Hi, anyone able to give some advice?
I bought Norton Internet Security 2007 from WH Smith yesterday. It has turned out to be utterly shit - taking over my system, and it's impossible to add general rules to my firewall etc. My brother tried to return it this afternoon, but the shop assistant told him that, because it's a "licensed product", they can not give me a refund at the shop. Instead, I have to send the product to the manufacturers, who appear to be based in U.S. (I'm in the UK).
What are my rights, and what is a licensed product??
J.
― Jamie Leonard (JJ Len), Thursday, 11 January 2007 23:02 (nineteen years ago)
As far as I know, unless the product is faulty, you have no right in the UK to an automatic refund or exchange. Many shops do offer one, but that's just their customer service policy. I have no idea whether Norton will be obliging or not.
― Alba (Alba), Friday, 12 January 2007 00:12 (nineteen years ago)
From the citizen's advice bureau
http://www.adviceguide.org.uk/n6w/index/your_world/consumer_affairs/buying_goods_your_rights.htm#your_legal_rights_when_you_buy_goods
Your rights when things go wrong
If you buy goods from a trader and they are not of satisfactory quality, fit for purpose or don't match their description, the trader will probably have to put things right. It is the trader who is responsible for this, and not the manufacturer. If a trader tells you the manufacturer is responsible, or that you have to make a claim on a manufacturers' guarantee, you do not have to accept this.
Depending on the circumstances, you may have one or more of the following rights:
* to get all of your money back
* to get some of your money back
* to get the goods repaired
* to get the goods replaced
* to get compensation.
You will not have these rights if:
* there is nothing wrong with the goods – you have just changed your mind about wanting them
* you examined the goods, or a sample of the goods, when you were buying them, and the fault you want to complain about was so obvious that you should have noticed it
* the trader pointed out the defect that you now want to complain about
* you have damaged the goods yourself
* the problem is the result of normal wear and tear
* the goods have lasted for as long as could reasonably be expected.
In some situations, you only have limited rights when things go wrong with your goods. These include where you have bought them:
* from a private individual - see under heading Buying goods from a private seller
* at some auctions - see under heading Auctions
* in the course of carrying out a business - see under heading Business to business sales
* where goods have been given to you - see under heading The goods were a gift.
There's no mention at all of it being different if it's licensed, and it's not mentioned in the "limited rights" bit.
People seem to be such twats with refunds recently. I tried to return a mouse that didn't work and was refused, I only managed to get a refund by going to another branch, and even then it was only because the bloke there said he couldn't be bothered with all his hassle on a Sunday. When I went back to the first branch to buy some CDRs there was a lad in front of me returning an ipod or something, after he left the same bloke who'd refused me a refund before came and told the woman at the till off for giving him the whole 230 quid, and said she should have just offered 215 because "it's not like he's going to refuse it and walk away with a broken mp3 player".
― Cressida Breem (neruokruokruokne?), Friday, 12 January 2007 04:05 (nineteen years ago)
Crap as Norton is supposed to be, it's the No.1 selling piece of software, so unless the box you bought contains something different from the one all the other suckers are buying, I think you'd have a hard time getting them to accept that it's "not of satisfactory quality, fit for purpose or not matching its description", is the point, though.
― Alba (Alba), Friday, 12 January 2007 10:11 (nineteen years ago)