PC World won't fix a jamming printer

I bought an HP Deskjet D 1660 printer form PC World in February. Four months later it started to jam, failed to load paper correctly and made loud noises.

I took it back to PC World. It said I had broken the terms of the warranty because I had refilled the ink cartridges.

However, the warranty clearly states that the use of a non-HP cartridges or a refilled cartridge does not affect the warranty.

What it does say is that if a refilled or third-party cartridge caused the problem HP will charge for the repair.

Campbell Whyte

Quoting the terms and conditions of a warranty or claiming it has expired is a classic avoidance tactic used by retailers.

The real protection that is offered to consumers is given under statutory laws not warranties. Sometimes it can be simpler to rely on a warranty.

The warranty with HP says using third-party printer ink will not invalidate the cover, but many printer manufacturers warn that if these inks are used their warranties are voided.

This is legal as manufacturers are entitled to set the terms and conditions of a warranty.

hat means a consumer's claim for damages has to be addressed to the ink manufacturer, which has sold goods ‘not fit for purpose'.

Many reputable companies will cover costs of repair or replacement if their inks damage a printer. But these warranties cannot override statutory laws such as the Sale of Goods Act (SoG).

This printer was only four months old so Mr Whyte was entitled to suggest the goods were inherently faulty.

However, PC World said: "It was noticed that the refilled cartridge's top had not been aligned correctly. It was hitting the rotating wheel and staff concluded that this was causing the problems described by the customer and therefore it was not a manufacturing fault."

If this was the case it would not be covered by the SoG Act or the warranty either.