Sofas Don't Get Done Get Dom

My name's Dominic Littlewood and I'm passionate

about taking on your consumer battles.

In fact, taking companies to task has become my goal in life.

I'm going to go in with a phone call now and ask them for more.

Big or small, no company is excused from my quest to ensure

that you get what you're entitled to.

I'm getting the impression you don't want to answer any questions now.

-Whether it's getting your money back...

-I'm getting really furious with the company.

..or cutting through the red tape...

There is no communication. You're just left,

you know, dangling.

..I'm on the case.

On today's programme - sofas.

Everyone's den of relaxation and comfort, right?

Well, not for these three people

who've all been left standing when their brand-new loungers aren't up to scratch.

They just don't seem to want to refund.

They just want to keep repairing, repairing, repairing.

How our homes are at risk from mother nature...

In extreme cases, subsidence can cause immense damage to the property.

You can even have to have your property demolished and rebuilt.

And do you really know what problems your computer warranty covers?

I asked the young lady what actually happened to this

and she said she hit it with a hammer.

I'm taking on your consumer problems to make sure you don't get done.

Ah!

Isn't it lovely, crashing out on a sofa after a hard day at work?

And considering it's the most comfortable seat in the house,

it would make sense to splash out on a nice one.

But what do you do

if your three-piece suite leaves you sitting less than comfortable?

Like house-proud Anisha Mohinudeen from Leicester.

She had the stuffing knocked right out of her

when her brand-new sofa was delivered.

I could see that there were a few smudges and scuffs

and there was a cut in them as well.

Her brand-spanking-new leather sofa had marks and imperfections

dotted all over it.

Anisha had forked out nearly £3,000 for this

and didn't expect it to arrive in any other condition

than perfect.

It was then that her battle with the retailer began.

My heart was set on these sofas as soon as I'd seen them

and I was thinking, "What do I do?

"Do I order more sofas or do I have the money back?"

A question Anisha never imagined she would have to ask,

especially after spending weeks searching for the right

type of sofa for her and her family.

I'm particular in my sofas.

I like to have them a certain way.

-We found the ones that we wanted - or should I say

-I

-wanted -

in Harveys,

and they were comfortable, they looked lush.

It was the Modena range. It's leather,

and they had recliners and were exactly what we wanted.

The sofas were set to be the finishing touch

for her newly decorated lounge.

It's important to have a comfortable home

because we spend a lot of time at home with the extended family,

watching television. We were excited to have the sofas in

because that was going to make a big part of the decor.

Anisha spotted the damage as soon as the sofa was placed in her home.

I wasn't happy at all.

I was really disappointed. I felt let down,

because we'd waited 12 to 16 weeks for them to be delivered.

And they weren't cheap.

So I was really disappointed.

And she got straight on the blower to Harveys.

They apologised and they said they'd have to order more sofas.

Unfortunately, though, I'd have to wait the 12 to 16 weeks again.

I wasn't happy at all.

But when the new sofas arrived, it was a case of deja vu.

I noticed, after checking them over,

that there was another cut in them.

As well, there were a lot of scuffs on the sofa.

The cut was around 1cm, 1.5cm,

it wasn't big, but it was noticeable,

and the smudges and the scuffs on them were in three separate places.

I wasn't happy. I was really disappointed. At this stage,

I was thinking,

"Have I done the right thing by purchasing the sofas from Harveys?"

It's now nearly a year since she ordered her sofa

with a 12-month warranty,

but Anisha is still not happy

and she's awaiting another replacement section of the sofa.

This will be the fifth delivery.

There is a lot of loose leather.

I find that it seems to be getting looser as the days are going on.

I also find that there's a massive, huge gap between each section,

and there is an alignment problem that's so noticeable

as soon as you walk into the room,

that a lot of people have commented on it,

to say, "Are they supposed to be together?"

I also find that when you sit on this sofa,

and you extend it, it latches on to a hook and it makes a noise.

I'm concerned it's going to damage something inside, in the sofa.

It's been a whole year revolving around Harveys

and we just want to live a happy life, as a family,

and get resolvement, hopefully, through Dom.

Colin Whyman has also written to me.

His experience has been so bad

that he's been left

with a huge empty space in his living room where his dream sofa should be.

They came and took the sofa away,

left me with no armchair or nothing.

I then had to go and purchase myself another chair

just to sit on.

Colin bought his three-seater sofa for £910 from DFS,

one of the largest sofa retailers in the UK.

However, it is no longer available,

yet the style is almost exactly the same as this one here.

The reason I went to DFS was the power of advertising on the TV.

I went and had a look at the store

and what was on offer, thought I'd bought myself a good deal.

When the sofa was delivered,

Colin was happy.

Put it in the place

and thought I'd made the right choice.

Till the following morning.

I'd used it at night and reclined it

and when I put the recliner away,

the foam in the recliner just rolled up on itself,

so you were just sitting on lumps.

Colin called DFS to complain,

and they sent an engineer out.

I was expecting them to come in and replace it.

I nearly had an heart attack when I saw him

undoing the material at the back.

I asked him, "What are you doing?"

He said, "We have to undo the material and repair it."

But the next day, the sofa broke again.

DFS fixed it but it broke YET AGAIN.

Colin had had enough.

When I rang them, I said I wanted my money back.

I wrote to them and asked for my money back.

They pleaded with me to give them one more try to repair it

and I allowed them to repair it once more.

They guaranteed they'd replace my money if it wasn't right this time.

Whilst Colin's sofa was taken away to be fixed,

they did give him a replacement.

They just left a two-seater leather sofa,

which was about as uncomfortable as I don't know what,

and they laughed as they took it off the lorry

and said, "We've got to leave you this, I'm afraid."

But it was no laughing matter for Colin,

who had to use this replacement sofa for the next ten weeks

until his one was repaired.

On the third time the sofa came back,

they brought it in, fixed it up and they were gone like a shot.

Then when I examined it properly,

they hadn't touched the left-hand side where it had gone

and I contacted them straightaway

and said, "You haven't even repaired the left-hand side."

Colin decided he now wanted the sofa to be taken away

and his £910 refunded,

as Colin said DFS had promised him.

I phoned them and asked them...

that the sofa had broken again

and I required my money back,

which they said they didn't do.

I'd have to come and choose something different. I felt gutted.

Colin believed that DFS had gone back on their word

with the refund, but he desperately needed a sofa

so agreed to choose an alternative one.

I had to go to the Cambridge store to choose another sofa.

There wasn't a great deal in there that took my interest.

I did find one, and picked that.

However, this sofa was £163 more expensive

than his last, and Colin had to pay the difference.

And then, as soon as he had put in the order,

they took his old sofa away.

They left me with nothing...and no replacement.

I said, "Do I get anything else to sit on?" They said, "No,

"because you're now treated as a new customer."

Colin has complained to DFS about his treatment

but feels it's fallen on deaf ears.

Nicola from Loughborough is also having a tough time.

She bought a corner sofa from ScS in January 2012,

and from the beginning, it wasn't a great experience.

It took double the amount of time to arrive than she was quoted,

and three months after it did finally arrive,

she started noticing problems. The seats were sinking in the sides

and the chair was squeaky.

Various engineers have been out -

in total eight times - to try and fix the problems.

Two years on, her sofa still squeaks

and the cushions are still sinking.

ScS has given Nicola £100 compensation

for the late delivery,

however, they are not taking any further action.

It's now time for me to step in and try and help these families

take a more comfortable seat on their settees.

First things first - I turn to the internet to do some research

on these three companies because, believe me,

they play a significant part in this £9.5 billion industry.

Pff! I wish I had £9.5 billion.

DFS, or Direct Furnishing Supplies,

has been designing and manufacturing sofas for over 40 years.

ScS, or Sofas and Carpets Specialists,

has been around for over 100 years

and, as you may have guessed, not only specialise in sofas

but carpets as well.

And then there's the UK's largest furniture specialist -

Harveys, a British company founded just 48 years ago,

and now has over 150 stores throughout the country.

They may be big, but that doesn't put me or my team off.

We have sent all three companies an e-mail

outlining the relevant cases

and to let them know I'm on the case.

As my investigation digs deeper,

it throws up some rather interesting revelations.

He said, "You do realise you're not supposed to sit on it every day?"

I thought then, "What have I bought?

"How can you not sit on a sofa every day?"

Sometimes, products we buy, they go wrong.

That's just a way of life.

Now, it's one thing when it's something small and replaceable,

like a mobile phone. Different kettle of fish, though,

when it's something like your house.

They're the problems dealt with on a daily basis

by the UK Environmental Law Association,

or UKELA for short.

If you are suddenly hit by a raft of unexpected issues in your home,

these are the guys you want on your side.

Environmental risk is really

something that is going to hit you unexpectedly.

These are risks which are often hidden from sight.

They come up and cause problems in terms of cost for you, unexpectedly,

or inconvenience, unexpectedly.

So it's something that you just don't know about.

So, what are we talking?

A little bit of damp? A few cracks here and there?

Contaminated land and flooding and subsidence are all big issues.

Contaminated land can be very expensive to put right.

Sometimes, it can involve demolishing buildings.

Flooding can be extremely serious to deal with,

and it can have a devastating effect on your house as well,

as can subsidence and heave problems from mining,

and problems like that.

Yikes! That's a nasty old list.

But let's look at the problems one by one.

I bet a lot of people quite like the idea of having a small river

flowing through the back of their garden.

But as we're all aware, living near water can cause problems.

Now, I've had an e-mail from a guy here

who's found himself having to shell out a fortune

when a river bank collapsed, water backed up

and flooded his neighbours' gardens,

and he had to pay for the repair.

Unfortunately, it seems that is the law,

the nattily named riparian water rights nonetheless.

Riparian rights refer to natural water courses,

rivers and streams,

and they mean that the owners of land on either side of the river or stream

are responsible for maintaining the bank

and the integrity of the river and stream.

OK. What about when the water source is not on your property

but running close by?

A lot of housing in the UK was built on flood plains,

and it's only now that we're realising that this was

actually a very bad idea.

Extremely bad damage can be caused by flooding.

It really is a very unpleasant thing for you to have happen to you.

Floodwaters pick up discharge from drains and sewers,

muck off the roads, everything,

and they transport it into your house,

so it really is extremely unpleasant to have to deal with it.

But there are checks you can do.

You can actually do a search of the Environment Agency

flood risk database

to identify whether your house is in a flood-prone area.

That'll give you some indication.

When we buy, say, some furniture or a television,

we're protected by some consumer laws,

but with houses, things are a little different.

UK law doesn't protect you as a home-buyer.

There's a basic principle of UK law, which is the buyer beware,

so basically, you have to find out all that you can about your house

before you buy it, and once you've bought it,

any problems that arise are generally down to you.

But the principle is, basically,

try to avoid those problems coming up in the first place.

Right, so, try and avoid unexpected problems

coming up in the first place.

The clue is in the word "unexpected", though, isn't it?

How can we predict them?

When you're buying a property, your solicitor should ask questions

of the seller and he should include questions about environmental risk.

Questions around contamination, flooding issues, subsidence

and heave, around Japanese knotweed.

Japanese knotweed, trust me, it's nasty.

Japanese knotweed causes really serious structural damage to

properties with the roots going through floor slabs and walls.

It's a very innocuous-looking plant. Only an expert can really spot it.

You have to remove every single piece of Japanese knotweed

because it grows from even the tiniest bit left in the ground.

So, that's very important,

and having removed every single piece of it, you spray the affected area

with weedkiller over several seasons and that will usually eradicate it.

But there is a more hidden danger beneath our homes.

I get a lot of you e-mailing about problems with subsidence.

Subsidenced properties is common in certain areas of the country,

typically those where there's been a lot of mining activity in the past.

Subsidence is typically identified by cracking in walls,

poorly fitting doors and windows.

In extreme cases, subsidence can cause immense damage to the property.

You can even have to have your property demolished and rebuilt.

I have had an e-mail from a lady called Edna about her problem

with subsidence.

Edna got in touch with me

because she was worried about the cracks appearing in her house.

Understandably, she thought it was subsidence

but her insurance company said it wasn't.

They said it was down to the expansion of the materials

her house was built on.

Unbeknown to Edna, her house was built on a former salt

mine which meant she wasn't covered by her insurance.

Ouch!

Salt mine stabilisation is a really significant

issue in the Cheshire area and this is a typical one.

There is help available for people like Edna.

The first thing I would say is that it's important to tackle

the insurers on this.

The Coal Authority, there's also the Cheshire Brine Compensation Board,

both of whom have compensation schemes for people affected by subsidence.

Hm, sounds like there's a lot of hidden issues out there.

Environmental issues are in the media constantly yet consumer

knowledge is still very limited and you can be exposed to risk

if you don't deal with the issues that arise.

So, you really need to improve your knowledge

so you can protect yourself adequately.

Right, do your research

and make sure you ask the right questions when you buy your house.

So, is that the problem sorted?

The seller will only answer those to the extent

they actually have knowledge, so if they don't know about a risk,

you won't know about it either through that route.

Right, back to square one. What else can you do?

You can commission a report to identify typical environmental

risks you will face as a home-buyer.

There are a number of commercial reports available on the market

and the cost is modest, typically under £200.

They are well worth doing.

OK, there you have it - ask questions, do your research

and get a report and hopefully you won't be hit by any house horrors.

I've had three people get in touch with me

who have all had the same complaint.

They've ordered their dream sofas only for them to arrive

and they are faulty.

It's been like getting blood out of a stone getting the companies

to put it right once and for all.

If you've got a suite that falls apart, you don't

have to wait a fortnight for someone to repair it. It was a day old.

After contacting all three companies, DFS, Harveys

and ScS, I've had an e-mail back from DFS asking me

to give the press office a call about Colin's case.

We've sent some paperwork over to DFS

and their PR company want to speak to me.

I'm hoping to talk to Liam Bell,

the associate director of their PR company.

Hi, is Liam Bell there, please?

The receptionist says she will put me through.

Liam answers but he doesn't want us to broadcast his voice.

Fair enough, Liam. Liam, it's Dom at the BBC.

He goes on to explain to me

that after reading all of the documentation we've sent him

regarding Colin's sofa, the best way to resolve this issue is

to deal directly with the customer service manager at DFS.

Liam, I don't mind who I speak to, I just want to resolve it

whether that's you or customer service, I don't know.

Give us his number and I will give him a try in case he's still there.

Thanks, Liam. Bye. Fantastic! We've got the ball rolling for Colin.

And it appears we are on a roll as I received an e-mail from ScS.

But I can't get too excited as they are just arranging another

appointment for another engineer to take a look at Nicola's

squeaky sofa.

My team quickly respond to ScS to remind them

that two of the engineers who went out to Nicola were from FIRA,

the Furniture Industry Research Association who,

in their report, state a manufacturing issue with her sofa.

Nicola sent a copy of the report to The Furniture Ombudsman who

has also said the sofa has a manufacturing fault and we would

question the amount of callouts ScS think is acceptable to fix her sofa.

OK, let's put this into perspective and look at all three cases

and count up exactly how many visits

and revisits each of them had from their respective retailers.

Right, let's start with Nicola.

So far, she's had eight visits from ScS

and she is about to have a ninth.

Anisha hasn't had one, not two, not three, not four...

I sound like a market trader, but she's had five visits from Harveys.

And finally, Colin.

So far, he's had two visits, one to pick it up and redeliver it,

the second to pick it up yet again.

It's enough to knock the stuffing out of anyone.

So how many visits or attempts to repair the item is

seen as reasonable before you can start

knocking at the retailer's door asking for an alternative solution?

I'm off to find out from The Furniture Ombudsman.

John, here's your chance to put The Furniture Ombudsman on the map. Who are you and what do you do?

The Furniture Ombudsman are concerned with raising industry standards,

inspiring consumer confidence, and most importantly the role of

any ombudsman is to resolve disputes between consumers and retailers.

How many times is a manufacturer going to be able to come out

and try and repair a sofa that is considered reasonable?

The obligation would sit with the retailer

and the law would say a reasonable number of times without specifying.

But isn't the law about to change?

Soon they will have a limited amount of opportunities,

potentially only one opportunity, to repair before they have to

look at other offers to the consumer.

I think it's quite fair, ideally it should be right

when you get it, if it's not, one chance, you miss your chance,

your problem, give me the money back or another one.

And what the law is going to do is set a baseline

so if that's not suitable for the consumer,

repair or replacement, the law will allow for the negotiation,

set a baseline by which the consumer can ask for their money back

after one attempt.

I'm trying to help a lady who's got a settee corner unit.

She has had various bits changed five times now.

What she's got initially looks OK

but when you start looking close, you find the seams don't line up,

some have more infill than others and they look puffy.

It doesn't look like a sofa that's been ordered

and delivered at the same time.

Where does she stand?

Well, the law says that any repairs should be fit and lasting

and if there's issues with the repairs, then potentially,

she's entitled to an alternative remedy.

The law would also say that

where the goods are of a satisfactory quality, appearance comes under that,

so it should look as you would expect it to look.

If there's been attempts to repair and those have been unsatisfactory,

certainly, the law would say she might be able to look at repairs,

partial refunds, allowances to keep

if it's only an aesthetic issue. Those kind of solutions.

That was an interesting chat and it's made me more determined

to get all three cases resolved.

Nicola has been in touch with the team,

letting us know an engineer from ScS came out to look at the issues

surrounding her sofa and has made a report.

We've heard nothing back from ScS about this so far.

As for Colin's case with DFS,

e-mails have been going back and forth

with regards to when his new sofa will be delivered

and whether he will get a refund of the £163 extra he had to pay out.

Finally, they've laid out an offer for him

and Colin is now considering this.

However, there is one element of his case that fascinates me.

According to one of the engineers that came out to fix the sofa,

it was Colin's fault it kept breaking!

Perhaps it was meant as a joke, but Colin didn't see the funny side.

He said, "You do realise you're not supposed to sit on it every day?"

I said, "What?" He said, "You're not supposed to sit on the sofa every day.

"That's what causes it." And I thought then, "What have I bought?"

How can you not sit on a sofa every day, that you've bought?

I'm hoping it was said in jest,

as most sofas go through vigorous testing

to make sure they're built to last.

Philip Reynolds,

the Chief Operating Officer at

the Furniture Industry Research Association,

will explain more, as he knows his chaise longue

from his leather recliners.

We test all types of furniture here, whether it's for the office

or for hotels, hospitals, or the consumer's home.

The biggest issue that we see with upholstered sofas

is really around the cushions. If a client has a cushion

that's filled with fibre, there will generally be a lot of settlement,

and we see a lot of complaints coming in from consumers

about that settlement.

It's a fairly easy thing to stop,

but it just means that the consumer

has to constantly plump the cushions every day.

OK, but how are sofas tested for durability?

When we test sofas, we're using test loads

that simulates a 110-kilo person, which is about 16 stone.

And with a sofa, we will test for a number of positions

on the sofa, to simulate what happens with people

sitting at different points on the sofa.

We're looking at the full performance of the sofa frame,

so we start with a stability test, to check that the chair won't tip over.

We check for things like sharp edges and squeeze points,

particularly important with recliner chairs.

And then we go and do strength and durability tests on sofas.

This particular sofa, we're applying a weight

to the seat and the back, and we will do that

for 25,000 times, to simulate somebody

sitting in that chair 25,000 times.

Right, so a sofa should withstand sitting on every day.

Back on the case, I've received an e-mail from Harveys

to confirm they are looking into Anisha's case, which is great.

So if Anisha does eventually get a new sofa,

it will be almost a year after she bought it,

and she only has a 12-month warranty.

So what happens now if her sofa develops

another fault? I know just the fella

who can furnish us with the answers.

If you have a product repaired or replaced

during the warranty period that you have,

it doesn't necessarily mean that

that warranty will be continued or refreshed.

So say if you bought something in 2013

and the warranty ended in 2015, that's when it would end.

It wouldn't continue after you've had that product

repaired or replaced. Otherwise,

you'd just have an ongoing warranty that never ends

and they'd never be able to sell them again.

So it's just the standard term in the warranty.

Not good news for Anisha, then.

I'd better get a move on and get this case solved quickly!

Anisha has been in touch and she's got some good news.

The final piece of her settee has been delivered. Hooray!

But unfortunately, she's also got some bad news.

She claims the delivery men have scratched her newly-laid floor,

and she's sent me in a picture.

Not good.

OK, I'm about to ring Harveys

because I want to find out what's happening with poor old Anisha.

Now, I've been given a name and a number of somebody to speak to.

I want to talk to the Head of Retail Operations at Harveys.

PHONE RINGS OUT

Come on, Harveys, pick your phone up!

It's Dominic Littlewood, from the BBC.

Thank you.

'The receptionist tells me he's not available at the moment,

'but if I give her my number, he will call me back straightaway.'

Huh! Er, yeah... What's his direct-dial number?

I'll call him, shall I?

'She says she can't give me his direct number,

'but if I give her mine, he will phone as soon as he can. Hmm.'

Desktops, laptops, tablets,

mobile phones, games consoles,

the list goes on and on.

We all have a huge amount of electrical items

in our homes at the moment and, if my inbox is anything to go by,

when they go wrong, they will bring you as much pain

as they will pleasure. Especially if you're the one

that ends up footing the bill,

even though you don't think you should be.

It's a battle between customers and retailers

that has been going on since we first invented the telly.

The main complaints I get

are about being charged for repairs to your gadget,

even though you thought it was covered

by the manufacturer's warranty.

We have examples every day where a product is booked in

as a warranty repair and it turns out not to be.

So part of our job is to educate the customer,

bring their expectations into line with their terms and conditions.

Amir's company inspects and repairs manufacturers' products

while under warranty.

All manufacturing issues within the warranty period

for the manufacturer will be covered free of charge under warranty.

But if you have helped that process along by dropping your laptop,

by breaking the screen,

then you will normally find that the warranty is null and void.

And one of the team's main jobs is to investigate

whether a repair should or should not be covered by the warranty.

It's about manufacturing defects versus accidental damage.

If a product comes into us -

and most of our products that we receive here are in-warranty repairs,

booked in in good faith - and it's going to be a warranty repair,

but if my engineers then open the product

and find half a glass of orange juice inside,

then that automatically becomes an out-of-warranty repair.

And from Amir's experience, orange juice can be

the lesser of the evils when it comes to assessing damage.

You name it, we've seen it inside a laptop.

Everything from a laptop completely clogged up with cat hairs,

erm, all the way through to curry contamination, and orange juice.

You name it, we've seen it. We don't have cats here

and we don't eat curry near the laptops!

So basically, our job is to take evidence, photograph it,

send it to the customer and prove to them that,

this is what we found inside your machine,

and it's entirely consistent with the fault that you've reported.

This then means the damage is not covered by your warranty,

but laptops aren't the main offenders.

As we are starting to live our lives on mobile phones, for example,

they're in our pockets, they're everywhere,

people are taking them into the bathrooms, the showers, you name it,

they live with us, people are constantly on their mobile phones.

Now, that exposes the phone

to more than what the product is designed for,

so what we're finding now is liquid damage is probably

the most common non-warranty issue we're finding with mobile phones.

Whether it's eating a curry whilst blogging or texting in the bath,

all of these examples are accidental damage

and it's very interesting to see some of these examples

of what people try and pass off as a manufacturing fault.

All of these products I'm going to show you were sent in

for a free-of-charge warranty repair.

Um, this product was reported that it wasn't switching on.

We've opened it up and, as you can clearly see,

there's heavy liquid contamination all throughout the laptop.

And it's historic contamination,

so the contacts have completely corroded through.

The next one here is, "My screen wasn't working"

was reported to us. We switched the unit on

and there's a huge crack across the middle of the screen.

Again, pressure has been applied

more than what the product was designed to handle.

And the last one...

This was sent in for a free-of-charge warranty repair

and, er, upon investigation, I asked the young lady,

"What actually happened to this?"

And she said she actually hit it with a hammer,

which is why it's in the state that it's in.

OK, we get the point, but what can we as consumers do

to help protect ourselves against life's little accidents?

Physical damage is never covered by the standard warranty.

There are a few manufacturers that do accidental damage warranty,

but it's normally a paid for add-on.

So, as a general rule, if you want added protection,

you're going to have to pay for it.

And I get a lot of e-mails about this kind of thing.

I've been contacted by Leesha,

who bought herself an expensive laptop and paid

for an after sales three-year, all-encompassing warranty.

Two years later, she got a hairline crack in the screen, took it back

to the retailer and they said, "Must be accidental damage."

"Not a problem," Leesha thought,

"because I've got this all-encompassing warranty,"

which covers accidental damage, right?

Er, no, it doesn't.

Most manufacturers will sell you an extended warranty, so you have

to read the terms and conditions before you buy the warranty

to find out what it does and does not cover.

The best advice I can give to any consumer is -

read your terms and conditions.

I couldn't agree more.

I know I sound like an old record, but read the small print!

But what about if you do genuinely have

what you believe to be a manufacturing defect?

And Martin's e-mailed in.

Now, he bought himself a laptop and, after five weeks,

the arrow key fell off, so he took it back to the shop,

only to be told that it was down to water damage.

What?! Anyhow, he'd only had it a few weeks

and he ended up forking out 120 quid in repairs!

Don't make sense.

Physical damage can happen at any time.

The length of time you've had the product

is no indication of whether it's physical damage or not.

Each case has to be looked at on its own merits and judged therefore,

so, if someone said to you it's liquid damage,

they have to prove it's liquid damage.

My advice to that customer is take legal advice,

see what your rights are, present your evidence.

The ultimate resolution to any of these issues is the courts.

Take it to a Small Claims Court, the manufacturer will have to

present his side, his evidence, to an impartial person,

you present your side of the story and let someone else decide.

Good advice, and Amir has given me some top tips on how best to avoid

ending up with your machine having to end up in a workshop like his.

If you do spill water on a phone or laptop,

turn it off, remove the battery

and let it all thoroughly dry out before you turn it on again.

Also, interestingly, if you've spilt black coffee on your gadget,

it tends to dry to a powder, whereas sugary coffee

will end up sticky and can eat away a vital component.

Mine's a latte to go, please. No sugar.

Let's be honest, most of us probably

are a bit lazy when it comes to checking our paperwork.

But when you buy a product, it is worthwhile having

a little look at the warranty, see what you are actually covered for

and what damage you're responsible for.

So when Tiddles piddles on your keyboard,

just remember, it's unlikely you'll be covered.

Three of the UK's largest furniture companies - DFS, Harveys and ScS -

have got some rather disgruntled customers,

who claim buying their brand-new three-piece suite

has been far from a sweet experience.

Actually, it's left them with a very nasty taste in their mouths.

I feel upset. Um, I'm tired, I feel tired.

I feel like my life's been revolving around Harveys.

I've never had to make so many phone calls to a company before.

Colin and Nicola have both had five or more visits

from their respective sofa companies trying to fix the problem.

Anisha has also had numerous callouts,

but she now has another issue with Harveys,

as she claims they've scratched her floor

whilst delivering her last section of the sofa.

When the engineer came, um, that's when he had taken that sofa away

to bring the other sofa in and I'd noticed that he damaged my floor.

And, er, we'd only just had the floor replaced,

so it's actually a new floor

and I explained to him, "Look, the floor's being damaged,

"you've damaged the floor." Um, he went on...

..shouting, "I didn't do that!" You know, "This happened before!

"You've had these scratches. You've done them yourself."

Um, "We've not just made those scratches."

I said, "No," I said, "Look, there's no need to shout,

"but you have done that damage.

"I can assure you, the damage was not there this morning."

I've just put in a call to Harveys

to see what they have to say about Anisha's scratched floor.

The receptionist said their head of customer service

-will get back to me very soon.

-TELEPHONE RINGS

'Ah, this must be him, then.'

Hello?

Gary, hi, it's Dominic Littlewood from the BBC.

OK, Gary, so you obviously know the reason I'm ringing.

'I get straight to the nitty-gritty of her damaged floor.'

So, as far as the repair goes, you've instructed her

to get it repaired herself and send the invoice to you?

'Harveys are going to give Anisha the benefit of the doubt

'and pay for the floor.'

So whether it's a repair or replacement or whatever,

you'll make sure that it's put back to the standard...?

'Great! It's a yes.

'Things are looking good for Anisha as they have another proposal.'

Have you told Anisha yet what you plan on doing?

'He says no, as they have respected Anisha's wishes

'and she wanted Harveys to liaise with me and my team first.'

Gary, thanks so much to your time. I'll let you get back to driving.

Thanks, then. Bye-bye. Bye-bye.

'Brilliant. I'm looking forward to telling Anisha the news.'

As for Colin and his ongoing six-month battle with DFS

that included five visits to try and fix his sofa,

to ultimately him being left without a sofa altogether,

DFS has finally made him an offer.

They will give him a full refund for his sofa.

I can't believe it. I can't believe that he's actually got my money back.

I knew that Dom wouldn't let me down. I knew that.

I'm overwhelmed that that is what is happening and I'm so grateful.

Now I feel like there's a weight been taken off my shoulders.

This has been six months just dragging you down.

I'm so grateful. Thank you very much.

DFS has since been in touch and wanted to...

..and say that they are...

They then go on to talk specifically

about Colin's claim that he was left sofa-less.

"In Mr Whyman's case..."

And finally, they responded to Colin's remark that a DFS employee

told him he should not sit on his sofa every day.

Fair enough, I say.

It's good news for Nicola too with ScS.

After her ninth visit from the company

to assess the squeaky sofa, they finally agreed to collect it

and are going to give her a full refund. Result.

We asked ScS about their returns policy for damaged sofas

and how many times they deem reasonable for an engineer

to come out to fix a fault with one of their products

before they feel they should either refund or exchange.

We also wanted to know ScS' policy when customers

are not satisfied with the product, but so far, they have yet to reply.

I'm chuffed to bits knowing Colin and Nicola

will hopefully be enjoying the best seat in their house sometime soon.

As for Anisha, I'm off to see her at home.

Now, the weather may be atrocious, but that doesn't stop me coming

all the way up to Leicester to meet Anisha and give her some news.

Gordon Bennett! It's pouring down!

-Anisha!

-All right, Dom, nice to see you.

-How you doing?

-Come in.

Pouring down out there!

'Anisha tells me she's received a letter from Harveys

'outlining their offer. I take a seat on the sofa

'that has caused her all these problems.'

I'll tell you what, Anisha, it's lovely and comfortable.

Oh, they are comfortable, Dom.

Very comfortable to sit on.

-Here you go.

-Right, that's the letter they sent you? Recorded delivery?

That is, yes.

'We start with how Harveys propose

'to solve the problem of the damaged floor.'

"Please find enclosed a cheque to the value of £900 as full and final

"settlement in relation to the issue raised by yourself

"on the 28th of January concerning the damaged floor.

"This amount has been agreed in line with the receipts which you have

"submitted and purely a gesture of goodwill as I am not in a position

-"to either prove or disprove how this damage occurred."

-OK.

So are you happy with that?

I'm happy with the cheque for the floor.

I just wanted my floor restored and I've got enough money to do that,

-so I'm happy to accept that.

-Yeah.

'Well, that's one half polished off. The letter then moves on to the sofa

'and Harveys present Anisha with a few options.'

"To retain the current suite that is within your home,

"or to arrange collection of the suite with a full cancellation refund

"from the finance company on the completion of that collection.

"Please note that the refund will include any monies

"already paid as part of your financial agreement."

'Brilliant news that has put a smile back on Anisha's face.'

-Do you accept their offer?

-I think that's what we'll do.

-I think that's wise.

-Accept the offer.

You've got your £2,500-£3,000 back, yeah?

Every single penny. You've had a use of this for a year.

You now realise what you do and don't want, at their expense.

-I think you start again.

-Yes, I think so.

OK, but before we get too comfortable, is my job done?

-Yes.

-You happy?

-Thank you so much, Dom, I appreciate it.

-My pleasure.

-You'll see me out?

-Yes.

-Cheers, Anisha!

-Thank you.

I was getting so comfy then as well!

Harveys had this to say...

With regards to Anisha, they say...

I'd just like to say a big massive thank you to Dom,

cos he's done so much for us.

He's lifted the weight off my shoulders, he's found a resolution,

and I'm sure it's a lot sooner

than it would have actually been if it was me myself.

Good on you, Harveys, you finally came through for Anisha

and, as far as I'm concerned, that's a full house,

all three cases done and dusted and everyone happy.

Well, we're glad we're going to be going to find another sofa now,

so, um, it's more shopping, which I'm sure everyone enjoys,

and hopefully we'll find the right settee.