They don't make things like they used to

Shiney, I believe you are right in all you said, but was unaware of the 2002 amendment.

In my experience, the retailer usually does cooperate. After all said and done they know that reputation can make the difference between success and failure for a business. I haven't been back to the shop that sold us the dodgey pushchair yet, as it is up north and I haven't been up home since it happened, but when I do I will start of polite and reasonable, and hopefully find that they just appologise for the inconvenience, go straight to the til and give us a refund. If they mount resistance, then I can assure you I will not shy away from getting a bit formal with them.

One other tip in dealing with these matters, which has always worked for me, is to never lose your cool or get frustrated. When the need has arisen in the past for me to take something back for a refund, I always talk to them politely, and discreetly. There is no need for all the other customers to hear about the faulty goods they've sold. The objective is not to crush the shop into the ground and put your flag on the rubble so to speak. Even if the shop won't cooperate, as happened once or twice in the past, I tend to ask politely 'I assume you are aware of the sale of goods act' and then go on to summarise the key points. If still no luck then I politely tell them that I understand we have different points of view and can't reach agreement, so the only option left is to use the small claims procedure, where both parties can put their argument across objectively and the court can decide on the outcome. There has only ever been two occassions when I've had to get a bit more firm, and on one of those occassions I must confess I shouting match started, but that was just because it quickly became apparent on that occassion that the shop owner was trying to use intimidation to make us go away.

 

That's a good idea.:gnthb: