My Tineco floor S3 stopped working after 1.5 years. It is still under warranty. It was bought from Godfreys. Tineco said they can't help me. They are asking me to contact Godfreys. Any suggestions on how I can approach this ? Cheers
Tineco Refusing to Honour Warranty
carlJack on 19/02/2024 - 13:26
Comments
The one that's currently under administration?
It mentions specifically that warranties and refunds may be affected. Then leads you on a rabbit trail to find the answer…
If the business continues to trade under administration, the business should provide a solution in line with the consumer guarantees. You can contact the administrator for help in contacting the business.
If the business is sold to a new business in the administration process, as part of the sale, the new business may or may not agree to deal with issues from products bought before it purchased the business that went bust. Check the administrator’s announcements, or the announcements of the new business that has purchased the business that went bust, to find out.
If the manufacturer of the product is a different business from the one that went bust, you can contact them to try to seek a solution from them.
They are asking me to contact Godfreys
Have you tried Godfreys? Tineco is right, you contact the retailer that sold you the product first. Like if my laptop I bought from JB Hifi has some issues, first point of call is to approach JB Hifi first, then let them advise what is the next step.
Godfreys may be under administration, but they are still operating until it totally goes under if no buyer if found or the administrators are unable to complete the restructure.
You dont have to go to the retailer. Eg for Dell / HP laptops you can contact the manufacturer directly and usually that are willing to help. Same for Dyson as well. Most major brands will be willing to help.
Thats what I thought too. Anyways I will goto an open Godfreys shop and ask them how to proceed.
It is out of goodwill but the recommended process by fair trading and ACCC is contact the retailer that sold you the product. And also it is much easier to deal with JB Hifi or BingLee for example for any faults. Just go in, drop the product and wait for the call to pick up. You dont need to call the manufacturer, spend time emailing, sometimes making an effort to ship the product if the manufacturer is not in your state, etc.
There is no recommendation from ACCC. ACCC just highlights two options. Consumer can choose either.
Go to retailer for refund or fixing or replacement. Or go to manufacturer for fixing / replacement (refund is choice of manufacturer).
in OP's scenario, it would be faster to get an outcome from Manufacturer as the retailer Godfreys is under administration.
Its illegal for the manufacturer to redirect the consumer to retailer.
For a major problem:
https://www.accc.gov.au/consumers/problem-with-a-product-or-…Who is responsible
Businesses are responsible for resolving problems with products they sell to consumers.
Businesses must not tell consumers to go to the manufacturer for a remedy.
However, for some consumer guarantees, consumers can choose to seek a remedy from the manufacturer, rather than the business they bought the product from. If they do so, consumers will only be entitled to be compensated for the drop in value caused by the problem and, in some cases, other compensation. A manufacturer may offer to resolve the problem by providing a repair, refund or replacement, but consumers cannot demand this from the manufacturer.
I think its because Tineco does not have Australian office.
Thios is from Tineco
We apologize for the problem with your machine. After confirming that your machine belongs to the Godfreys sales channel, in order to help you troubleshoot the issue, we recommend that you contact PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC) directly for specific support and solutions.
This is the contact information for PWC [email protected]This is the automatic message i get when i send an email to [email protected]
Dear Sir/Madam,
Thank you for your query regarding Godfreys Group Pty Ltd and its Australian subsidiaries (All Administrators Appointed) (collectively, Godfreys).
Appointment of Joint and Several Administrators
Craig Crosbie, Robert Ditrich and Daniel Walley of PricewaterhouseCoopers Australia (PwC) were appointed Joint and Several Administrators (Administrators) of the Godfreys companies on 30 January 2024 pursuant to Section 436A of the Corporations Act 2001. The Administrators are now in control of the business and assets of Godfreys.
Administrators have also been appointed over Godfreys’ New Zealand subsidiary – New Zealand Vacuum Cleaner Co Ltd (NZCN 1075877). Please refer to the PwC NZ insolvency website for further information: https://www.pwc.co.nz/services/business-restructuring/volunt…
Concurrent First Meetings of Creditors
The Concurrent First Meetings of Creditors (First Meeting) were held on Friday, 9 February 2024 – a recording of the meeting is available here:
https://event.webcasts.com/starthere.jsp?ei=1654522&tp_key=4…
Creditors resolved at the First Meeting to establish a single Committee of Inspection (COI) in respect of all Godfreys companies. The COI members are:
· Ben Meredith, Executive General Manager - Sales & Operations at Godfreys
· Bree Vare-Lucas, Executive General Manager - People & Culture at Godfreys
· Richard Beissel of Cowell Clarke, representing 1918 Finance Pty Ltd
· Sujata Jeraj of Bissell Australia Pty Limited, representing Bissell Australia Pty Limited
· Leonie Chard of Scentre Group, representing Scentre Shopping Centre Management Pty Ltd
Key timeline and next steps
Ongoing trading
During the Administration period, Godfreys will continue to trade while the Administrators undertake an immediate operational restructure and sale process.
As a result of the restructure, 49 Godfreys stores in Australia have now been closed. A full list of the store closures can be accessed via our website: https://insolvency.pwc.com.au
The Second Meetings of creditors
The Administrators sought orders from the Federal Court of Australia on 5 February 2024 with respect to, among other things, an extension of the convening period to hold the Second Meetings of creditors to 28 May 2024. Subject to the ongoing sale process, the Administrators may seek to convene the Second Meetings earlier than this date.
A copy of the Court orders are available on the Godfreys PwC insolvency website.
We will also continue to keep creditors informed of any major updates via our website: https://insolvency.pwc.com.au
Frequently asked questions
We understand you may have a number of questions in relation to the Administration. In the first instance, please refer to the FAQ (frequently asked questions) document which is updated regularly and available from the PwC website using the following link: https://insolvency.pwc.com.au/
Please refrain from contacting the PwC switchboard or reception directly.
Ongoing queries
If after reading the FAQs your query remains unanswered, a member of our team will review and respond to your query.
Craig Crosbie, Robert Ditrich and Daniel Walley
Administrators
They sent you the email address that is for suppliers and creditors trying to get money back.
I just called the Godfrey's hotline. For warranty, the automatic voice message suggest to use the Submit A Request link in the Godfrey's contact page. But at this stage, given the process that Godfreys is going through, solving customer warranty fixes would probably be at the bottom of the to-do list. They are obligated to perform, but it could take a long while before you get any solution.
Its been submitted. Lets see how it goes.
Read the FAQ linked at the bottom of this page
https://insolvency.pwc.com.au/groupEntityCases/godfreys-grou…"If you purchased your product from a franchisee owned store
please contact that store directly in relation to any returns.
Franchisee owned stores will not be able to assist you with
products purchased from the Online Store or Godfreys owned
stores.
If you purchased your product from the Online Store or a
Godfreys owned store and it is faulty or no longer working, due
to the administration you are likely to be an unsecured creditor
of Godfreys. This means that you cannot obtain a
replacement, repair or refund from Godfreys or the
Administrators.
Please refer to additional details provided by the ACCC -
https://www.accc.gov.au/consumers/protecting-yourself/whena-…
If the product you purchased was a brand for which Godfreys
is not the manufacturer (or deemed manufacturer) under the
Australian Consumer Law, customers may also have rights
against the manufacturer directly.
Brands that Godfreys sells but Godfreys does not manufacture
means that Godfreys is not the “deemed manufacturer” under
the Australian Consumer Law (Non Godfreys Brands).
Warranties provided by Non Godfreys Brands are still
applicable. "So I am an unsecured creditor now am I. Even though Tineco are selling their product in Australia, they are not liable for warranty claims? that doesnt sound right to me.
You missed out the most crucial paragraph. The one you copy and paste is for Godfreys branded products.
"If the product you purchased was a brand for which Godfreys is not the manufacturer (or deemed manufacturer) under the Australian Consumer Law, customers may also have rights against the manufacturer directly.
Brands that Godfreys sells but Godfreys does not manufacture means that Godfreys is not the “deemed manufacturer” under the Australian Consumer Law (Non Godfreys Brands). Warranties provided by Non Godfreys Brands are still applicable."
In summary, OP can try Godfreys first. If rejected by PWC or Godfreys, then OP can use that communication to approach Tineco directly. If no resolution, then use ACCC. Be prepared for a lot of communication and honestly, big waste of time running around.
If I were OP, i might just forget about this product and purchase a new one depending on how much you value your time.
From ACCC website
Things to do if you have a problem with a purchased product
The things you can do if you have a problem with a product purchased from a business that went bust will depend on the circumstances.If the business continues to trade under administration, the business should provide a solution in line with the consumer guarantees. You can contact the administrator for help in contacting the business.
If the business is sold to a new business in the administration process, as part of the sale, the new business may or may not agree to deal with issues from products bought before it purchased the business that went bust. Check the administrator’s announcements, or the announcements of the new business that has purchased the business that went bust, to find out.
If the manufacturer of the product is a different business from the one that went bust, you can contact them to try to seek a solution from them.
If the manufacturer of the product is a different business from the one that went bust, you can contact them to try to seek a solution from them.
Well…they told me to contact Godfreys and Godfreys is under adminstration. Funny thing is Godfreys are still selling Tineco products on their website.
Because administration doesnt mean it is not operating. It will continue to operate as normal until a solution is found for the company to continue to survive or die.
Make a formal complaint and right the state department that looks after complaints like this and ask them what to do.
How has anyone got on with there warranty for Tineco
After a lot of back and forth Tineco agreed to honour the warranty and replaced the machine.
Glad to hear you got a replacement. It is pathetic that you had to go through so much drama. Where and how did you get your replacement from.
Thank you and all others on this site for saving me from buying Tineco from Godfrey. I have just joined Oz Bargain.
Send it to Godfreys?