The Voice - Dear Consumer's Voice

Dear Consumer’s Voice

In June I went to Chobe Design and ordered a love nest in black.  I was advised that this would take around 2 weeks to make and I paid them a deposit of P1,200.

A couple of weeks later they called me to say it was ready and I went over to collect it.  When I got there I found that it had been made in beige, not black.  I told them that this was not acceptable and asked for my deposit to be refunded but they refused.

What can I do? 

Firstly you can stick up for your rights.  It’s very simple.  You ordered a beige item from them and they offered you a black one.  It’s not as if they were very slightly different shades of the same colour, beige and black are completely different.  You have every right to reject the item offered, cancel the deal and demand your deposit back.

Chobe Design failed to honour their obligations under Section 13 (1) (a) of the Consumer Protection Regulations because the item did “not match any sample or description” they gave you, under Section 13 (1) (d) (ii) when they claimed that the product would be of a “particular style”, under Section 15 (1) (a) because they did not render their service “with reasonable care and skill” and under Section 15 (1) (e) because they didn’t refund your deposit.

We contacted Chobe Design to see what they had to say for themselves.  The first manager we spoke to said he knew nothing of the case and couldn’t help.  The second manager said he would see the customer to see what could be done.  We took the opportunity to explain to him some of the details of the Consumer Protection Regulations and that this story would be featured in The Voice.

She got her deposit back!