I recently bought a few Makita power tools from Screwfix,unfortunately last night at work the 18v cordless combi drill broke,I rang the call centre and spoke to a very helpful lady,explained my problem and that I needed the drill for work again the following night. She was great and after checking stock in my local branch advised me that they hadn't got one in and the best she could suggest was to take it back and either get another model (paying extra if necessary) or get a refund and source one elsewhere. I went back this morning and was told by Callum,the trade manager (young lad) that it would have to go in for repair,he took no notice of what I'd been told by customer services.The machine is just under 3 months old,bought August,another customer who was in store agreed with me and said he'd returned stuff up to 6 months old,but Callum was having non of it. I've now got no drill for work tonight and am going to have to try and borrow one,either that or lose money. So my advice to any tradesman who needs his tools for work is DON'T buy them from screwfix,it may cost YOU money in the end!
Hi I'm sorry to read of the problems with your Drill and that this has not been resolved. Please email the full details and your invoice number to our Customer Service Team at online@screwfix.com so this can be investigated. Regards Peter
Investigated.and how does that help me today Peter? It isn't going to get me a drill for work tonight is it? Sorry mate but it is totally unacceptable,the guy made no effort to contact customer services and confirm what I'd been told.As it is I either buy another machine from a reputable supplier or lose wages.
Why are you blaming Screwfix for a Makita failure? Your warranty is with Makita and the device returned to them in accordance with the warranty/guarantee provided.
Because I rang screwfix to find out the procedure and under the terms of the sale of goods act my contract is with them not makita. I wouldn't have minded but for the call centre to tell me they,d sort it then some young pup in branch tells me something different, who's running the company?
Hi Phil The SOGA was replaced by the CRA, but it's similar. The store were correct to that guidance, being they have the right to return for repair if they choose. There is no right outside of the first 30 days to force a refund. Obviously suppliers will give that option to show them in a good light, but they don't have to. However I do agree if you were told by the call centre to return for exchange, that should have been sufficient. The manager should be able to see the record of the call. I've had a similar issue with TalkTalk and after a lot of calls and social media I got them to accept they had made a mistake, but will I return to them... probably not.
If certain tools are vital to your job, you should have backup plans to prevent your losses (spare drill etc). Obviously its up to you to decide on the cost/benefit ratio of having spares. Its not the fault of Screwfix to reduce your losses. As a diy'er I have many cordless drills as they get used a lot. I would expect an expert tradesman to have a vast qty of tools at this disposal. The return/repair policy will vary from every retailer. Obviously we all choose the best for us based on price/service based on experience. I think in this case Screwfix have generally tried to resolve your issues albeit some conflicting info on their repair policy. Generally I find Screwfix service very good.
You need to check what the SOGA and now CRA actually say. Your rights as a trader or business are different to those of a consumer.
Unusual, myself have never had a problem with Screwfix stuff under guarantee - probably all just a quirk in the system.
UPDATE It was all down to communication again lol.Had a call from a chap called Jason at head office,we got everything sorted and he organised a free upgrade. Nice one,just takes people to listen and explain properly.
Excellent result, Phil. To be fair to SF, if the lady in the call centre made an error - perhaps not understanding how long you'd owned the drill, for example - it doesn't really follow that a local branch should then make good on that claim. And I think your thread heading had more than a touch of pique to it too...? Usually, tho', managers are flexible in cases like this so it was a bit surprising that 'Callum' didn't appreciate the consequences of you being without a drill. On the other hand, this repair shouldn't cost SF anything as it's Makita's fault, so for him to simply hand over a new Makita drill to you would have instantly meant a £100+ hit to SF. A bit unfair. Count yersel' lucky then
sorry to hear that phil, but if you rely on something surely you would have more than one ? i know i have in case of!
Had a similar problem once on a Saturday in a middle of fitting a toilet my Titan SDS drill (yes I know) wouldn't power up. Although it was several months old, I took it back to the local store and got a replacement as was back working in the afternoon. It does seem to vary a bit on how returns are handled between stores and also head office
With there own brand products they swap them without question, I swapped an Erbauer drill after 20 months without a problem and because it was cheaper when I swapped it they gave me an money voucher for the difference, needless the say i spent it straight away. ☺☺☺☺
Personally never had a problem, and found the service at all the NI branches top notch. My last return was a DeWalt 18v jigsaw where the blade retainer had snapped - I think the whole process of getting it swapped took about 5 minutes in store, and that includes the brewing of the mandatory free coffee!
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