Hot water tap goes off the boil 

Andrea and Ian Rowland, from Cambridgeshire, paid Wickes to supply and install a fitted kitchen in March 2019. The kitchen included a Protex tap, which provides on-demand boiling water. Sadly, the tap’s boiling unit leaked. Wickes supplied a replacement under warranty, which resolved the issue until 2021 when the replacement unit developed a dangerous fault causing its outlet hose to spray boiling water. Despite requests for assistance, Wickes said it couldn’t help because the Kitchen Workmanship Guarantee had expired. So Andrea and Ian contacted Which?.

The Law

Sections 9, 10 and 11 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 state that goods must be of satisfactory quality, fit for purpose and as described. Under Section 24 of the same Act, a consumer is entitled to reject goods and claim a refund if an attempt to repair a fault fails to resolve all issues. 

Our advice

Although the guarantee period had elapsed, consumers have six years to bring a breach of contract claim against the supplier. We suggested referring Wickes to its obligation to offer a refund as it hadn’t resolved the issues by replacing the unit. Wickes then agreed to provide a full refund of the purchase price. Wickes said: ‘We’re sorry to hear about Mr and Mrs Rowland’s experience with their product and the customer service received whilst trying to resolve the issue; our customer relations team has reviewed the matter to ensure better service for customers moving forward.’