I would think you have a good case for a full refund under the Sale of Goods Act. See

http://www.adviceguide.org.uk/england/consumer_e/consumer_common_problems_with_products_e/consumer_what_you_can_do_about_faulty_goods_e/faulty_goods_-_if_you_want_your_money_back.htm

of satisfactory quality

fit for purpose

match any description given.

If they aren’t, you normally have the right to return the goods and get all your money back. This is called a full refund. A full refund includes the cost of all postage and packing.

This right only lasts for a very short time after you buy the goods. You’re allowed a short time to examine them and try them out, but you must tell the trader about the problem as soon as you find out about it.

A box that’s delivered on Wednesday and fails on the following Sunday is obviously not of satisfactory quality, and the fact that it’s the second faulty box just makes your case more solid. I’d suggest you contact Humax tomorrow and explain what happened and tell them that you are requesting a refund under the Sale of Goods Act.

pansy – 3 minutes ago  » 

Thanks for quick replies. It’s what Humax Direct call a Grade A with 12 month warranty. I suppose that means refurb. Does that make a difference?

I wouldn’t think so. A box shouldn’t fail so quickly, whether new or refurbished. Your rights under the Sale of Goods Act are quite separate from your warranty.

The DTR-T1000 is well known for getting stuck in nearly ready. If there are any problems with disk communication it won’t boot fully. Because of this, several different faults can cause the same symptoms. You might get it working with a maintenance mode factory reset (keep recordings). I have observed a fault whereby the main board does not regulate the power supply to the disk correctly, occasionally cutting power at the wrong time. This causes the symptoms described and makes the box unreliable. If this is the issue the box will need replacing.

Humax Direct are undergoing a revamp and are currently not taking orders. Because of this I think they are more likely to refund rather than replace.

Pansy – on that consumer advice website, there’s an example of the kind of letter you could send to HumaxDirect to complain about faulty goods.

http://www.adviceguide.org.uk/england/consumer_e/consumer_common_problems_with_products_e/consumer_what_you_can_do_about_faulty_goods_e/complaint_about_faulty_goods.htm

As it says on the website, that’s just an example. It would need to be modified to fit your specific circumstances, such as the fact that it was the second faulty unit they had sent you.

The Citizens Advice Bureau, who run the website, can help you with the wording of a letter, if you decide to go for a refund. The number is 03454 04006. Mon – Fri 9 to 5.

See http://www.adviceguide.org.uk/england/consumer_e/consumer_protection_for_the_consumer_e/consumer_citizens_advice_consumer_service_e/if_you_need_more_help.htm

pansy – 4 hours ago  » 

I’ve decided to pack it away in it’s little bed and am working on an email requesting a full refund. Unless they are prepared to swap for a better model of course.

You need to make it clear in your email whether you’re seeking redress from Humax-the-manufacturer, under the warranty, or from Humax-the-retailer, under the Sale of Goods Act.

If you want to claim under the warranty, Humax-the-manufacturer will decide what to offer, and it’s up to you to try to persuade them to offer something better. My guess is that they’ll offer another T1000 refurb, as that’s the usual response. They seem to have an endless supply of these, perhaps due to the many, many exchanges they’ve had to deal with.

If you decide to claim under the SOGA, on the grounds that you’ve been sent faulty goods, the onus is on Humax-the-retailer to disprove your claim. As you seem to have an open-and-shut case, if I were in your shoes I’d go the SOGA route. But Citizens Advice might advise differently.