I was given the run around when my car battery failed and cost me £122 – small print muddle drivers need to look out for

DRIVER Steve Craddock faced every driver’s nightmare when he broke down on the motorway after his car battery failed in March.

But the saga had only just begun as he was then given the runaround on not only replacing the battery, but getting a refund for his faulty one too.

Steve, from Rushden in Northamptonshire, called the AA out, which said his car battery wasn’t holding a charge properly.

However, they said he could take it into Halfords, where he bought it from in June 2020, as it was covered by a five-year warranty.

He went to Halfords in Wellingborough, where a salesperson said he needed to buy a new battery for £122 and then bring his old one in with the original receipt to claim a refund.

But when the 70-year-old brought it in, Halfords ran a test and said although there was clearly an issue with the battery, it wouldn’t be covered by the warranty.

In an email to Steve, it said: “The battery clearly isn’t working the way it should be, but is not covered under manufacturer defects. 

” A car battery can need replacing for many reasons such as under cycling, over cycling, an external drain pulling power form the battery etc.

“Unfortunately, the battery is not at fault and we will not be exchanging under warranty.”

No matter how much Steve pushed back, the retailer refused to take responsibility for the issue, leaving him to foot the bill for his dud battery and the new one.

That’s when Steve turned to The Sun for help.

THE SUN INTERVENES

I was disappointed to find Halfords doubled down on saying it was not responsible for the issue with Steve’s battery when I got in touch.

The retailer insisted its warranty covers defects rather than performance issues “as is standard” for similar insurance products.

But warranties cause no end of issues for unsuspecting shoppers who think they can rely on the insurance products if something goes wrong.

The guarantees sound great on paper, but many are effectively useless as the range of issues they will actually cover is prohibitively small.

Last year, The Sun revealed how retailers Panasonic and Canon wouldn’t honour warranties on electronics bought overseas – something many of its travelling customers may not realise.

However, after I pushed Halfords to explain why Steve was told he could get a refund after being sold a new battery, the company finally agreed to refund the full £122 to cover the cost of Steve’s replacement.

Steve is thrilled to put the palaver behind him, but will be wary of relying on warranties in future.

How can I complain about a firm?

If you’re unhappy with how a firm has treated you or if you’ve complained and not got the outcome you hoped for, you may be able to escalate your case.

If you’re complaining about a retailer, take your complaint to a third party dispute resolution service like Resolver. They can liaise with the company and look for a solution on your behalf.

For financial companies, you can complain to the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) by visiting: financial-ombudsman.org.uk/make-complaint.

The FOS will assess both sides and, if it agrees with your complaint, it will tell the firm how to put it right.