
I bought a Bluetooth radio for P599 in Maun. They said it is an accessory and there is no warranty. In less than two weeks, the Bluetooth button on the radio stopped functioning. I was always on busy schedule and did not have time to go back to the store but as soon as possible I went back and told them my story. They said they can help me but at a cost. This was just four weeks from purchasing the radio. They took the radio for diagnosis and took a whole month with it, every time I enquired about the radio, they had to call their bosses. After 5 weeks of them having the radio at their repair center I was informed that they require P350 to repair the radio's button. I paid the P350.00 for the repair but I was really upset, so I want to understand if there is anything I can do about the matter?
This is slightly more complicated than you suggest. I spoke to the MD of the company, and he thinks there was a misunderstanding. The store manager reported that the radio had been physically damaged. They said the button had been broken and there were even burn marks on the speaker.
It's very important that we all understand that a warranty only covers manufacturing faults, not things that happen to the item after we bought it. Most suppliers offer a warranty for a year, others for even longer, but the Consumer Protection Act demands that everything must have a warranty of at least 6 months. We often see stores claiming that phones and electronic devices have a much shorter warranty but that's unacceptable. And illegal. Section 16 of the Act says that consumers can return a faulty item within 6 months and then the store must either repair it, replace it or refund you. However, they can choose which option they prefer.
But if we are the ones who caused the damage, it's up to us to pay for it.
They used my account!
I joined a business called Phoenix Gains last year and I gave them all my bank details. At first they were giving me money for using my bank details for their own business. They were depositing money every day in my account and then immediately they will transfer it out and leave a small amount like P100, P50. Normally in a day they were depositing different amounts, P5,000, P3,000 etc.
The manager of the bank once called me about the money in my account and to explain to them. I told them that is for the business for digital marketing.
Then in February they asked me to look for P2,000 so that I realize my profit. Now I'm in debt and all I want is the refund for P2,000 so that I give it to the person who lent it to me.
There are two things you need to do immediately. The first is to contact the Police and report that your bank account has been used by scammers. You need to do this for two reasons. Firstly, your account was used by criminals to transfer or launder money and the Police need to investigate this. Secondly, you need to protect yourself. Currently, it might look like YOU are the scammer and the Police need to know that you were an innocent participant.
Secondly, you need to tell your bank. I imagine they'll freeze your account which will be very inconvenient for you but not as inconvenient as being investigated by the Police as a potential money launderer and scammer!