Should I Pursue a Warranty Claim or Just Move on?

[Deactivated] on 21/06/2018 - 13:06

I bought my partner a GHD gift set from eBay about 3 years ago and the hairdryer does not want to turn on anymore. The warranty on their website says 24 months but I paid over $300 for this set and expect a reputable brand like GHD to last much longer than 3 years, especially when taken care of.

Do you think it's worth the effort/potential arguments pursuing a warranty and if so, is there anything I should do/research before submitting a claim that would aid me in the process?

Thanks in advance OzB!

Poll Options expired

  • 18
    Pursue it
  • 62
    Move on
General Discussion

Comments

  • rambutann on 21/06/2018 - 13:09
    +4

    I would suggest that you send them a message explaining the issue - you'll then be able to gauge whether or not you'll be getting a refund.

    If they say no… then you'll have to move on, but at least you tried.

    • Tech5 on 21/06/2018 - 13:22
      +3

      I thought consumer guarantees sometimes extend past manufacture warranty? Depends if OP is willing to argue in front of court that a $300 hairdryer should last longer than 3 years. We had to do that for a washing machine 1 year out of warranty, and won

      • [Deactivated] on 21/06/2018 - 13:31

        This is what I thought as well. Whether it's worth the effort or not for $300 is a different story.

        • HeWhoKnows on 23/06/2018 - 17:23

          Mate its now 36 months. Not 12 months, And a washing machine cost a lot more money and expected to last at least 3 years. So no comparison. You will be laughed out of court.

      • HeWhoKnows on 23/06/2018 - 17:21

        Argument against is that standard warranty on a hair dryer is only 12 months. There is your consumer warranty period. 24 months is a bonus. hence no claim whatsoever for 36 months. 24 months warranty is pretty good for an electrical product that gets hair and dust caught inside and so prone to overheating and burning out.

  • PissLUR on 21/06/2018 - 13:20

    try to get it repaired.

    • [Deactivated] on 21/06/2018 - 13:32

      We will try in the case that we pursue it and it gets denied.

  • HighAndDry on 21/06/2018 - 13:21
    +4

    Send them a message saying how much you love it, how much you use products from their brand, etc - and ask nicely if they can do you a solid on this.

    3 years for a hair dryer is more than a reasonable time (imho of course) but a brand like GHD is more likely to try to make their customers happy. Use social media if you can find it for best effect.

    • [Deactivated] on 21/06/2018 - 13:34

      My idea is that if a $50 hairdryer can last 3 years then why should a $300 hairdryer only last 3 years too. Usually when you pay a premium it's for brand name + higher quality. In this instance, the higher quality wasn't reflected on the life span. I'll definitely try social media if I decide to pursue it.

      • HighAndDry on 21/06/2018 - 13:44
        +12

        if a $50 hairdryer can last 3 years then why should a $300 hairdryer only last 3 years too

        That's not how these things work. Some of what you pay might go into longevity, but I'm fairly sure the GHD hairdryer also works better than the $50 one when it's working - the difference in price goes into that better performance, more features, brand name, all of that.

        Also - that $50 hairdryer might well last 3 years, but if it broke down after 18 months I'm fairly sure you're not getting a replacement either.

        Let's think of cars for example: You might buy a $80k Audi A7, or a $15k Toyota Echo. The Toyota will probably outlast the Audi, but that's not what you're paying more for the Audi for.

        • [Deactivated] on 21/06/2018 - 13:50
          +1

          Very fair point. Never saw it that way.

        • HighAndDry on 21/06/2018 - 14:28

          @nurries: No worries. Especially if it was a present for someone else, I can understand being miffed it died after only 3 years. Try the social media route - Facebook, Twitter, etc - especially if you basically frame it as a glowing review of the product and how sad your partner is that it's now broken, they might think you've gotten them enough value in terms of PR to send you a freebie. Or even a discount. Doesn't hurt to try.

      • HeWhoKnows on 23/06/2018 - 17:27

        Totally irrelevent my friend.
        Your premium hair drier comes with a premium warranty and it lasted well beyond.

  • [Deactivated] on 21/06/2018 - 13:24
    +4

    we all know you'll pursue this regardless..

  • mbck on 21/06/2018 - 13:31

    Pursue.

  • [Deactivated] on 21/06/2018 - 13:42

    I always weigh my purchases against manufacturer warranty.

    If the manufacturer of a $300 hairdryer cannot assure me it is more durable than their $50 competitor… that says enough.

    Not worth pursuing.

    • HeWhoKnows on 23/06/2018 - 17:29

      Plenty of $50 hair driers fail after 12 months.
      But nobody complains because thats all they expect.
      3 years for a hair drier is fairly good going considering all the hair that gets caught inside them.

  • djkelly69 on 21/06/2018 - 13:50

    Given it was purchased from eBay, do you know for sure that it was Australian stock and not a grey import? If it is a grey import GHD in Australia will likely not do anything and although the ACL still applies, your claim will be against a random eBay seller/importer.

    • [Deactivated] on 21/06/2018 - 13:51

      If my memory serves me well, it was the eBay store of a large Australian salon supplier.

      • HeWhoKnows on 23/06/2018 - 17:31

        Depends what the warranty card says. Could still be a grey import.

  • Savas on 21/06/2018 - 14:36
    +1

    yeah I completely think you should pursue. people need to understand that 3 years is a very short time and that manufacturers need to stop making things such crap quality.

    • HeWhoKnows on 23/06/2018 - 17:32

      Mate. 6 months is a short time in hair driers
      3 years is a very long time.
      And depends how well it was cleaned and maintained.
      And how often it was used too.

      The best quality hair drier if never cleaned will fail prematurely regardless

      • Savas on 23/06/2018 - 18:56

        Why are you so happy for manufacturers to make stuff that breaks after 3 years?

  • try2bhelpful on 21/06/2018 - 14:38
    +3

    I would write up a nice letter telling them that you liked their product so much you looked after it really well but, unfortunately, it appears to have developed a fault and has failed. You would really like a replacement or a significant discount on a replacement. (You probably won't get a free replacement one, because 3 years for a hairdryer would probably be considered as a reasonable life, however, they might give you a good discount on a replacement one.)

    • HeWhoKnows on 23/06/2018 - 17:36

      OP never said any of that.
      Now lets not encourage people to not tell the truth.
      We dont know how well it was looked after.
      But in principal yes. Agree with your suggestion.
      Praise the brand and ask nicely and see what you get

      • try2bhelpful on 23/06/2018 - 18:10

        I assumed, "especially when taken care of", meant the OP had looked after it.

  • shiznit on 21/06/2018 - 15:55

    I recently had my 4 year old $30 Logitech Harmony 350 start to fail. I emailed Logitech and they offered a 30% discount code. When I start quoting ACL, telling them I expected it to last longer, they caved and sent me out a brand new one.

    Last year I also had a 5 year old Samsung fridge repaired for free out of warranty.

    For a premium brand, as GHD appears to be, you are entitled to expect it to last longer than a regular warranty. All it takes is a few emails. I'm sure you will get something out of it. Just familiarise yourself with your rights under ACL.

    • HeWhoKnows on 23/06/2018 - 17:37

      A regular warranty is 12 months. Not 36 months my friend.

  • salmon123 on 21/06/2018 - 16:49
    -3

    Look into your credit card insurances too, they normally cover you for an extra year after the manufacturers warranty.

    Alternatively, if they still sell the same model, buy another one, send the old one away for a warranty repair (with the new receipt). When it comes back, sell one on gumtree.

    I'll probably get a bunch of neg votes, because it's a little dishonest, but it's your quickest/cheapest path to a resolution. The outcome is the same as if you enforced your rights under ACL, without going through 20 rounds of email/social media with them, arguing over it. You might have to take a small hit when you sell the extra one.

    I'm sure you can think of other variations to this approach.

    • shiznit on 21/06/2018 - 18:53

      They will most likely ask for the serial number when you make a claim, and they'll be able to identify it as having been sold 3 years ago.

      • salmon123 on 22/06/2018 - 14:59

        Do hair dyers even have a serial number? Most small appliances don't … just have a batch number, maybe a manufacture date.

        Even if they had a serial number, they could trace it back to a manufacture date … maybe distributor, not the retail selling date. Manufacturers don't control how a distributor/retailer controls their inventory. Distributors/retailers might have stock sitting around for months/years. Yeah - it's not great for business to have stock sitting around for years, so they might sell the stock to a 2nd run store, etc.

        My point is is it frequently takes years to sell stock. I've never heard of a manufacturer denying a warranty claim, because the sell date was too far from the manufacturing date.

  • ambrosia on 22/06/2018 - 08:46
    +1

    Is the set you bought the same as the one your OP linked too? That set includes air dyer and styler. So it’s $300 for the set, not just the dryer. And the styler is still working I presume?
    Under warranty it says :
    ghd V rose gold styler with 2 year manufacturer's warranty
    ghd air with 1 year manufacturer's warranty.
    That may impact your consumer guarantee rights, but you could try…

    • Stevek1960 on 22/06/2018 - 08:51

      So many peoples eyes are painted on and only see what they want to

  • [Deactivated] on 22/06/2018 - 09:10

    GHDs aren’t what they used to be (even genuine ones) your partner would do better to move onto another brand once these ones give up the ghost.

    • Beansbeansbeans on 29/07/2018 - 11:29

      This, GHD has turned to shit in recent years. My GHD gold has lasted me 8 years so far and not a chance of dying, I’ve got a friend who paid more for a GHD a year ago and it’s already faulty. Do your research before purchasing, GHD hasnt been reputable for a good 5 years now.

  • bobbified on 22/06/2018 - 17:12
    +1

    Easiest way to find out? Give GHD a call.

    I did that last year with a GHD hair straightener. It was a present and sat on the shelf for over a year before it was actually used. Didn't have a receipt or anything either.

    After a while, it didn't turn on anymore and, because it sat on the shelf unused for quite some time, I was pretty sure the warranty was over.

    I gave GHD a call anyway. Gave them the serial number and another number from the sticker that's on the cable. They were really good about it and very helpful. The problem I described to them turned out to have been a common one. I sent the non-working GHD to them and they sent a new one back within a week.

    • HeWhoKnows on 23/06/2018 - 17:45

      All very good but not the same issue here.
      This is a well used hair drier that wasnt purchased from an Australian retail store.
      Still you are correct about contacting GHD and puttingt it to them
      Given it was purchased from an ebay store we dont know if it was a grey import or even a non-genuine product.
      OP should check the warranty card or as you said - quote the serial number to GHD.
      They will sort things out quick smart.

  • HeWhoKnows on 23/06/2018 - 17:17
    +1

    Its clearly stated that the warranty is 24 months.
    You are now 50% beyond that time.
    Regardless of what you say or expect its well out of warranty - no doubt about that.
    The 24 months warranty is already very generous and reflects the good brand.
    And 3 years from such an elecrical product is definitely NOT unreasonable.

    Normally electrical products only carry a 12 months warranty and this is what you should consider first and foremost. 24 months is a generous bonus.

    You are seriously wasting your time even asking about this.
    If it was 25 months then maybe, but 36 months…..seriously??????

    But anyway, contact them and see what they say.
    They might offer you a reasonable discount for a replacement purchase.

  • [Deactivated] on 24/06/2018 - 22:03

    They are actually really good to deal with.

    I know with the irons you pay a nominal “repair” charge and they just send you a brand new one. Not sure if it’s a secret policy or published but I’m sure it’s the same with the hair dryer.

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