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consumer rights? and gripes

2122 Views 16 Replies 5 Participants Last post by  Foradarede
hi all apologies first for not being active on here for a while,but we have been extremely busy with workloads.
having been in portugal now in our new home for approx 8weeks i first would like to say how truly wonderful the people are and we really adore the area we have chosen.
but i do have a gripe which is a major to me but may seem trivial to the rest of you so here goes.
i purchased a 25metre extension cable reel and after 4weeks it packed up no power running through it, so i duly returned it to store with reciept. the manager of the store which is a very large well known company here then proceeded to check the reel out with a meter tester he could see there was no power, and then began undoing every nook and possible cranny to search further.when it was fully stripped down he accused me of breaking it,and said he would have to send it away for repair.
i politely asked if i could have another identical one or perhaps a refund, as repair could take upto 2weeks and i cannot carry works out on my house without one,or even if they could lend me one.
is that unreasonable and too much too ask?
the answer was a rude resounding no!!!!.
having spent hundreds of pounds in store last few weeks and quite feesably ready to spend another few thousand in there i said if that was the best they could offer me i would take my future business elsewhere,which was recieved with a shrug and a couldnt care less attitude,which now results in them losing all my trade.
seems strange to me in present economic climate that they are not interested.
sorry all for the rant but its now holding works up and is frustrating as i now have to go purchase another one and it feels like money down the drain.
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Canoeman is correct, I bought an expensive headset from one of Portugal's largest electronics stores and when I got it home it did not work. I returned it on the day of purchase and received a similar response to the one you received - "You must have broken it", they said they would have to send it away to the manufacturer, I said I did not accept this solution having only purchased it that morning and done nothing more than plug it in. Like you, I had recently purchased several items of equipment, including an expensive laptop but this and the prospect of them losing my future custom did not seem to bother them, so, I asked for the Livro de Reclamações Complaints Book. Two minutes later, I walked out of the store with a new headset. As you say, it is amazing that in a time of recession, this negative and aggressive attitude to customers still prevails, perhaps the Portugese are afraid to make an official complaint and that is why retailers try it on:confused2:
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