SRB Photographic service and poor attitude to faulty item

[MarkG]

Re: SRB Photographic service and poor attitude to faulty item

So were these expensive branded tubes (kenko for instance) ? Or budget? buy cheap, buy twice?

[timboo]

Re: SRB Photographic service and poor attitude to faulty item

Taken from the 'Sales of Goods Act'..........

Beyond six months, it's up to you to prove that the problem was there when you received the goods even if it has taken until now to come to light.
So, you may need to prove that the fault was not down to ordinary wear and tear or damage you caused, and that the product (or a component) should have lasted longer than it did.

link here .....

http://www.which.co.uk/consumer-rights/regulation/sale-of-goods-act#link-3

Check the original sales receipt for clarification on the 'period of warranty' as not 'all' goods are automatically covered by a 'minimum 12 month period' as many folk often believe they are. Whilst I have great sympathy, one must always check at the time of purchase what the given warranty period is, and ensure that it is either stated on the receipt or on an official warranty card which should be backed up with the sales receipt to validate it. However given the relative low cost of the tubes as already said it would surely have been a better advertisement for their service had they approached the problem with a more sympathetic tone and ear.

Hope it works out for you Alf

Kind regards, Simon

Internet is always good for that like forums i took prints from reviews of the product always helps to prove a common fault.

[alfbranch]

Re: SRB Photographic service and poor attitude to faulty item

So were these expensive branded tubes (kenko for instance) ? Or budget? buy cheap, buy twice?

You tell me.

http://srb-photographic.co.uk/micro-four-thirds-auto-extension-tube-set-8958-p.asp

Edit
Can you please advise which is a set of 3 tubes Auto tubes for m4/3 that are branded that I can trust to work for a decent length of time. Kenko and Olympus do not make m4/3 tubes.

[Wee man]

Re: SRB Photographic service and poor attitude to faulty item

Tube brand is KOOKA which may be Chinese made but then so is my camera!
Would have expected a longer life as they only get a little use and have no moving parts?

[timboo]

Re: SRB Photographic service and poor attitude to faulty item

other issue which is to your advantage is that they dont have any mention of warranty or returns after 30 days. I purchased a photography day a while ago and the dates available were literally twice a yr when advertised as loads available originally then when i read the t&cs they were misleading and didnt formulate a contract of sale with them. Again helped me win.


if u click on their about tab it says the following

SRB Photographic (SRB-Griturn LTD) is an amalgamation of two optical engineering companies that between them have over 60 years of experience in optical engineering.

SRB Film Service of Luton was established in 1967 as precision engineers that made metal components for the optical and photographic industry. They made products ranging from simple filter holders to complex optical housings. One of their main strengths was the ability to produce one off custom built parts to customer requirements quickly and cheaply.

Griturn Engineering Ltd was established in 1977 primarily to support the engineering requirements of Optex Ltd, a company that designed and produced camera lenses, mounts, bracketry, filter systems etc for the television and film industry. Over recent years Griturn looked to diversify its product range, and with the introduction of CNC machinery was able to start manufacturing for the mass produced markets as well as in small batches.

In January 2006 after months of talking the two companies became one, and the combined knowledge and experience from the two companies came together. Now with the push of our online retail store (SRB Photographic) the future is looking very bright for us as a company and for our customers who order a wide range of products from us.


this would suggest they like any company come under sales of goods act uk based 100%

if in doubt ring consumer direct for further advice.

one important thing is get it in writing asap before the 12 months are up send a letter recorded an give em 7-10 days to respond.

Apologies my advice is a little scatty trying to multitask

[alfbranch]

Re: SRB Photographic service and poor attitude to faulty item

The more I have read on this thread the more I am aiming to have my Daughter send them a letter to them as she is the one with a contract with them. I have spoken to her and she has already agreed before I started this thread she would contact them.

[alfbranch]

Re: SRB Photographic service and poor attitude to faulty item

When I contacted them about tubes I was told NO warranty! Only a thirty day return, strange I thought all goods had some form of warranty?

This seems to be there line on this.

[alfbranch]

Re: SRB Photographic service and poor attitude to faulty item

Tube brand is KOOKA which may be Chinese made but then so is my camera!
Would have expected a longer life as they only get a little use and have no moving parts?

I have used these tubes a lot with various lenses especially my sigma 105

I am thinking of getting two olympus Ex25 tubes now

Macro-rig by Alf Branch, on Flickr

[PeterBirder]

Re: SRB Photographic service and poor attitude to faulty item

You tell me.
http://srb-photographic.co.uk/micro-...set-8958-p.asp

Unfortunately I'd say they are in the budget category. Plastic construction, made by "Kooka"? and a three tube set is half the price of a Kenko two tube set.

The SRB website displays their Ts&Cs and says,

" Before placing an order, you are asked to read the terms and conditions and by placing an order you show
you understand and agree with the set terms and conditions."

"Order Cancelations and Returns
We operate a 30 day returns, cancelations and exchange policy. If you wish to return an item for full refund this
must be requested within 7 days of receipt of the goods."

"Faulty Goods
Items deemed to be faulty will be replaced if reported and returned within the 30-day period."

They make no mention of offering a "Warranty". We all tend to think of warranties/guarantees in terms of "if it goes wrong they'll fix it" but in fact they only cover faulty design/manufacture which as Simon points out you would have to prove.

All that said they do seem to have a pretty awful approach to customer service but I don't think there is much you can do about that other than to write to them pointing out the error of their ways.

Regards.

[timboo]

Re: SRB Photographic service and poor attitude to faulty item

The date you made the purchase decides which legislation applies.
If you purchased the goods from 1 October 2015 then the Consumer Rights Act applies.
If you purchased the goods on or before 30 September 2015 then the Sale of Goods Act will apply.

[timboo]

Re: SRB Photographic service and poor attitude to faulty item

Sale of Goods Act 1979 goods must be as described, of satisfactory quality and fit for purpose.
Fit for purpose means both their everyday purpose, and also any specific purpose that you agreed with the seller (for example, if you specifically asked for a printer that would be compatible with your computer)

Goods sold must also match any sample you were shown in-store, or any description in a brochure.


who is responsible

your goods fail to meet any of the above criteria then you could have a claim under the Sale of Goods Act.
If you want to make a claim under the Sale of Goods Act you have several possible ways of resolving your issue, depending on the circumstances and on what you want done.

are against the retailer – the company that sold you the product – not the manufacturer, and so you must make any claim


However, the Sale of Goods Act doesn’t apply to goods you've bought on hire purchase (HP).
However, even with major purchases or complex items, it’s safest to work on the basis you usually have no more than three to four weeks from when you receive it to reject it.


returning faulty goods

If you buy a product that turns out to be faulty, you can choose to reject it which means you can give it back and get a refund.
But, the law only gives you a reasonable time to do this – what's reasonable depends on the product and how obvious the fault is.
However, even with major purchases or complex items, it’s safest to work on the basis you usually have no more than three to four weeks from when you receive it to reject it.

faulty goods replaced or repaired

You have the right to get faulty goods replaced or repaired if it's too late to reject them. You can ask the retailer to do either, but they can normally choose to do whatever would be cheapest.
Under the Sale of Goods Act, the retailer must either repair or replace faulty goods 'within a reasonable time but without causing significant inconvenience'.
If the seller doesn't do this, you're entitled to claim either:
• a reduction on the purchase price, or
• your money back, minus an amount for the usage you've had of the goods (called recision)
If the retailer refuses to repair the goods, and they won't replace them either, you may have the right to arrange for someone else to repair your item, and then claim compensation from the retailer for the cost of doing this.
You have six years to take a claim to court for faulty goods in England, Wales and Northern Ireland; in Scotland you have five years.

Proving your claim for faulty goods

If your claim under the Sale of Goods Act ends up in court, you may have to prove that the fault was present when you bought the item and not, for example, something which was the result of normal wear and tear.
If your claim is about a problem that arises within six months of buying the product, it's up to the retailer to prove that the goods were of satisfactory quality, fit for purpose, or as described when it sold them.
For example, by showing that the problem was caused by an external factor such as accidental damage.
To get a faulty good repaired or replaced, follow our step-by-step guide.

link for further

http://www.which.co.uk/consumer-rights/regulation/sale-of-goods-act

quoted from which

[Zuiko]

Re: SRB Photographic service and poor attitude to faulty item

Unfortunately I'd say they are in the budget category. Plastic construction, made by "Kooka"? and a three tube set is half the price of a Kenko two tube set.

The SRB website displays their Ts&Cs and says,

" Before placing an order, you are asked to read the terms and conditions and by placing an order you show
you understand and agree with the set terms and conditions."

"Order Cancelations and Returns
We operate a 30 day returns, cancelations and exchange policy. If you wish to return an item for full refund this
must be requested within 7 days of receipt of the goods."

"Faulty Goods
Items deemed to be faulty will be replaced if reported and returned within the 30-day period."

They make no mention of offering a "Warranty". We all tend to think of warranties/guarantees in terms of "if it goes wrong they'll fix it" but in fact they only cover faulty design/manufacture which as Simon points out you would have to prove.

All that said they do seem to have a pretty awful approach to customer service but I don't think there is much you can do about that other than to write to them pointing out the error of their ways.

Regards.

All very true, Peter, but they also include this sentence in the listing of this item, "This is a Kooka brand product that has been quality tested and approved by SRB Photographic." This seems to imply some sort of endorsement by SRB. I suspect you are correct about not being able to do much (short of expensive legal action) if they won't play ball, but this is a well-known company that I have dealt with in the past (admittedly not very often) and I am surprised that they don't place a greater value on their reputation. If I was a retailer I would want to know if my customers were experiencing problems with an item I supplied and would appreciate the opportunity to put things right. If a particular item was prone to a significant number of returns or complaints I would stop supplying it in order to protect my reputation.

[timboo]

Re: SRB Photographic service and poor attitude to faulty item

If a particular item was prone to a significant number of returns or complaints I would stop supplying it in order to protect my reputation.

Ideally would stock an equivalent product that doesnt break and exchange it, on the flip side they may not be aware of a common fault but this doesnt excuse their current approach, online sales are very competitive and its very easy to go bump from negative publicity.

[Ross the fiddler]

Re: SRB Photographic service and poor attitude to faulty item

As disappointing as the quality of the tubes are (or turned out to be) & the less pleasing response of the seller I would consider these as reasonably cheap tubes that would normally be less than half the price if bought from China, although most sets are normally only two tubes. However, a similar 3 tube set can be bought from the USA for US$49.95 (plus the normally expensive postage) as seen here. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Movo-AF-Macr...AAAOxy4fVTAYVI & here http://www.ebay.com/itm/Movo-AF-Macr...EAAOSw~bFWL-iU

My feeling is, all these 'cheap' tubes do have some issues with connections over time & if you're serious about using them then Kenko apparently make them (two tubes) with much better quality with the expected higher price ( http://www.ebay.com/itm/Genuine-Kenk...PR3WgQsbPYAX5g ) or else the Olympus 4/3's EX25 which is much more expensive new.

Basically, what I'm saying is, "You get what you pay for".

[Ralph Harwood]

Re: SRB Photographic service and poor attitude to faulty item

Having just looked on their website, and having read this on the listing for the extension rings,

This is a Kooka brand product that has been quality tested and approved by SRB Photographic.

I am incredibly surprised that they haven't asked for the rings to be returned for inspection. They have effectively put their reputation on the line for these rings, and they don't even want to know what has gone wrong?

I would have thought that the first thing they would do was ask for them back to check for any accidental damage - and also to test to see if the issues Alf was suffering were actually caused by the rings at all.

Having seen the successful shots Alf was getting with these rings I had contemplated getting some myself - however I certainly won't be looking at them if they only have a life expectancy of a year. To my mind a one year life expectancy certainly isn't "fit for purpose" as all my other camera gear has lasted far far longer and shows no signs of failing.

Cheers,

Ralph.