The Crusader: All bright now for solar light customer | The Crusader | Finance
It’s solar so good again for a customer who struggled in the dark for weeks after returning a faulty garden lamp.
Tom Lafferty had made the £24.99 Panta Trio purchase in a call to retail supplier Brand Creations Group last November.
“I saw the light advertised on TV and it seemed just perfect, helping me see at night. There’s lots of foxes and badgers coming in from waste land beside my garden and I’ve been putting out food to give them a helping hand, but not so much that they become reliant,” he explained.
“I chose the light because it is movement sensitive, I can have it for safety but not so bright it scares my visitors.”
But the lamp Tom first received kept flickering so he sent it back in good time and kept a postage receipt.
“I didn’t hear any more after that,” he added. “I wrote three letters and called, but no luck.”
++ If you’ve been affected by this issue or feel you’ve been a victim of injustice, please contact consumer champion Maisha Frost on maisha.frost@express.co.uk
After a couple of attempts, Crusader did get through to Brand Creations and it responded very fairly both refunding Tom and sending him a new lamp that is in perfect working order.
It said: “He is very happy with how this has been handled now he’s in touch with the right people. We haven’t received any letters or phone calls, but glad that we have now been able to resolve.”
And Tom’s beaming again now his wildlife café is back in action. “Sometimes after laying out food I’m on my sofa watching TV and through the patio door I can see they have stayed and are just staring at me and the screen,” he says. “With company like this I never feel lonely.” [Name has been changed]
Crusader – curb impulse buying and know your basic rights
Knowing the basic safeguards and your rights can make a big difference when buying either online or with a call. Solicitor Joanne Lezemore of expert advice site www.consumer-genie.co.uk
She recommends that for “goods over £100 try to pay by credit card. If then there is an issue, you can claim a refund from the credit card company under Section 74 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974.
“If use a debit card even if the goods are less than £100 you may be able to claim a refund from the card supplier under a chargeback scheme. However time is limited – usually 120 days.
“When you buy goods not at a seller’s premises by phone and online, the supplier is legally obliged to inform you of your legal rights to cancel – for most goods that’s 14 days, starting the day after you received them.
“The seller then has 14 days to refund the cost plus any postage paid. However, you cannot claim the cost of return postage if the retailer told you that it will not pay for this when you made the order. Always check first.”
