RMA and retailer return policy predicament

[Cakefish]

So I recently bought the AOC AG271QG and unfortunately it has a bright pixel along with a load of visible backlight bleed (even on low brightness settings). 

 

I've initiated the RMA procedure with the retailer (Scan) but I will have to bear the full cost of sending the item back to the retailer because technically one bright pixel and backlight bleed is not covered under manufacturer warranty so the item is not technically 'defective'. It is therefore classed as an unwanted product (here in UK we can return products for any reason within 14 days if bought online).

 

I've checked Amazon and they have a very similar returns policy whereby they will not pay for the cost of returning an item unless it is a result of an Amazon error or deemed faulty under manufacturer's warranty.

 

The issue I have now is that I've checked how much it's going to cost me to send such a high value, heavy, bulky item back to the retailer by courier - I'm looking at between £30-50 for such a service.

 

Now obviously, I can't pay that amount for every single RMA I do as there's a high chance the second one I buy is going to have similar QC issues.

 

So my question for you guys is whether any online UK retailer that sells this monitor bears the expense of unwanted product returns? I see that for some people 5+ (even occasionally double digit number) of RMA's are required to get an acceptable monitor.

 

I feel as though I am willing to give this monitor one or two more shots but I am unwilling to pay the cost to return the item back to the retailer every time I need to do so.

 

Thanks in advance.

[Armakar]

You can probably get Scan to return the item if you use the law. EU laws and regulations are ridiculous. I made scan return 4 GPUs for coil whine, one of which was 3 months after purchase date. I made amazon return my one year old Laptop because HP refused to fix it.

With that said though, I really don't think it would be worth it. Almost every monitor you get will have a deal pixel or two. Not only will it cost you money (because you don't seem to know the law too well) but it's kind of unethical returning monitor after monitor for an issue you KNOW your going to have. Actually, legally speaking, if you know your going to have a dead pixel, they don't have any reason to return or refund the item (consumer rights act 2015 states if the customer knows an issue will be present at purchase, the returns law is void)

I wouldn't bother. It's one or two dead pixels and you won't notice them after a while. Most of these screens have them and especially higher res and higher refresh rate panels will have them a lot.

[Cakefish]

4 hours ago, Armakar said:

You can probably get Scan to return the item if you use the law. EU laws and regulations are ridiculous. I made scan return 4 GPUs for coil whine, one of which was 3 months after purchase date. I made amazon return my one year old Laptop because HP refused to fix it.

With that said though, I really don't think it would be worth it. Almost every monitor you get will have a deal pixel or two. Not only will it cost you money (because you don't seem to know the law too well) but it's kind of unethical returning monitor after monitor for an issue you KNOW your going to have. Actually, legally speaking, if you know your going to have a dead pixel, they don't have any reason to return or refund the item (consumer rights act 2015 states if the customer knows an issue will be present at purchase, the returns law is void)

I wouldn't bother. It's one or two dead pixels and you won't notice them after a while. Most of these screens have them and especially higher res and higher refresh rate panels will have them a lot.

Thanks for the reply!

 

I did notify them of the defects in my email. Under Consumer Rights Act they actually do have to accept return for any reason (technically I don’t have to give any reason) within 14 days of date of the delivery if it is an online purchase (and therefore protected under distance selling), but are not liable to pay the cost of courier to return the item (unless the item is defective).

 

I don’t have any appetite to fight a battle with Scan customer services on this one. I will just pay for return myself this time and learn from the experience. I guess I’ll try my luck with Amazon and see if the return process is any easier there. If I get a dud monitor the second go around I will a) cry and b) buy a Dell S2417DG TN panel from the local computer store so at least I won’t be bothered by backlight bleed.

 

i can’t accept a single dead or bright pixel for a brand new monitor that costs £624. That’s unacceptable when much cheaper monitors can often be pixel perfect. Also the backlight bleed was very noticeable for such an expensive monitor. Again, I just can’t justify spending that sort of money on a product with that bad QC. AOC gets one more chance because I ideally would prefer IPS over TN if the QC is good enough.

 

Thanks again for the information and your opinion!