So I bought a personalised door mat for my parents for Christmas with some printed words on it. I went to visit them in early March and most of the printing on it has faded off. It cost me about $60 so it’s very frustrating it hasn’t lasted very long. I emailed the company who is refusing to come to any sort of agreement for a refund/partial refund. They are saying that it is supposed to be a decorative item (how can a doormat just be decorative??!! 😠), and that because it’s been more than 30 days, they won’t do anything about it.
I’ve googled what my rights are but can’t really find what I’m looking for. Can anyone tell me in layman's terms if I can do anything about it. I know it’s a trivial topic and there’s more important things happening in life I just hate businesses making crappy products and not taking any responsibility for things.
Consumer Law
Consumer Law
Posted in:
Life Lessons
5 Replies
Leave them a review with a picture of the doormat and how often it gets used etc so people know that's how much it fades for light use. Also write that you tried to get a refund and they wouldn't do it. If I buy something from somewhere I always look at the reviews for the item! If I was going to buy a doormat and saw a picture of yours with how much it has faded over a short period of time I would definitely not buy and I'm sure many people would be the same. That will hurt them more than a $60 refund! Unfortunately for you it means you've lost $60 but at least you have tried to stop them ripping other people off.
I agree with the other poster on writing reviews. Be concise & factual, not aggressive or rude. Photo too.
Under consumer law you could usually try to get them on reasonable length of life or fit for purpose, but, since the doormat itself still does the job & it's just the writing I don't think you'd have much luck.
If the item stated “decorative” in the headline, description or fine print, then there isn’t much you can do. A decorative item is just that.
No it’s not stated as decorative.
Short answer is no you don't have a consumer law recourse. I assume the fine print when purchasing this product it would have been called out as a decorative product. You oldies liked it and put it at their front door and high traffic area with daily use. You have used this product beyond what it was designed for. The matt is still functioning so there for worn print wouldn't warrant a refund for miss use. That said I agree a door matt will probably be used. for $60 it's very reasonable for a personalised product. a boring matt is $50 from bunnings. park it as a bad experiment move in