Consumer Rights Vs Get What You Pay for?

happyhammer on 11/04/2023 - 07:53

Bought a Coredy robot vacuum 14 months ago which now doesn't work due to a battery issue.

The Coredy team simply say tough luck you're out of warranty (1 year) and buy a new one.

It's a low end vacuum so I didn't expect much but 14 months is pretty poor.
I'm interested to know what others think of consumer rights after a short warranty.

Is it a case of you buy cheap-you buy twice, or should we expect products to survive more than a year or so with reasonable use, especially in an era with mass competition and user reviews.

Poll options below.

Poll Options

  • 59
    You buy cheap, that's what you get
  • 17
    Companies should assist with repairs or parts even if outside of warranty
Electrical & Electronics

Comments

  • Kaz0551 on 11/04/2023 - 07:57
    +3

    Price?

    • happyhammer on 11/04/2023 - 09:35
      +2

      $280 with discount from Amazon Au.
      R750-W model.

  • parsimonious one on 11/04/2023 - 08:07

    in an era with mass competition and user reviews

    Did any of those review indicate they are inclined to honour claims out of warranty?

    • AustriaBargain on 11/04/2023 - 10:33
      +1

      What does consumer law say how long a vacuum cleaner should last, is it 12 months?

      • parsimonious one on 11/04/2023 - 14:22

        If the precedent set with other consumer electronics/ appliances applies (eg tv’s), it depends on the price

  • Japius on 11/04/2023 - 08:10
    +12

    The fact is no one knows what should be considered a “reasonable” life for the unit until it’s tested in court.

    The good thing is most companies definitely do not want it tested in court so go through all the usual steps of telling them you want it repaired and that 14 months is not an unreasonable timeframe for a vacuum to work etc etc. they’ll pushback but just play the game with both the manufacturer/distributor and the retailer.

    One of them will blink to avoid a hearing on it. Worst case you may have to start the process of a small claims hearing (dependent on your state) but that’s usually the step where even the most stubborn company folds

    • Cheaplikethebird on 11/04/2023 - 09:30
      +1

      Usually you'll need to push past frontline support and speak to a manager if you're wanting to claim statutory warranty.

    • Chandler on 11/04/2023 - 10:33
      +2

      telling them you want it repaired and that 14 months is not an unreasonable timeframe for a vacuum to work etc

      Irrespective of if the costs should be borne by the manufacturer/importer under warranty, availability of spare parts and repairs are also required under Australian Consumer Law (for a "reasonable time"). If the warranty is 12 months, it would be reasonable to expect spare parts/repairs to be available for another 12 months after that. It's also reasonable to expect spare parts/repairs to be available if the product is still available for purchase.

  • ForkSnorter on 11/04/2023 - 08:16
    +2

    My coredy is still going strong after 16 months. I think batteries can fail on any product depend on usage and luck.

    • boomramada on 11/04/2023 - 09:00

      My Dyson battery died after 2 years, and I asked them nicely and they replaced it, according to them, I was a heavy user.

      • Murkymerv on 11/04/2023 - 09:49

        And ? Were you ?

        • boomramada on 12/04/2023 - 07:58

          I was daily, according to them yes.

  • holdenmg on 11/04/2023 - 08:22

    That Hoovers!

  • jjjaar on 11/04/2023 - 08:28
    +1

    HAVE

    YOU

    GOT

    WHAT

    YOU

    PAID

    FOR

    PHONE

    (10 points to anyone who gets this reference that for some reason has been trapped in my head for 20 years.)

    • Grunntt on 12/04/2023 - 10:47

      This message was brought to you by the Australasian Film and Video Security Office….

      My parents didn't understand why I found that poorly worded message so amusing.

  • Jimothy Wongingtons on 11/04/2023 - 08:42
    +1

    Me to Panmi regarding their acl obligations for uv s9 with common battery issue outside of 12 months warranty

    🤷🏻‍♂️send to technicians but it’s charged not free - or buy a new battery, again not free

  • deme on 11/04/2023 - 09:14
    +1

    https://www.accc.gov.au/about-us/contact-us/report-a-consume…

    https://www.accc.gov.au/system/files/Consumer%20guarantees%2…

    Repairs and spare parts
    There is a guarantee that when you purchase a product the manufacturer or importer must provide
    spare parts and repair facilities for a reasonable time after purchase. This applies even if you did not
    purchase the goods directly from the manufacturer or importer.
    How long is ‘reasonable’ will depend on the type of product.
    This guarantee does not apply if you are advised at the time of purchase that repair facilities and spare
    parts will not be available after a specified time.
    A consumer purchases a new television that requires repair after 6 months. The supplier cannot
    provide spare parts to repair the television.
    The consumer can claim that the supplier has not met the guarantee for repairs and spare parts.

    • ESEMCE on 11/04/2023 - 09:23
      -2

      if you purchased from an Australian retailer

      If it's a Grey Import, then you're on your own.

      • deme on 11/04/2023 - 09:25
        +1

        Stop lying, ctrl-f "Australian retailer" finds nothing.

        A grey import is purchased from an Australian retailer as well.

        What you said makes no sense.

        Here is ACCC enforcing a ruling on Valve https://www.accc.gov.au/media-release/full-federal-court-con…

        • ESEMCE on 11/04/2023 - 09:45

          Good luck trying to apply Australian Laws to a foreign seller.
          If you didn't buy it from an Australian company, you bought it under some other countries consumer laws. It's common sense.

          • deme on 11/04/2023 - 10:01

            @ESEMCE: Common sense would be to click the link https://www.accc.gov.au/media-release/full-federal-court-con… and realise it's been done already.

            • FireRunner on 11/04/2023 - 10:48

              @deme: Australian Consumer Laws only apply to businesses operating in Australia. Valve tried to argue they didn’t have a presence in Australia but being a digital storefront that in fact did service Australia (even if they didn’t use AUD).
              If the grey importer was based in Australia, ACL would apply. If they’re based overseas then they wouldn’t.

            • ESEMCE on 11/04/2023 - 10:49
              +3

              @deme: Link clicked and further links clicked from there.
              1) Did the affected consumers get anything from this case? (did refunds for the originally affected users occur in addition to the $3m fine? I can't find evidence that they did.)

              2) This case specifically found that "Valve was carrying on business in Australia."

              The major difference here is that Valve is on a totally different scale from a random no-name seller on Amazon. Still, maybe the same could be found in this case.
              But this is where the common sense applies. Good luck actually enforcing a ruling against a no-name international seller.

              Valve have something to lose in having Steam.com put on an Australian ISP blocklist. The long term losses arising from such an action far exceed the $3m fine and any refunds made, but in the case of a no-name brand selling through Amazon.

              Probably the one thing OP has going for them is Amazon itself.
              But they're going to need to escalate within Amazon to get them to (threaten to) freeze the seller account before the seller is going to do anything to assist.
              You might get someone at Amazon willing to do that without court verification that Consumer Laws apply in this case and that "reasonable time" is yet to have passed, but it seems unlikely.
              Most likely best possible outcome would be a small discount/ partial refund.

              • deme on 11/04/2023 - 12:22

                @ESEMCE: “These proceedings, and the significant penalties imposed, should send a strong message to all online traders operating overseas that they must comply with the Australian Consumer Law when they sell to Australian consumers,” ACCC Acting Chair Dr Michael Schaper said.

                “Under the Australian Consumer Law, all goods or services supplied to consumers come with automatic consumer guarantees that they are of acceptable quality and fit for the purpose for which they were sold. If they’re not, consumers have a right to a remedy. These consumer rights cannot be excluded, restricted or modified.”

                “We will continue to take action to ensure Australian consumers benefit from these Australian Consumer Law guarantees, regardless of whether the business which supplies them is based in Australia or overseas.”

                https://www.accc.gov.au/media-release/full-federal-court-con…

                Contradicts everything you just said, you keep moving the goal posts.

                From:

                Good luck trying to apply Australian Laws to a foreign seller.
                If you didn't buy it from an Australian company, you bought it under some other countries consumer laws. It's common sense.

                To: > good luck actually enforcing a ruling against a no-name international seller.

                If I showed you evidence of that you'd move it again.

                • ESEMCE on 11/04/2023 - 14:28

                  @deme: The goalposts have moved from "apply Australian Laws" versus "enforce Australian Law"
                  Personally I don't think that's actually moved at all, just better defined.

                  Your busted robovac is still a busted robovac even if you are holding a piece of paper from an Australian Court saying that a no-name international seller must abide by ACL.

                  On the Apple USA front.

                  the trial judge found that Valve engaged in conduct in Australia because the following factors involved a significant Australian context and displayed a strong connection to Australia, including:
                  * significant personal property, namely servers, in Australia worth $1.2 million;
                  * 2.2 million subscriber accounts in Australia;
                  * support services outside Australia provided to the 2.2 million accounts in Australia;
                  * Stream content is deposited on Valve's three servers in Australia; and
                  * made payments to the Australian bank account of an Australian company (Equinix).

                  *Source

                  Apple USA might only meet a few of these criteria, possibly none as they have an Australian business arm that takes care of most/all of these.
                  As such, I do not like the chances of winning a ruling against Apple USA trying to claim consumer law protections.
                  Apple USA will actively push you back to Apple Australia. If you jump those hoops to force a purchase through Apple USA, I would not expect a court to find that Apple USA was actively seeking to operate in Australia.
                  And accordingly I would not expect a court to uphold Australian Consumer Law to such a product. The Valve decision hinges on this point.

                  It might well be that Apple Australia do honour ACL claims on Grey Imports, but that does not support an argument that such behaviour is legally required.

        • apple2016 on 11/04/2023 - 10:47

          If you buy an iPhone from Apple USA, you can force Apple AU to honor the warranty as you did not buy from "Australian retailer"…

    • happyhammer on 11/04/2023 - 09:34

      Thanks. Coredy simply said they don't have parts and buy a new one. Bought from Amazon AU.

  • Protractor on 11/04/2023 - 10:06

    And here's me thinking Ozb is an exclusive stick vac only site.

  • apple2016 on 11/04/2023 - 10:42
    +1

    doesn't work due to a battery issue.

    batteries life is more dependent on charge/discharge cycles. also its consumable. Does the manufacturer offer replacement battery? you will have to pay for it though.

    • happyhammer on 11/04/2023 - 11:39

      Thanks. Coredy just hide behind the whole no stock, which to me either shows a tactic to get out of repairs or a systematic issue with the model.

  • mboy on 11/04/2023 - 11:13
    +2

    I'm mostly in the "You buy cheap, that's what you get" camp. You don't have a whole lot of options, but what I'd suggest is to leave a candid review (candid in bold - just because the battery fell short of a reasonable lifespan doesn't mean you should give an otherwise fine product a 1 star review).

    With a bit of luck, the company will reactively reach out to you to try to reach a solution (ie. The ProductReview.com.au product pages all mention "Listing monitored by Coredy").

    But if not, you've at least done a good deed leaving a candid review for others who may be considering purchasing the same item.

    I've had a few good results doing this in the past.

    • happyhammer on 11/04/2023 - 11:41
      +1

      Thanks. Yes I'll certainly be voicing my concerns everywhere if its not successful. Lots of reviews are done soon after purchase so they are not true reviews of longevity

  • bamzero on 12/04/2023 - 13:46

    Batteries are a consumable item don't forget. How long it should last, well I'm not sure what's reasonable. It depends on a lot of factors, how many charge cycles, depth of discharge etc

  • ColtNoir on 12/04/2023 - 14:17

    For such a cheap robot vacuum, even I wouldn’t bother with it.

    However, manufacturers do need to keep spare parts/repairs being made available for a reasonable time. So while it may not be free, you should be able to get it repaired at a cost, or have a new battery sent so you can get it replaced.

    Whether that’s worth it to you is a different story.

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