Novatech Reselling faulty goods

Millay · 01-06-2005, 16:11

This is my story of buying stuff from novatech.

Last week I had two separate wireless networks to install.

Network one was installed on Monday and consisted of the following kit brought from novatech.

1 Linksys Router
1 belking 54g PCI Card

The PCI Card was faulty, kept dropping signal so I took it back queued for an hour in returns, got a cash refund and went to the sales desk and purchased a Linksys PCI card.

Great Wireless network one installed customer happy.

I then return to novatech and purchase the following kit for my second wireless install:

1 Linksys Router
1 Linksys PCI 54 g card
1 Linksys PCMCIA Card.

All goes well but the PCI Card will not work on the Media Centre PC, looking on the web this is a common problem with this card with lots of different work arounds, as this is a rush job, quickest option is to return the card and get a different brand, so I go for another Belkin card.

Get this to the customers go to install it but something seems amiss, The same thing happens signal keeps dropping etc.. So I check the mac address on the card, its exactly the same card I had returned earlier on in the week. Even the packaging had the same marks on it.

But I had had a refund on the Linksys card I had returned and had purchased the Belkin card as a brand new item, yet it was second hand and faulty.

My gripe is Im going to have to spend another hour in the returns queue to get it replaced/refunded.... this is shocking and surly it is illegal to resell second hand items as brand new.....

punky · 01-06-2005, 16:17

Quote:

Originally Posted by Millay

My gripe is Im going to have to spend another hour in the returns queue to get it replaced/refunded.... this is shocking and surly it is illegal to resell second hand items as brand new.....

Don't return it just yet. Call up trading standards. and lodge it with them.

What they are doing is illegal (Assuming it wasn't just a one off error. Occaisonally somebody will want something, you check in the backroom where someone left a faulty boxed item and you resell it by mistake).

Bifta · 01-06-2005, 16:19

It happens with pretty much all online retailers, overclockers.co.uk are famous for doing this sort of thing.

allieyoung666 · 01-06-2005, 16:21

Amazon do it to!

altis · 01-06-2005, 16:34

...and PC World too - only, they got caught

http://www.channelregister.co.uk/200...puters_as_new/

Millay · 01-06-2005, 16:37

im just bloomin angry... grrrr
__________________

it takes hours to sort out

punky · 01-06-2005, 16:41

I am wondering though, if retailers are allowed to re-certify 'faulty' goods as working, like the manufacturers do.

A lot of stuff that gets sent back isn't always broken. For example the problem with the wireless card could be coincidental interference. Manufacturers re-test it, and if it is working fine, they clean it up and rebox it and re-sell it. Its legal. It is only classed as reconditioned if parts had to be replaced because they were faulty.

danielf · 01-06-2005, 16:49

Quote:

Originally Posted by punky

I am wondering though, if retailers are allowed to re-certify 'faulty' goods as working, like the manufacturers do.

A lot of stuff that gets sent back isn't always broken. For example the problem with the wireless card could be coincidental interference. Manufacturers re-test it, and if it is working fine, they clean it up and rebox it and re-sell it. Its legal. It is only classed as reconditioned if parts had to be replaced because they were faulty.

That's what I thought. I imagine some stuff gets sent back because it is incompatible with other components/quirks of the OS as well. I would imagine retailers being allowed to resell these?

Millay · 01-06-2005, 16:53

I thhought it was only the manufcturers who were allowed to do that, although i understnd there is always going to be wrong returns.. this card really is buggered..

Gareth · 01-06-2005, 16:55

Argos do this too.... at one of their Bristol branches, you used to be able to see the guys in the warehouse-section of the store re-wrapping stuff up to be sold back to customers.

AndrewJ · 01-06-2005, 17:16

I also can state BnQ did this also to my parents regarding a strimmer, simiar story to yourself, they are with trading standards over it.