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Thread ID: 58177	2005-05-24 01:12:00	Microwave LCD display gone haywire	Greg (193)	PC World Chat

Post ID	Timestamp	Content	User
357908	2005-05-24 06:00:00	I don't know how many times it has been said here Greg, but a one-year warranty does not let the supplier off the hook . The Consumer Guarantees Act says you have the right to expect reasonable life out of your purchase, and that overrides the manufacturer's warranty limitations . In fact, they cannot claim that their warranty is finite at 1 year, because that would be attempting to contract out of the provisions of the Act . Just take the thing back and get them to repair or replace . Things are a bit different for you beetle, because the CGA does not apply to goods purchases for use in a business, but if you continue to have electrical failures at an unusual rate you may need your voltage supply monitored for a week or more by your Energy Supplier . It may be too high or there may be other faults with it, especially in your kitchen . They need to look for sags, swells, surges, spikes, neutral-earth incidents etc . I have such a log on my desk at the moment and it records 160 serious incidents over 14 days, any one of which could be enough to destroy a domestic appliance . In this case though, the machine destroyed was an expensive piece of office equipment worth several thousand dollars . High failure rates are not normal, and I don't subscribe to the view that some individuals kill appliances, apart (perhaps) from computers where it is usually software stuff-ups or wanton fiddling that cause the problems . I investigate such situations as part of my work and there is usually an underlying cause, other than the user . Cheers Billy 8-{)	Billy T (70)
357909	2005-05-24 09:24:00	What operating system does it run ....? Ive got one its windows xp64bit runs great got doom 3 runing on it great fun wile your cooking a pie	sambaird (47)
357910	2005-05-24 10:05:00	Yeah sure Billy T and how much joy do you get out of yr Energy Supplier for low quality power supply? Like how often do they agree that yes on Tues . 24 this-or that at 1 . 06pm or whatever there was a spike, splurge . sag, swell or sudden urge that screwed up yr appliaince and were prepared to pay for any damages caused? Down our (rural) road a woman down the end has had three auto . washing machines blow up or down because of inadequate voltage on the 240v mains line and been told by the E . S . that she'd better just buy an old agitator? The electricity has reduced in quality . HTH///////////m	mark c (247)
357911	2005-05-24 10:40:00	I don't know how many times it has been said here Greg, but a one-year warranty does not let the supplier off the hook. The Consumer Guarantees Act says you have the right to expect reasonable life out of your purchase, and that overrides the manufacturer's warranty limitations. In fact, they cannot claim that their warranty is finite at 1 year, because that would be attempting to contract out of the provisions of the Act. Just take the thing back and get them to repair or replace. Billy 8-{) Reasonable life could be open to some dispute, who decides that. The customer will be able to claim a refund or replacement if it can be shown that the problem is due to a defect in the goods and not normal wear and tear. If the defect in the microwave is deemed to be caused by using unauthorized cleaning agents what happens then. To say take the thing back and get a repair or replacement may not be as easy as it sounds.	Safari (3993)
357912	2005-05-24 11:58:00	Remember 1994 the Year of the Drought? Auckland had an unusually low rainfall and an unusually high number of lightening storms. The neighbours blew their fax in one storm and I figured it was time to Do Something. A week or so later I went out and bought a dozen cheap surge supressors and scattered them round the house. 24 hours later I was in the laundry and there was a huge bang outside. Power stayed on but the electronic drier turned itself off. The neighbours blew the electronics on their stove. Dad then wired a coarse surge suppressor into our meter board for extra protection. Well the electronic drier still works 10 years later and the surge suppressors still have their little LCDs glowing so I guess they work. We still have to demolish the tree, 20m from the house, that hit by lightening a year back... but that's another story. As for microwaves? After the bang last year when my daughter went to melt some chocolate the service men charged $45 to look at it and dump it in their skip bin. Most items seem cheaper to replace than repair - unless you can claim under warranty.	Mercury (1316)
357913	2005-05-24 13:24:00	Reasonable life could be open to some dispute, who decides that . The customer will be able to claim a refund or replacement if it can be shown that the problem is due to a defect in the goods and not normal wear and tear . If the defect in the microwave is deemed to be caused by using unauthorized cleaning agents what happens then . To say take the thing back and get a repair or replacement may not be as easy as it sounds . 1) Reasonable life is defined by the provisions of the CGA . 2) Wear and tear or improper use is usually quite obvious . 3) If you used improper cleaning agents why do you think you should get any warranty? I'd send you on your way too! 4) Taking back a properly used appliance that has failed prematurely, even outside the warranty is dead easy . Politeness & good manners plus no evidence of abuse or mishandling get you everywhere . I have had many items replaced outside of warranty, including an entire motor vehicle at 12 months past the warranty expiry and nearly 50,000 km, and a complete computer one week before the three year warranty expired . If you never ask you will never get, but you have to get your facts right before you start . Cheers Billy 8-{)	Billy T (70)
357914	2005-05-24 13:30:00	It could be the steam from cooking, my microwave did something like this, I just switched it off for a few days and did not use it and hey presto, it worked ok again, now I watch out for not generating too much steam, it has worked well again for the last 5 years.	zqwerty (97)
357915	2005-05-24 13:40:00	Yeah sure Billy T and how much joy do you get out of yr Energy Supplier for low quality power supply? Like how often do they agree that yes on Tues . 24 this-or that at 1 . 06pm or whatever there was a spike, splurge . sag, swell or sudden urge that screwed up yr appliaince and were prepared to pay for any damages caused? Down our (rural) road a woman down the end has had three auto . washing machines blow up or down because of inadequate voltage on the 240v mains line and been told by the E . S . that she'd better just buy an old agitator? If I log voltage and show that they have failed to maintain it within the regulatory limits, I can get compensation for clients . I do it for a living and will be expecting some of my charges to be refunded for the job I mentioned with 160 incidents, provided I can prove it was a supply side problem not the user . Yeah sure! is the cry of the pessimist who doesn't take up the challenge because he expects to fail . I expect to win every time and don't let failures stop me trying again . You can't win them all, but you'll never win any if you don't try . If I can show them a recording of the sag or surge, or demonstrate that their line is not up to par I am streets ahead already . Then of course, you can get their records as well if you try hard enough . As for your old lady with the WM, they don't normally fail because of low volts and the modern electronic machines are very voltage tolerant so it could be someting else that causes the failures . What did the machine suppliers say for instance? Did they just say "sorry it's dead" or did they take the trouble to look inside and see what failed? Approached properly you might be able to cut a deal for a power conditioner that would help hold up the volts, but old rural lines are notorious for problems . If it is a single line earth return job it could even be her own installation that is at fault . All people see is their problems, my job is to see solutions . Cheers Billy 8-{)	Billy T (70)
357916	2005-05-24 23:51:00	Politeness & good manners plus no evidence of abuse or mishandling get you everywhere. That's so true. But in this case I can't be bothered - main use of the display was just as a clock in the kitchen!	Greg (193)
357917	2005-05-25 00:36:00	THank you Billy T for your considered and informative reply . Yes we do have a Single Wire Earth Return . It was put up in 1949and we have had loads of problems (no pun intended) down the road past where I live . Brownouts . How far the (young) woman down the end went with the manufacturers I don't know, this is all on the bush telegraph . I understood the latest auto . washing machines were less tolerant of voltage variations than the older models . Interesting . That you monitor power supply for a living is encouraging . Didn't realise there was a spin-off industry from Energy Suppliers . Thanks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . m P . S . I am not a pessimist . Happy Happy Joy Joy :D :thumbs:	mark c (247)
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