Harvey Norman repair delays

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kaboom

77 posts

Master Geek

#35385 9-Jun-2009 10:45

hi all,
bought a vaccumme cleaner from Harvey Norman, got extended warranty on it as well. Took it back to the shop when it broke within a few months and they told me it would take 10 business days to fix. after a month it still hasnt been fixed.

is this normal behavior from a shop or am i just being unreasonable??

your thoughts on this please.

ta.

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683 posts

Ultimate Geek

#223048 9-Jun-2009 11:23

That sucks

tonyhughes

Hawkes Bay
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#223052 9-Jun-2009 11:28

Unreasonable. Request to speak to a manager about why this is taking so long.

kaboom

77 posts

Master Geek

#223056 9-Jun-2009 11:30

i tried asking the helpdesk to direct me to the manager but apperantely the manager is busy and will call me back. i need to let some steam off, wish i hadn't given up smoking .......

xpd

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#223057 9-Jun-2009 11:35

Go to the store you bought it from and complain face to face with the manager there. If they start being stubborn start raising your voice (but be nice) so others in the store start to hear you.... you'll soon get service :)
The phone is a great tool to avoid taking complaints....

Gavin / xpd / FastRaccoon / Geek of Coastguard New Zealand

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kaboom

77 posts

Master Geek

#223063 9-Jun-2009 11:43

thanks mate, am not very good at face to face encounters. used to work in a pub before so it always ends up in a fist fight for me !!

amazing how these shops get away with things like this though, feel like i have no voice unless i bring out my big guns and start smacking people.

feel like a small man, which i am not. i can pump 100kg on the bench on a good day.

Ragnor

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#223075 9-Jun-2009 12:08

If you look at it from their point of view it's in their best interest to put a few soft barriers in the way of consumers getting easy refunds/repairs/replacements or it would be open season.

However it's in your best interest to be persistent and not take any crap.

sjadd

61 posts

Master Geek

#223097 9-Jun-2009 12:55

I bought a laptop from JB Hi-Fi and and after a couple of months the hard drive went.

Took it back - expected repair time is 6 to 8 weeks.

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serafis

21 posts

Geek

#223099 9-Jun-2009 13:01

Harvey Normans is a franchise. In fact, each major department is a franchise (which is they have separate tills etc). You could write to the manager of the franchise where you bought the cleaner, along the lines of:

Dear Sir, I bought {thing} on {date}. It developed a defect and I returned it for repair under warranty on {date}. I was advised that the repair would take 10 days, which I consider a reasonable time for the repair. It is now one month later and the repair has not been completed within a reasonable time. As per provisons of the Consumer Guarantee Act, I now require you to either replace the item witha new one, or refund my purchase price, including the cost of the extended warranty. I look forward to your response. etc.

Good luck!

rscole86

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#223101 9-Jun-2009 13:06

One month is just not good enough. I would be asking that they get it back to you within 5 business days, repaired, or a replacement.
But make sure that whatever you agree too, you get in writing. I also suggest you do this in person.

vexxxboy

4243 posts

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#223103 9-Jun-2009 13:10

problem with warranty repairs is the store is limited to where the appliance can be sent to be fixed, it is usually out of the shops hands with the insurer having the main say and usually there is only one or two places in NZ that will fix them , (the worst case was the ps 2 only one place in NZ could fix them) so the wait can be quite a while if they have a few to fix, Find out where it was sent and annoy them , you should have a repair number to quote.

Common sense is not as common as you think.

BurningBeard

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#223111 9-Jun-2009 13:15

I'd be demanding a replacement.

Smiths City (surprise surprise) dicked my mum-in-law-to-be around on a faulty motherboard in a laptop so she started making noises and they sorted her out with a newer model.

Ya gots to be assertive or you get walked over.

My very metal Doctor Who theme

SepticSceptic

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#223113 9-Jun-2009 13:17

Had a couple of household (lazyboy and a floor standing speaker) items repaired at HN, and not really had an issue, except when they lost my contact details once. But they found the repaired item hiding out the back, and HN have always followed up afterwards with a phone call to make sure everything was working as expected. It was a good customer service experience.

Seems to be branch related, as my experience was with the Wairau Valley in AKL.

However, in your case, you will need to be more insistent. Get the names of the staff that you deal with, and if still no happy-joy, go to the Head Office - CEO. In writing.

Now, if HN didn't have such instrusive adverts on the TV and Radio ,... grrr...

serafis

21 posts

Geek

#223122 9-Jun-2009 13:27

Similar experiencence at DSE with a laptop that had to be sent to Oz. Took a letter to the National GM Customer Service to get some action but all resolved now (somehow came back with a gig more memory than it went with too).

Trouble with going to HN head office is, being a franchise, corporate head office is in Australia isn't it? And they often only deal with the management of the franchise business, not the management of the shops themselves. Maybe worth a try though.

Repair times do vary depending on where they have to send it, but they should be able to tell you how long it will take. If they say 10 days and haven't completed it within 1 month, then by my lights that's unreasonable and if it were me, I would be calling them out on it, and insisting on a replacement or a refund by now, either face to face or in writing.

kaboom

77 posts

Master Geek

#223130 9-Jun-2009 13:43

thanks to everyone for the reply. have written to the customer complaints (Customer.Feedback@au.harveynorman.com) will see what happens from here.

BurningBeard

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#223164 9-Jun-2009 15:13

SepticSceptic: Now, if HN didn't have such instrusive adverts on the TV and Radio ,... grrr...

Loudest ads on telly. I mute them every time, thus rending the ad totally pointless.

GO HARVEY GO.... actually, just feck off.

My very metal Doctor Who theme

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