By Kate Harvey
Content Manager | Pou Whakahaere Ihirangi
Our members and supporters recently told us about more than 7,000 purchases they’d made over the past year. They painted a dismal picture of experiences with aftersales support.
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Of the 1,140 people who had to go back to the physical or online store for help, one-fifth weren’t happy with the service they’d received.
The most common reason for having to get aftersales service was needing help with set-up or usage advice. The next most common reason was because the product was faulty, damaged or poor quality.
Of those with products that weren’t up to scratch:
28% got a replacement
16% got a refund
13% had their product repaired.
But a further 13% also said their issue hadn’t been resolved.
Disappointingly, 6% said they had been referred to the manufacturer or supplier of their product.
You don’t need to do this, and shops shouldn’t be telling you to.
You have the right to deal only with the store you bought from.
The best and worst retailers
Thousands of Consumer members have told us about their experiences shopping this year. Find out which retailers have the most satisfied customers.
How to stand up for your rights
The Consumer Guarantees Act gives you certain rights when a product you’ve bought isn’t of acceptable quality or fit for purpose.
If a product has a minor fault, the retailer can choose whether it repairs the product, replaces it or refunds your money.
But if the fault is major, you decide whether to opt for a replacement or a refund.
A major fault means a reasonable consumer would not have bought the product if they had known about the problem.
You don’t have the right to return a product simply because you’ve changed your mind – although some stores will let you.
And remember, you don’t need to go contacting the delivery company, manufacturer or supplier when your product arrives and isn’t up to scratch. That’s the store’s job.
