Hi All, new to the forum so be gentle please.

I’ve been having a nightmare and rather than type the whole story again I’m just going to paste my letter to Asda’s CEO. Any advice would be brilliantly appreciated…….

“Dear Mr Clarke,

I am writing because I am most upset at the whole situation I find myself in. My whole christmas is now facing ruin and it is all because I bought a tv in the Black Friday sale. Let me please give you the full story.

I gave my mother the money to buy me your 32″ LED TV from Polaroid in the Black Friday sale. She bought it and kept it until she could drop it off last Saturday. Previously we had an old 22″ CRT 5 ton TV with one speaker blown so after a stressful 3 months I was really looking forward to plugging it in and watching my beloved Man United on a decent tv.

When it arrived I set it up, upon watching the Saturday night football game I noticed patches and shadows on the screen. Unhappy my mum posted me the receipt. So after waiting for the receipt, having no tv for 3 days and trying to arrange transport as I don’t drive. I was finally in a position to return the tv for an exchange.

I rang our local store who had no tvs in stock so then located one in a nearby town. When I rang the woman in the electronics department I gave her the exact model of tv and asked if they had any. She said we have loads. I then asked her to put one away for me, she replied no need as we have loads. I accepted that and arranged for my grandad to drive me. When I arrived I explained the situation and the CS desk rang for a new one to be brought.

The new one arrived and it was not the exact same model but was precisely the same spec but with slimline on the box. I agreed to take it in place and set off home to catch the second half of Stoke v United. Quickly setting the tv up I immediately noticed that the picture was horrible (on Sky Sports 1 HD). Thinking it might be a fault with the box I swapped the hd cable and then also the actual sky+hd box (we have multi-room). This made no difference and after 10 mins of struggling to watch my partner began developing a headache. The best way I can describe the picture is to say it was like watching 3D without the glasses, you could see red green and blue outlines on everything.

Frustrated I called the store and asked what to do. They requested I call back in 30 mins which I did. Once on the phone again they asked if I could come in by 10pm(at9pm) or tomorrow between 1700-2200. Being busy the following day I had no choice but to come in that night. Not driving I had to get a taxi at the cost of £18 both ways.

Once arriving at the store the CS desk began processing a refund. I stopped them and mentioned for the 10th time that I did not want a refund but wanted a working tv that I paid for. They then called for the manager. Upon arrival the manager was very abrupt and basically said take your refund because you have wasted £180 of my stock. Upset I tried to plead my case to the manager but he continued to keep cutting me off saying refund or faulty tv.

At this point I was very distressed and have a number of medical conditions related to stress. Realising I might end up stuck with a faulty tv, I asked for my original TV back as it was the less faulty of the two (therefore thinking cheaper to repair if push comes to shove). The manager agreed moaning again about me wasting his stock. In the taxi on the way home I was very upset and at one point almost came to tears over the way I was spoken to by your manager. I should point out that although they kept giving me false information, your customer service girls on the desk, especially Jess were really nice and friendly.

So to this morning, I called your customer service desk. Explained the situation and the story so far. The lady apologised and offered a £15 gift card as an apology for me having to mess about with the taxi. After explaining the fact that we need the tv and that a refund would leave me completely stuck she agreed to contact your big ASDA Walmart in Eastlands and see if they had a tv we could exchange. She said she would call back.

Once she called me back she said that the manager refused to exchange it but would offer be a refund which I could keep or use to buy a better model. Not having the extra £130 being unemployed (made redundant in October) that was not an option.

I then asked why I could not exchange it for the differently named (but exactly the same tv) I had before but a working one. She said that it was not the same tv, is worth £180 and because I bought mine for £99 it was only a gesture of goodwill which was up to the manager. I explained that the tv I bought was worth £180 for months prior to Black Friday and that it is the same tv with a worse stand and inferior software (I’m a geek sorry).

She said that all she could do was offer my £99 back and go find one somewhere else. Obviously I understand that Asda have offered a refund but I feel I am entitled to ask for a tv that works to begin with. Like I said after a tough few months this was a treat we had saved for and chose this product at what was an unbelievable price.

I am now stuck with a faulty tv in a box in my living room, with Christmas 6 days away. So I am emailing to appeal to you Mr Clarke as CEO of Asda to see if there is anything you can do. All I want is a working tv that I bought to begin with regardless of in sale or not. All I want for Christmas is a working tv that I paid for.

Thank you for taking the time to read my e-mail and I hope to hear from you soon.

Kind Regards

David G Allum”

Thank you 🙂