customer satisfaction.

I find both Aldi and Lidl excellent and the incumbent big 6 supermarkets have still much to learn from both of them in terms of shopping experience. They also operate on much lower profit margins. The last time I looked at the Aldi UK annual accounts they made 2% profit compared to around 10% for the incumbents. Aldi will consider the UK one of their higher profit countries where in some markets they only make 0.5% overall profit.

Only a small percentage of a retailers stock is ever on Sale or Return.  It is mostly firm sale, but of course if goods are faulty then they can be returned for full credit.  Even then though there are variations of that with some agreements with manufacturers allowing an extra percentage discount to allow for any faulty goods received back from consumers.

Major retailers will also only deal with the most reputable of manufacturers or suppliers that are offering quality goods where the chances of high product failure are very small.  Of course even those manufacturers and suppliers can produce / handle faulty batches where failure rates are high, and then they will step in to assist the retailer, honouring their agreements with them, whilst protecting their good name, hence the product recall system.

No retailer can survive on a 0.5% bottom line profit (I think that is what you are quoting Rod) without endangering their future existence.  However, what is happening is Aldi is "buying sales" whilst investing in store and CDC development.  That is a very expensive exercise and is using the profits of today to build their future, which has resulted in a 17% fall in profits in 2016.  In the meantime they are reducing their margins to the bone, and therefore must be controlling their costs to a level to match.  This is why Tesco and Sainsbury's have announced plans to greatly reduce their management and staff costs to help them fight Aldi, and Lidl, with lower prices.  That is the only way they can go.  But, the consumer should be aware of two major effects of this:
1.  Staff will be in fewer numbers and will not be able to give the level of service you currently enjoy
2.  Retail prices will eventually rise significantly once this retail price war is over as to stay in business the survivors MUST again return to acceptable levels for the shareholders and purely meet the costs that will be always there.

 

[Viral_Jim]

The ones who mis-lead and try and fob their customers off are the ones  who will eventually expire.

Sadly I think your faith in the general public is somewhat misplaced here. There is a great swathe of the populous for whom price is the only metric which is of interest.

The best example of this mentality is Ryanair. An awful vile little company who make a perennial game of d!cking their customers around and providing the most woeful experience possible, not to mention doing their level best to dodge their legal responsibilities (specifically EU Regulation 261/2004 on delayed flights - for which they seldom if ever pay out without a fight), and yet they flourish. 

   

[Lizzie Zoom]

It is in the interests of the retailer to provide good customer service when all goods are on sale or return. The major multiples also include warranty performance terms in supply contracts as this also reflects on their reputation and customer satisfaction.

I find both Aldi and Lidl excellent and the incumbent big 6 supermarkets have still much to learn from both of them in terms of shopping experience. They also operate on much lower profit margins. The last time I looked at the Aldi UK annual accounts they made 2% profit compared to around 10% for the incumbents. Aldi will consider the UK one of their higher profit countries where in some markets they only make 0.5% overall profit.

Only a small percentage of a retailers stock is ever on Sale or Return.  It is mostly firm sale, but of course if goods are faulty then they can be returned for full credit.  Even then though there are variations of that with some agreements with manufacturers allowing an extra percentage discount to allow for any faulty goods received back from consumers.

Major retailers will also only deal with the most reputable of manufacturers or suppliers that are offering quality goods where the chances of high product failure are very small.  Of course even those manufacturers and suppliers can produce / handle faulty batches where failure rates are high, and then they will step in to assist the retailer, honouring their agreements with them, whilst protecting their good name, hence the product recall system.

No retailer can survive on a 0.5% bottom line profit (I think that is what you are quoting Rod) without endangering their future existence.  However, what is happening is Aldi is "buying sales" whilst investing in store and CDC development.  That is a very expensive exercise and is using the profits of today to build their future, which has resulted in a 17% fall in profits in 2016.  In the meantime they are reducing their margins to the bone, and therefore must be controlling their costs to a level to match.  This is why Tesco and Sainsbury's have announced plans to greatly reduce their management and staff costs to help them fight Aldi, and Lidl, with lower prices.  That is the only way they can go.  But, the consumer should be aware of three major effects of this:
1.  Staff will be in fewer numbers and will not be able to give the level of service you currently enjoy
2.  Retail prices will eventually rise significantly once this retail price war is over as to stay in business the survivors MUST again return to acceptable levels for the shareholders and purely meet the costs that will be always there.
3. The choice of supermarkets, and therefore healthy competition, will be greatly reduced, again pushing prices back up regardless of contemporary inflationary pressures.  But, the consumer should be aware of three major effects of this:
1.  Staff will be in fewer numbers and will not be able to give the level of service you currently enjoy
2.  Retail prices will eventually rise significantly once this retail price war is over as to stay in business the survivors MUST again return to acceptable levels for the shareholders and purely meet the costs that will be always there.
3. The choice of supermarkets, and therefore healthy competition, will be greatly reduced, again pushing prices back up regardless of contemporary inflationary pressures. 
 
 

[/i][/b][/color][/b][/i]

[Lizzie Zoom]

It is in the interests of the retailer to provide good customer service when all goods are on sale or return. The major multiples also include warranty performance terms in supply contracts as this also reflects on their reputation and customer satisfaction.

I find both Aldi and Lidl excellent and the incumbent big 6 supermarkets have still much to learn from both of them in terms of shopping experience. They also operate on much lower profit margins. The last time I looked at the Aldi UK annual accounts they made 2% profit compared to around 10% for the incumbents. Aldi will consider the UK one of their higher profit countries where in some markets they only make 0.5% overall profit.

Only a small percentage of a retailers stock is ever on Sale or Return.  It is mostly firm sale, but of course if goods are faulty then they can be returned for full credit.  Even then though there are variations of that with some agreements with manufacturers allowing an extra percentage discount to allow for any faulty goods received back from consumers.

Major retailers will also only deal with the most reputable of manufacturers or suppliers that are offering quality goods where the chances of high product failure are very small.  Of course even those manufacturers and suppliers can produce / handle faulty batches where failure rates are high, and then they will step in to assist the retailer, honouring their agreements with them, whilst protecting their good name, hence the product recall system.

No retailer can survive on a 0.5% bottom line profit (I think that is what you are quoting Rod) without endangering their future existence.  However, what is happening is Aldi is "buying sales" whilst investing in store and CDC development.  That is a very expensive exercise and is using the profits of today to build their future, which has resulted in a 17% fall in profits in 2016.  In the meantime they are reducing their margins to the bone, and therefore must be controlling their costs to a level to match.  This is why Tesco and Sainsbury's have announced plans to greatly reduce their management and staff costs to help them fight Aldi, and Lidl, with lower prices.  That is the only way they can go.  But, the consumer should be aware of three major effects of this:
1.  Staff will be in fewer numbers and will not be able to give the level of service you currently enjoy
2.  Retail prices will eventually rise significantly once this retail price war is over as to stay in business the survivors MUST again return to acceptable levels for the shareholders and purely meet the costs that will be always there.
3. The choice of supermarkets, and therefore healthy competition, will be greatly reduced, again pushing prices back up regardless of contemporary inflationary pressures.  But, the consumer should be aware of three major effects of this:
1.  Staff will be in fewer numbers and will not be able to give the level of service you currently enjoy
2.  Retail prices will eventually rise significantly once this retail price war is over as to stay in business the survivors MUST again return to acceptable levels of profit for the shareholders, and to purely meet the costs that will be always there.
3. The choice of supermarkets, and therefore healthy competition, will be greatly reduced, again pushing prices back up regardless of contemporary inflationary pressures. 
 
 

[/i][/b][/color][/b][/i]

[Gaffers]

I had the opposite with a pressure washer on which the nozzle housing split in two less than a year after buying it.  I was asked for the receipt, I had mislaid it so I offered proof of purchase on the card statement.  I then had to fill out a form, provide proof, stand on one leg with my finger in my ear, etc, etc, basically everything they could do to make the process as difficult as possible.  I ended up buying a generic nozzle to replace it and finding an adaptor as it was a slightly different thread as it was much easier.

[Terbs]

On the question of warranty.....I do not understand how this works
I had a battery with 2 months left on a three year warranty and it failed (dead cell). I was given a new battery with no quibble, but told that the warranty only lasted 2 months (until the expiry of the original battery).
What would have happened if the new battery packed up in three months. Is the (what I thought as law of this land, 12 months warranty) not applicable.

[Entwood]

On the question of warranty.....I do not understand how this works
I had a battery with 2 months left on a three year warranty and it failed (dead cell). I was given a new battery with no quibble, but told that the warranty only lasted 2 months (until the expiry of the original battery).
What would have happened if the new battery packed up in three months. Is the (what I thought as law of this land, 12 months warranty) not applicable.

In its most simple terms .. you did not "buy" or "purchase" the second battery, it was a replacement for the original, so the original warranty stands.

Sale of Goods Act, and its replacement, the Consumer Rights Act, both refer to "date of purchase" as the start of any warranty .. if you didn't "purchase" you have very few rights ..

Lots of info here .. in simple-speak ... but the reference point is always "purchase"

https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/about-us/how-citizens-advice-works/citizens-advice-consumer-work/the-consumer-rights-act-2015/

[Lizzie Zoom]

On the question of warranty.....I do not understand how this works
I had a battery with 2 months left on a three year warranty and it failed (dead cell). I was given a new battery with no quibble, but told that the warranty only lasted 2 months (until the expiry of the original battery).
What would have happened if the new battery packed up in three months. Is the (what I thought as law of this land, 12 months warranty) not applicable.

No, the replacement assumes the time left on the original warranty as you have not been sold it, but given a "free" product to cover the loss you suffered under the terms of the Consumer Rights Act 2015, or in your example The Sales of Goods Act 1979.

[Terbs]

Thanks you two....perfect answers to my question
I fully understand now.