Guardianoffers

At the beginning of February, I bought two halogen heaters from Guardian Essentials (2 for price of 1). They arrived within three days. Both being faulty and unsafe, I arranged for their return, opting for a full refund, not replacement. This required phoning the Returns Department to obtain a returns no. A premium rate phone no. at 10p a minute. 15 minutes were spent trying to get a returns no., two calls proving necessary as, instead of providing a returns no., I was transferred to a voicemail facility so I had to start again: going through a series of menus and, once that had been successfully negotiated, holding on, enduring something tinnily banal while regularly being told "your call is important to us". I expect that may be true as I've discovered that companies using these phone nos can make a profit of c. 拢200k pa from them.

I was expected to take the heaters, repacked, to a Collection Point store. Difficult to repack as, once assembled they couldn't be disassembled. Also, being virtually housebound, I was unable to take them to a Collection Point store so paid for them to be sent by courier to the Clifford James Distribution Centre in Lancashire with a covering letter detailing the faults plus the relevant form duly completed, stating in large letters "REFUND PLEASE".

To my surprise, a week later, replacement heaters arrived. I refused to accept delivery, demanding that they be returned to sender. I then promptly emailed Guardian Essentials Customer Services who responded, apologised and confirmed they would be arranging a full refund.

However, two days later, I received an email from the courier who had tried to deliver the heaters wanting to arrange re-delivery. Back to Guardian Essentials Customer Services with the request that this matter be resolved as soon as possible. Courier couldn鈥檛 return them to the Clifford James Distribution Centre until I contacted the Distribution Centre myself to arrange their return. I refused, insisting that Guardian Essentials Customer Services should sort this out since I hadn鈥檛 requested these items in the first place, having opted for a full refund.

Guardian Essentials eventually contacted me to confirm that they had arranged the heaters鈥?return to the Distribution Centre but I couldn鈥檛 be refunded until they had been delivered there. I find it difficult to understand why I had to wait until the goods were back with Clifford James before being refunded. Whether the goods were returned to Clifford James was not my responsibility since they should never have been despatched to me, I did not take delivery of them and they were never in my possession. No response when I asked what the procedure would be if the goods did not find their way back to Clifford James.

After another week, I have been refunded but only with the cost of the heaters, the cost of postage and packing having been deducted.

I now understand that:

I am entitled to the refund of the cost of returning the faulty items as I understand from the Sale of Goods Act/Consumer Contract Regulations that any terms and conditions that say I must cover the cost of returning an item would not apply where the goods being returned are faulty.

I also understand that as I had to call Customer Services on a surcharged number about the goods I bought which were faulty, I have the automatic right to claim back the surcharge from them.

They should also have refunded me in full within 14 days of receipt of the original faulty heaters.

So much for consumer rights.