The Voice - Consumer's Voice

Dear Consumer’s Voice

Last September 2007 I purchased a Defy conventional grill and microwave from Hifi Corporation.

Earlier this month my mother used the microwave to heat up some food and when it was completed the oven malfunctioned and the top of the microwave ended up burnt.

As the microwave was still under warranty my mother took it back to be looked at. Unfortunately she was told that the microwave had been mishandled and over used. It’s true that the inside of the oven was unclean with some splatters of oil but we hadn’t misused it.

My problem is that they refused to take in the microwave for examination and repair simply because it appeared unclean on the inside. They also said that testing of equipment trips their plugs. They also pointed out that we would have to pay for the repairs. But I maintain that the problem was a malfunction and they should honour the warranty.

What should I do?

Excuses, excuses, excuses. It really is sad when stores make excuses so they can avoid their obligations.

Of course, it’s reasonable for a store to charge you for a repair if you really did damage the product you bought. If you’ve not taken proper care of it then you have to pay the price.

It sounds like in your case they are just making excuses. You don’t have to keep your oven perfectly clean every second of the day. Which of us has a perfectly clean oven right now? The fact that they wouldn’t even test the oven to establish what had gone wrong is just silly. The excuses about testing goods tripping their plugs is rubbish and not your concern.

AN UPDATE: We contacted the branch manager and he assured us that he would be in touch with this customer. She later contacted us to say that he had done so and had promised to look into the matter However, he told her that he wasn’t terribly impressed that Consumer Watchdog was involved. Too bad!