Disaster totally gutted

rtf1976 · 03-12-2009, 01:09 PM

Went to bed on Wednesday night, put the sony on the bed stand woke up yesterday morning turned it on and there is a bare patch on the top left hand corner about 3 cms x 1 cm cannot read anything beneath it. Contacted Sony who have advised to return it for repair as it is only a week old, but they need the original receipt and guess what I cant find it and I paid cash for it in Waterstones and they don't want to know as it has to be returned to Sony direct. I registered the product with Sony the day after I got it cant they tell from the serial number when it was made?

Am totally gutted as have heard horror stories that it might not be repaired under warranty as it is the screen that has the problem and fixing it might cost the same as a new one.

Might just have to dig out the house insurance if push comes to shove.

Any ideas people?

BobVA · 03-12-2009, 06:42 PM

Bummer - hope you find the receipt. Other than that, you'll have to appeal to the court of circumstantial evidence and hope for the best.

You could try to work this out with Sony in advance, citing:
- Registration dates of Reader and perhaps when you set up your Sony bookstore account.
- Serial number might give some clue as to production date. If so, and it's physically less than a year old, that may be enough to validate the one year parts coverage (no small deal if the screen needs to be replaced). Note the 90day/1yr warranty is the US spec, I'm not sure of what applies outside the US.
- Does the store have any record of the sale by serial number? Or perhaps a shipping receipt showing when they received it? You couldn't have bought it before then.

My advice is call Sony up, ask for a supervisor and be as nice as you can. If you've done some homework and ask for his or her advice on what else you can do, that might help.

I feel your pain - I hate when stuff like that happens. Good luck!

Bob

gwynevans · 03-12-2009, 06:47 PM

Are you in the UK? (I'm guessing due to Waterstones?)

If so, my understanding is that, with a recent purchase like that, the Sale of Goods act gives you the right to a refund - I'd suggest a bit of browsing, then probably a return to Waterstones...

More info here - Note that while a receipt might be useful, it's not essential!

crabman · 03-12-2009, 07:05 PM

UK Only.
Right, the first thing is that a retailer can not direct you to the manufacturer rather than take responsibility for any problems. The contract, on buying the product, was with Waterstones - not Sony.

Secondly, ok you have lost the receipt but strictly speaking if you claim to have bought an item from a retailer then the courts will take your word for it. The onus is on the retailer to prove that the item was not sold by them.

If you are sure that you did not cause the problem, I would ring the customer service team at Waterstones head office and speak to a manager. Mention your rights but be reasonable and I am sure that they will resolve this for you. I have found high st stores to be very good in the past, and being pleasant but firm always has done the trick.

BTW, I am not a lawyer but have studied law for a while.

rtf1976 · 03-18-2009, 02:14 PM

Update:- Received letter from Sony Service Centre in Wales advising that the screen is damaged and not covered under warranty. I phoned and spoke to a customer service agent and explained that the book was never damaged in any way shape or form and by myself or anybody else. She advised that even for an engineer to look at it would cost me £27 and then repair and parts on top of that. I asked her how could they say that it wasnt a manufacturing defect if nobody had even looked at it? She then advised screens were not covered under warranty, the only problem is that Sony own warranty on their website (UK) advised that screens are not covered by warranty if broken due to "misuse" and a screen is defined as an "LCD" Now is the Sony reader an "LCD" screen?

Am disappointed that after paying £229 Sony are basically saying that I have damaged it in some form and there is no manufacturing defect with out even getting an engineer to look at it?

Have written a letter complaining to Sony Head Office and copied in the Service Centre in Wales but frankly I dont hold out much hope as they just dont care. If they say it is a chargeable repair then I will just contact the Home Insurance people and claim for accidental damage.

And you have guessed right I wont be buying another "Sony"

Riocaz · 03-18-2009, 02:48 PM

Phone back and insist on speaking to a manager. explain that you do not believe that this is a broken screen and that the screen was fine one night and broken the next morning.

And restate your point that if no one has examined it how to they know that the issue is with the screen. Why should you pay for a basic level of fault finding.

Also it seems strange to me that it's only a small square thats gone wrong. If it was the screen entirely then yes. But cracks on't tend to make 90 degree angles.

gwynevans · 03-18-2009, 03:56 PM

I still think that you should be returning it to the retailer as a fault that showed up, not trying to get it repaired under warranty - the description doesn't sound like the normal description of an impact damaged screen.

tompe · 03-18-2009, 04:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gwynevans

I still think that you should be returning it to the retailer as a fault that showed up, not trying to get it repaired under warranty - the description doesn't sound like the normal description of an impact damaged screen.

And point out that inside 6 months the seller has to show that you have caused the fault.

Croker · 03-18-2009, 04:39 PM

Yes, don't bother messing around with Sony. Get straight back to Waterstones, explain the situation to them, and tell them that you want them to repair or replace it for you (which they are legally obliged to do).

Also make a big deal of the fact that it's only a week old, and that it's their responsibility to prove this fault was not inherent in the product from the off because it's less than 6 months old.

These are all your rights under the Sale of Goods Act (SOGA). If they try to refer you to Sony, refuse to go to them - the contract is with Waterstones, the retailer, not Sony, the manufacturer, so it's their responsibility to sort it out.

The law says that you don't have to produce a receipt (although obviously it helps), so don't let them fob you off on that front, either...particularly as they're pretty much the only licensed UK seller of Readers anyway!

I only know about this because I had a series of massive rows with Argos when they refused to replace my broken 4 month old Xbox 360 Elite. They were essentially trying to dodge giving me a replacement because of the well known manufacturing faults with the console, and were very stubborn in saying they couldn't help, and that I should go to Microsoft.

After getting no joy from the store or their customer service line, I wrote a letter to the Chief Exec of the Home Retail Group (which owns Argos), telling them that unless they fulfilled their obligations under SOGA, I was going to take them to court. Result? The day after the letter was delivered, the Chief Exec's personal secretary called me at home, and told me to send the Xbox to her directly, as she'd been authorised to give me a full refund

The one thing I learned from that debacle is to never, ever, EVER let a company con you out of your rights.

rtf1976 · 03-18-2009, 06:28 PM

Many thanks for all the replies, am going to wait to see if my letters have any effect if not back to the place of purchase.

Just so disappointed not only do I miss having my e reader (even though I only had it a week) but in the fact that Sony just dont seem to give a damn. Sony have just lost out on a future sale of a 700 and a 42" lcd TV that we looking to buy all because of poor after sales care.

JSWolf · 03-18-2009, 06:34 PM

The problem is hat most broken screens do come from physical damage. And it's most likely impossible to tell if it's a break that you did or did not cause.

Patricia · 03-18-2009, 06:37 PM

I agree with the posts above. In the UK your contract is with the retailer, so got to Waterstone's for redress. (It would help to search your pockets for the receipt, though this is not essential.) Point out that, under the Sale of Goods Act a faulty device is their responsibility.

(However, the damage sounds like a broken screen substrate. Either there was a manufacturing flaw, or the device got a bump in the night. All e-ink screens are fragile, whatever the device, and it is necessary to be very careful with them.)

RickyMaveety · 03-18-2009, 06:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rtf1976

Many thanks for all the replies, am going to wait to see if my letters have any effect if not back to the place of purchase.

Just so disappointed not only do I miss having my e reader (even though I only had it a week) but in the fact that Sony just dont seem to give a damn. Sony have just lost out on a future sale of a 700 and a 42" lcd TV that we looking to buy all because of poor after sales care.

And, this is why I don't purchase from Sony anymore, people. This is exactly the sort of drill they put me through, and I said .... "no more."

tompe · 03-18-2009, 08:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JSWolf

The problem is hat most broken screens do come from physical damage. And it's most likely impossible to tell if it's a break that you did or did not cause.

If that is the case the seller have to fix it if it is inside of six months.

RickyMaveety · 03-18-2009, 08:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tompe

If that is the case the seller have to fix it if it is inside of six months.

Maybe in Sweden ... but that's definitely not universally true. Or, is that the case in the entire E.U.??

03-12-2009, 01:09 PM	#1
rtf1976 Member Posts: 11 Karma: 10 Join Date: Mar 2009 Device: Sony Reader	Disaster totally gutted ***Update*** Went to bed on Wednesday night, put the sony on the bed stand woke up yesterday morning turned it on and there is a bare patch on the top left hand corner about 3 cms x 1 cm cannot read anything beneath it. Contacted Sony who have advised to return it for repair as it is only a week old, but they need the original receipt and guess what I cant find it and I paid cash for it in Waterstones and they don't want to know as it has to be returned to Sony direct. I registered the product with Sony the day after I got it cant they tell from the serial number when it was made? Am totally gutted as have heard horror stories that it might not be repaired under warranty as it is the screen that has the problem and fixing it might cost the same as a new one. Might just have to dig out the house insurance if push comes to shove. Any ideas people? Last edited by rtf1976; 03-30-2009 at 03:48 PM.

03-12-2009, 06:42 PM	#2
BobVA Addict Posts: 230 Karma: 1500 Join Date: Oct 2006 Device: Kobo Clara, Sony PRS950, T1, T2, T3	Bummer - hope you find the receipt. Other than that, you'll have to appeal to the court of circumstantial evidence and hope for the best. You could try to work this out with Sony in advance, citing: - Registration dates of Reader and perhaps when you set up your Sony bookstore account. - Serial number might give some clue as to production date. If so, and it's physically less than a year old, that may be enough to validate the one year parts coverage (no small deal if the screen needs to be replaced). Note the 90day/1yr warranty is the US spec, I'm not sure of what applies outside the US. - Does the store have any record of the sale by serial number? Or perhaps a shipping receipt showing when they received it? You couldn't have bought it before then. My advice is call Sony up, ask for a supervisor and be as nice as you can. If you've done some homework and ask for his or her advice on what else you can do, that might help. I feel your pain - I hate when stuff like that happens. Good luck! Bob Last edited by BobVA; 03-12-2009 at 06:45 PM.

03-12-2009, 06:47 PM	#3
gwynevans Wizzard Posts: 1,402 Karma: 2000000 Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: UK Device: iPad 2, iPhone 6s, Kindle Voyage & Kindle PaperWhite	Are you in the UK? (I'm guessing due to Waterstones?) If so, my understanding is that, with a recent purchase like that, the Sale of Goods act gives you the right to a refund - I'd suggest a bit of browsing, then probably a return to Waterstones... More info here - Note that while a receipt might be useful, it's not essential! Last edited by gwynevans; 03-12-2009 at 06:51 PM.

03-18-2009, 02:14 PM	#5
rtf1976 Member Posts: 11 Karma: 10 Join Date: Mar 2009 Device: Sony Reader	Update:- Received letter from Sony Service Centre in Wales advising that the screen is damaged and not covered under warranty. I phoned and spoke to a customer service agent and explained that the book was never damaged in any way shape or form and by myself or anybody else. She advised that even for an engineer to look at it would cost me £27 and then repair and parts on top of that. I asked her how could they say that it wasnt a manufacturing defect if nobody had even looked at it? She then advised screens were not covered under warranty, the only problem is that Sony own warranty on their website (UK) advised that screens are not covered by warranty if broken due to "misuse" and a screen is defined as an "LCD" Now is the Sony reader an "LCD" screen? Am disappointed that after paying £229 Sony are basically saying that I have damaged it in some form and there is no manufacturing defect with out even getting an engineer to look at it? Have written a letter complaining to Sony Head Office and copied in the Service Centre in Wales but frankly I dont hold out much hope as they just dont care. If they say it is a chargeable repair then I will just contact the Home Insurance people and claim for accidental damage. And you have guessed right I wont be buying another "Sony" Last edited by rtf1976; 03-18-2009 at 02:15 PM. Reason: typo

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03-12-2009, 07:05 PM	#4
crabman Junior Member Posts: 1 Karma: 42 Join Date: Feb 2009 Device: none yet	UK Only. Right, the first thing is that a retailer can not direct you to the manufacturer rather than take responsibility for any problems. The contract, on buying the product, was with Waterstones - not Sony. Secondly, ok you have lost the receipt but strictly speaking if you claim to have bought an item from a retailer then the courts will take your word for it. The onus is on the retailer to prove that the item was not sold by them. If you are sure that you did not cause the problem, I would ring the customer service team at Waterstones head office and speak to a manager. Mention your rights but be reasonable and I am sure that they will resolve this for you. I have found high st stores to be very good in the past, and being pleasant but firm always has done the trick. BTW, I am not a lawyer but have studied law for a while.

03-18-2009, 02:48 PM	#6
Riocaz Fulfilled but not by iRex Posts: 932 Karma: 286846 Join Date: May 2006 Location: London Device: Far too many	Phone back and insist on speaking to a manager. explain that you do not believe that this is a broken screen and that the screen was fine one night and broken the next morning. And restate your point that if no one has examined it how to they know that the issue is with the screen. Why should you pay for a basic level of fault finding. Also it seems strange to me that it's only a small square thats gone wrong. If it was the screen entirely then yes. But cracks on't tend to make 90 degree angles.

03-18-2009, 03:56 PM	#7
gwynevans Wizzard Posts: 1,402 Karma: 2000000 Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: UK Device: iPad 2, iPhone 6s, Kindle Voyage & Kindle PaperWhite	I still think that you should be returning it to the retailer as a fault that showed up, not trying to get it repaired under warranty - the description doesn't sound like the normal description of an impact damaged screen.

03-18-2009, 04:39 PM	#9
Croker Connoisseur Posts: 94 Karma: 630 Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Melbourne, Australia Device: Kobo Libra Colour, obv.	Yes, don't bother messing around with Sony. Get straight back to Waterstones, explain the situation to them, and tell them that you want them to repair or replace it for you (which they are legally obliged to do). Also make a big deal of the fact that it's only a week old, and that it's their responsibility to prove this fault was not inherent in the product from the off because it's less than 6 months old. These are all your rights under the Sale of Goods Act (SOGA). If they try to refer you to Sony, refuse to go to them - the contract is with Waterstones, the retailer, not Sony, the manufacturer, so it's their responsibility to sort it out. The law says that you don't have to produce a receipt (although obviously it helps), so don't let them fob you off on that front, either...particularly as they're pretty much the only licensed UK seller of Readers anyway! I only know about this because I had a series of massive rows with Argos when they refused to replace my broken 4 month old Xbox 360 Elite. They were essentially trying to dodge giving me a replacement because of the well known manufacturing faults with the console, and were very stubborn in saying they couldn't help, and that I should go to Microsoft. After getting no joy from the store or their customer service line, I wrote a letter to the Chief Exec of the Home Retail Group (which owns Argos), telling them that unless they fulfilled their obligations under SOGA, I was going to take them to court. Result? The day after the letter was delivered, the Chief Exec's personal secretary called me at home, and told me to send the Xbox to her directly, as she'd been authorised to give me a full refund The one thing I learned from that debacle is to never, ever, EVER let a company con you out of your rights.

03-18-2009, 06:28 PM	#10
rtf1976 Member Posts: 11 Karma: 10 Join Date: Mar 2009 Device: Sony Reader	Many thanks for all the replies, am going to wait to see if my letters have any effect if not back to the place of purchase. Just so disappointed not only do I miss having my e reader (even though I only had it a week) but in the fact that Sony just dont seem to give a damn. Sony have just lost out on a future sale of a 700 and a 42" lcd TV that we looking to buy all because of poor after sales care.

03-18-2009, 06:34 PM	#11
JSWolf Resident Curmudgeon Posts: 79,619 Karma: 145864263 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3	The problem is hat most broken screens do come from physical damage. And it's most likely impossible to tell if it's a break that you did or did not cause.

03-18-2009, 06:37 PM	#12
Patricia Reader Posts: 11,504 Karma: 8720163 Join Date: May 2007 Location: South Wales, UK Device: Sony PRS-500, PRS-505, Asus EEEpc 4G	I agree with the posts above. In the UK your contract is with the retailer, so got to Waterstone's for redress. (It would help to search your pockets for the receipt, though this is not essential.) Point out that, under the Sale of Goods Act a faulty device is their responsibility. (However, the damage sounds like a broken screen substrate. Either there was a manufacturing flaw, or the device got a bump in the night. All e-ink screens are fragile, whatever the device, and it is necessary to be very careful with them.)