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smurfchops | 15:51 Sat 29th Jun 2013 | Law
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just bought an expensive leather designer bag in TK Maxx. looking up reviews of it now I am home and have discovered it is made in China, and apparently this bag, when made in China, tends to fall apart after a couple of months. So if the bag starts falling apart what Re my rights as far as length of time I have kept the bag, if it becomes faulty and do all stores have to honour this and give me a refund?
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Everything these days is made in china so it may be of good quality.
If your bag isn't fit for purpose, you can take it back. Your right as a consumer is the same whether you buy in TLMaxx or Harrods.
smurf, make sure you keep the receipt safely
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Is there a limit to the length of time before I take it back though?
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And is there something I quote like Sale of Goods act ? Obviously I hope this doesn't happen as I love the bag!
smurfchops it is like asking how long is a piece of string, if you have bought the bag to use for work everyday and put lots of stuff in it and chuck it on a car seat a few times aday or shove it in a work locker, then it is likely with faire wear and tear it will look like a second hand bag in six months time and no retailer would give you a refund on any fault that suddenly developed at that stage. If however you are only going to use it occasionally and within just a few uses it starts to fall apart you could return it and expect a refund for a faulty item. If the stitching is the problem but after 6 months of continuous use there is no apparent failure of the way it has been stitched then it is unlikely a fault will suddenly show up,
oh and the bag will probably be stitched together in china but the materials and fastenings could be manufactured elsewhere.
I think it depends on what is reasonable...how much you paid...what the implied use is...so you'd expect expensive steel toecapped boots to last longer than 99p flip flops and so on.
>>>Is there a limit to the length of time before I take it back though?

Yes, but it's not specified!

The legislation only gives you the right to receive a full refund if a fault is discovered, and reported to the vendor, within 'a reasonable period'. Most retailers regard that as being around 1 month but only a court could decide what is, or isn't, reasonable. (For example, a woman purchased a car during the winter months and didn't find out until the following summer that the air conditioning didn't work. A court ruled that it was still within a 'reasonable period', as there was no reason for her to test the air conditioning before then).

After the 'reasonable period' you lose your right to a full refund but you retain the right to receive an exchange or repair of a defective item for up to 6 years in most cases as long as the defect was there at the time of purchase. (e.g. poor quality materials were used, or there had been poor workmanship). For the first 6 months of that period there's usually an automatic assumption that the cause of any problem was such an 'inherent fault' but thereafter it's up to the purchaser to prove it (or, at least, to show that an inherent fault was the most likely cause of the problem).

However courts have to exercise common sense when applying the law. I paid 2p for a carrier bag in a charity shop yesterday. I could hardly demand a refund if it tore after several weeks of daily use!

As I've indicated, only courts can make firm rulings on such matters but, as a guide, I'd summarise the foregoing as follows:
If the bag starts to fall apart within a month, you've probably got the right to a full refund.
If problems occur within the following 5 months, you've probably got the right to receive an exchange (since it's unlikely that a repair would be practical). The store could, of course, offer you a partial refund (or a credit note) instead but there would be no obligation upon them to do so (or upon you to accept such an offer).
Beyond 6 months you're on very sticky ground. You might still have the right to an exchange but, if the store decided to fight, proving it could be extremely difficult.

Chris
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The bag was £150 and won't be used on a daily basis,I will look after it lovingly
smurf, go over it with a fine tooth comb, check the stitching and any metal work fastenings and so on. If it is going to fall apart, then the evidence should be there now if you look for it!
Gee, I have never spent £150 on a bag in my life.... but if you aren't going to use it often, I don't know how you 'd calculate reasonable wear and tear. If I paid that much for a bag, I'd want it to last for ever. Are you sure it's leather?
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Yes it's leather, boxy, for that price of course !

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