Happy days have come again for a grandmother who, after months of worry, is revelling in the prospect of making meals for the family now her smart new kitchen is finally complete. Last week Dorothy Emerson, at last, got what she paid over £10,000 for back in November when she ordered units, appliances and installation from Ikea.
The work all went according to plan, save for the fitted combi microwave, a £575 appliance from Electrolux.
“It worked for a couple of minutes before cutting out, then showing a list of codes and indicating the clock had to be reset,” Dorothy explained.
Like many consumers faced with technical mayhem, she initially blamed herself for not being able to right it. After many failed attempts and the lull Christmas always brings, she reported the fault in early January.
++ If you’ve been affected by this issue or feel you’ve been a victim of injustice, please contact consumer champion Maisha Frost on [email protected]
“Ikea referred me to the manufacturer and since then five engineers have come out at various times and the oven still has the same problem. I don’t have confidence in it and want a replacement,” a despairing Dorothy told Crusader.
“This is a fixed appliance, it blends in with the whole kitchen so, while I feel like giving up and going elsewhere as no one is taking any notice, getting a standalone substitute that looked different would be such a let-down.
“This is not what I had hoped for when I put lots of my savings into this kitchen – I thought it would bring joy not all this struggle.”
During the course of visits and calls as well as sending a registered letter of complaint that got nowhere, she was given various opaque explanations such as it was “a system failure” and a “wiring system problem”.
The blame subtly shifted at one point when she says she was also advised to get her own electrics checked as the fault could lie in her set-up.
But an independent engineer she called in confirmed her home’s electrics were ok. “And Ikea did the installation and thought it all right then,” Dorothy also pointed out.
Such a shambles and consumer rights failure could not continue and, a day after Crusader alerted Ikea and Electrolux, they acted quickly and a date was made for a replacement.
Ikea, which has also offered Dorothy £150 in vouchers in recognition of the hassle and to cover the new installation cost, said: “We would like to apologise for the inconvenience caused to Mrs Emerson. Where faults occur with appliances, they are for the manufacturer to resolve and are normally done so by them on an engineer’s first visit.
“However, we acknowledge that this hasn’t been true of Mrs Emerson’s experience, and we can confirm that we will provide a new microwave and cover the cost of its installation to ensure her experience is now brought to a swift resolution.”
Electrolux commented: “Through the contractual agreement that Electrolx holds with IKEA, any issues such as this are the responsibility of IKEA to provide the customer with a resolution.
“However, in the interest of supporting the customer, we (Electrolux) sent an engineer to try and fix the problem. We identified the appliance was faulty and contacted IKEA to arrange a replacement or refund for the consumer.
“Unfortunately, on this occasion, this process took longer than expected. We’ve since spoken to IKEA’s resolutions team and are pleased to hear that the customer’s appliance is being replaced.”
A relieved Dorothy responded: “Crusader made sure I counted as a customer, thank you!”
Know where you stand on faulty goods
Know where you stand on faulty goods rules, otherwise, you could slip through the net where a fate of being passed from pillar to post assailed by contradictory advice awaits – even though this is the last thing good, reputable companies and brands of course want.
For consumers stuck in deadlock, caught in the middle leads to losing the will to fight on and choosing a lesser option – so at least you have something – then becomes increasingly attractive, although not a just outcome.
Dorothy said: “Everyone was very nice but there was no actual progress, as time went on I could see this problem getting lost. It was as if nothing was joined up.”
Solicitor Joanne Lezemore of advice expert www.consumer-genie.co.
“When a consumer enters into a contract for services, with goods to be included, the contract is covered by the Consumer Rights Act 2015 which states, amongst other things, that the goods supplied must be of satisfactory quality and fit for purpose.
“If, as in this case, the goods are faulty, then the consumer is able to request a repair or refund (rejection under service contracts can be achieved, but only for a short period of time and if the goods themselves are an identifiable item, such as an appliance supplied with a kitchen).
“Any claim for faulty goods is against the seller of the goods, not the manufacturer so consumers should not be “fobbed off” by the supplier saying they should claim under any warranty.
“Also, if the contract was more than £100 but less than £30,000 and any part was paid by credit card, a claim can be made, jointly or severally, against the credit card provider.”
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