Faulty Batch of VFC Guns in the UK...

[ThatblokewiththeScar.]

I cant go into the in's and out's of this at the moment as I am about to bring legal action against a well known UK Site Operator and his Online Shop.

However what I can do is post this part of an email sent from him last month.

"There seems to be a bad batch of Scars which came in the country and coming from VFC was very surprising as they are a very reliable manufacturer, again we have replaced any faulty guns as we did with you"

I would therefore urge anyone who has purchased or who is about to purchase a VFC Scar-L or infact any VFC gun to check with the retailer before you part with any money or confirm with them that the item was fully tested. I dont have the batch number but the number on the supplied registration card is V011430.

I have had two of them, the first developed several faults on it's Very First Outing and the second one (the replacement) destroyed it's gearbox at the end of it's First Ever Days Play.

I am not going to name the supplyer yet! (it is'nt Zeroone) as I am hopefull that they may see sense and refund me for a gun that only lasted one day!

However I am going to follow this action through to the end as I am feed up with the attitude of some retailers in the UK who have no problem making money from customers but clam up and ignore us when there is a problem.

Regardless of the outcome of this action, once it has been concluded Good! or Bad! I will be setting up an advice database of some form or another that will be available to all and explain and outline the law "IN PLAIN ENGLISH" with regards to the sale of goods act. Especially as it pertains to the online purchases that so many of us use every day.

This will I hope mean that no one else has to threaten a UK Airsoft Retailer with court action just to get a refund on Brand New, Faulty Goods, because believe me it's a pain in the arse.


Phil...

ThatblokewithouttheScar.

[ThePope]

Re: Faulty Batch of VFC Guns in the UK...

Sorry to hear man, gl getting it replaced.

[Nick_]

Re: Faulty Batch of VFC Guns in the UK...

That sucks :|

Give us a clue who the retailer is :p ?

[Taylorb]

Re: Faulty Batch of VFC Guns in the UK...

It's not fair to disclose the retailer until the whole thing is finished. Otherwise they will get a bad name, and if they were to fully refund you in the near future that would be unfair.

I think the best thing to do is hold the name off until this comes to an end then disclose the complete story. That's probably for the best IMHO.

thanks though

[ThatblokewiththeScar.]

Re: Faulty Batch of VFC Guns in the UK...

It's not fair to disclose the retailer until the whole thing is finished.

That is my intention.

At this point the only thing I can do is tell people that according to a UK Retailer a number of VFC guns are slopping around the UK with dodgy innards. And I would feel very bad if somone bought one and had the problems I'm having when it could have been prevented.

2 guns supposedly from different batches both faulty both only used once.


Cheers...

[kakitli]

Re: Faulty Batch of VFC Guns in the UK...

Thanks for letting us know because I'm about to buy one next week!
I think I will wait:p

[ThatblokewiththeScar.]

Re: Faulty Batch of VFC Guns in the UK...

Thanks for letting us know because I'm about to buy one next week!
I think I will wait:p

I hope you do manage to get one because they really are good. Even though the second one only chrono'd at 260fps for the short time it acctually ran it went like a train. The build quality of the rest of it is excelent.

My main concern is not the manufacturer (everyone has a bad day) my problem is with the retailer who seems to think that because I had the gun for just 38 days (and used it once) that they can decide that I have to accept what they say and not what the law says. And I dont see why we should allow anyone regardless of who they are to choose to only abide by the law when it bennefits them.

Rant over for now!

[ThePope]

Re: Faulty Batch of VFC Guns in the UK...

Name and shame if they still haven't sorted it tbh.

[ThatblokewiththeScar.]

Re: Faulty Batch of VFC Guns in the UK...

Well my thinking is this.

I have lost count of the number people I have seen post on forums about a gun they bought that took a major dump. And the next thing they are asking what to do and how to fix it, Airsofters have the same rights as every one else. Just bacause we own guns it does not mean that we cant complain or get value for money.
If you bought a microwave oven and the first time you used it it went wrong you wouldnt try fixing it you take it back.

I used the retailer I did because when I found out who they were and having played at their site I thought excellent I can trust these boys, and in the beginning they were great even delivering the first gun by hand to my door! bloody marvelouse. But after the second gun died on its first day out I completely lost faith in that model and the retailer.

When you purchase anything it has to be Fit For Purpose! a £350 AEG that last's one day is only fit for the Bin!

I dont know about you guy's but If I pay out for a high end bit of kit I dont want it to have to be repaired after one use. And who is to say that the repairer will use the correct high end parts or do the job well enough to solve the problem.

So if they want to drag this through the courts then so be it! I would much rather sort this out between us and I have given them several options. And I havent had an answer back yet, so it looks like it's going through the small claims.

In fact let me ask you what you would do in this situation.

You buy a high end AEG because you are planning to go to a few weekender's and you want a reliable M4 mag using AEG.

The first gun arrives and you use it on your first day off 24 days after delivery. The gun misfeeds, shoots to the left alot, sounds rough, has very poor range, consistently miss-feeds regardless of mag type and chrono's a low of 277fps and a high of 291fps over three shots.

You wait 25 days for a replacement which is a different colour (not a problem) and it is missing it's butt plate and front sight (again not a problem) Because of family and work commitments you dont get a game for 38 days. Then the new gun chrono's at 260fps and after less than 1500 rounds on a 9.6v 1500mAH battery the gearbox let's go in a very permanent way.

Would you ask for your money back?

Let them repair it?

Or take a third gun and hope for the best?

[jagillham]

Re: Faulty Batch of VFC Guns in the UK...

The law is all on your side here, under the sales of goods act goods have to be fit for purpose, and free of minor defects. What's more, the cost of the goods determines just how good they must be. (See case of Rogers v Parish!) A £350 AEG.... is top(ish) end, therefore should be top quality.

It is also worth noting it is the sellers responsibly to correct the problem, they can't fob you off to the manufacturer! Most importantly you are able to request a refund, and there is no set cut off time limit for this. It must be within a "reasonable time", which would ultimately be up to a judge to decide.

Best of luck, I'd personally go for money back and buy from somewhere else if they giving you trouble.

[t0astie]

Re: Faulty Batch of VFC Guns in the UK...

Gutted for you, if this was bought on a credit card, you are fully covered by them for faulty goods, you can inform your card provider and ask them to do a charge back and just give the gun back. They can't stop a chargeback.

If you purchased it with cash, your contract with the retailer actually lasts 6 years (I believe) and the wording is that something expensive you would expect to last the full term of contract, it mentions that maybe a 14 pound kettle isn't going to last!

What I would do personally depends on how nice the gun actually was, and how much you want a SCAR, because I know not many are doing them at the moment. But hey ho, let the retailer repair it with reinforced components? Then you know it's going to last and could possibly get it up to 350fps that way too?

[ThatblokewiththeScar.]

Re: Faulty Batch of VFC Guns in the UK...

The problem seems to be that in the UK most (if not all retailers) only have the most basic knolwedge of retail law. Understandably they are not going to point out to everyone every peice of law that secures the buyers rights. But as it has been mentioned above Any item regardless of value is covered by parts of the retail law for Two years minimum! High end and luxury goods (stuff you would expect to last) are covered upto Six years and cars upto Eight.

I wouldnt expect the guy who sold me the Scar to repair a worn gearbox or replace a tired motor in Two years time any more than I would replace a burnt worktop in a Kitchen I fitted in 2007. But there is still this myth that if you put something in your terms and conditions that says you only refund goods for Thirty days then that somehow change's the law and make's it OK.

By that logic you could also say that anyone buying an AEG from Zeroone must report all faults before a battery is connected! or any defects in paint on your GBB must be reported before you take the pistol out of the box!

The bennefits of running a retail business are many fold, if you do it well you can earn a nice living and maybe one day it turns into Harrods. But the price for this is you must be accountable under UK law for what you sell and how you sell it.

Thankyou for your comments. I still havent heard anything so we will see what happens next week.

[caffin999]

Re: Faulty Batch of VFC Guns in the UK...

yeah so many people dont know their rights under the sale of goods act! i had no idea until i studied law at A level and my teacher mentioned it to the class! was very glad he did

good luck with everything, hope it gets sorted