I bought a glass-topped garden patio table from Argos in Banbury in April, but in July the top suddenly “exploded” on a sunny day, shattering into pieces for no apparent reason. This was potentially dangerous – luckily no one was hurt – and, of course, the table is unusable. So far Argos “customer care” is insisting this is “accidental damage” rather than a manufacturing fault. However, I have since found a number of articles, including one in the Guardian, suggesting this appears to be a common fault and that Argos was giving refunds. DL, Brackley, Northants
Argos did launch an investigation into its Sicily table, part of a set with six chairs for £219.99, after a mother reported an incident in which her young son and niece narrowly avoided injury. An item at Asda was under the spotlight for similar reasons. However, safety experts have told us that tables that smash “instantly” would typically break only after being weakened by a knock, chip or scratch, and then left in extreme hot or cold temperatures. Obviously, in your case, it is impossible to prove exactly what happened.
Argos has agreed to give you a refund as a goodwill gesture if you have proof of purchase to show it is an Argos item.
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