In January 2015 I bought a Ted Baker suitcase for £294 from online retailer Very. It was advertised with a five-year warranty. Earlier this year one of the wheels came off, so I raised a query through its helpdesk to arrange a replacement under warranty.
As requested I sent a couple of pictures and assumed it would be resolved quickly. Back and forth we went – the helpdesk kept telling me the case only had a 12-month warranty, but it couldn’t prove it as it had been removed from the website.
I contacted Ted Baker and sent photos, and it confirmed that the case does indeed have a five-year warranty, and that this needs to be actioned through the retailer.
Back to Very and, after numerous calls, I was referred to its so-called “customer excellence” team. I submitted a complaint online and was asked to contact customer services. I explained that I had already done that.
I have now submitted an official complaint by recorded mail – received and signed for at the end of May. I’m aware that I could take this to court, but I’d just like my case fixed. KJ, York
The Sale of Goods Act 1979 has been replaced by the Consumer Rights Act 2015, but you may be able to claim under the former if goods you bought on or before 30 September 2015 become faulty – as in your case. Under the Sale of Goods Act, the retailer must either repair or replace faulty goods “within a reasonable time but without causing significant inconvenience”.
Your situation was complicated by the wrangling over the length of the warranty. A year’s warranty is not long for an item of luggage – in our experience, the industry standard is five or even 10 years. A warranty covers manufacturing defects only – not normal wear and tear or damage caused by the airline/carrier.
Despite your tenacity, you were also let down by poor customer service. Shop Direct, which owns Very, tells us: “We’ve contacted the customer to say sorry for the service they received in trying to resolve this issue. We have arranged for the customer to receive a full refund of the suitcase and sent £100 to reflect the inconvenience caused.
“We always strive to give our customers the best levels of customer service, but fell below our high standards on this occasion. We’ll look into what happened to try and avoid the same issues arising in future.” Happy travels!
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