Polar Heart Rate Monitor - customer services problem!

Philip Davis

A bit of a customer services problem here - maybe someone else has had this problem and can advise me on my rights. My polar heart rate monitor is a few years old and the battery is dead. I decided to send it back for replacement (as recommended in the instruction booklet). As it is a little old, i googled 'Polar Instruments repair' to check that the address was right - the website gave a different address for Polar Instruments.

I called the LBS i bought it off and asked them where I should send it - i told them the address on the website and the guy said 'yes, i recognise it, thats it'. So, i duly parcelled it and sent it out.

I just got this email:

Dear Philip

We received your polar watch today but unfortunately you have sent
it to the wrong Company. We make fault finding equipment and develop
software for the pcb industry.
Many people make this misatke but there is now a statement on our
website
stating that
we are not the Heart Rate Monitor people and a contact number I believe
for
them.

To return your watch to you there is an admin fee and p&p of 20.00GBP
(payable in advance) or you can arrange collection.
Please let me know how you would like your watch to be returned.
Many thanks
Kind regards
Sue

Now, i accept that a mistake was made, but I think its absolutely F**king outrageous that they will charge me £20 to send back my property. Especially as I'm in ireland so i'll have to pay to raise a sterling cheque too.

Anyone else had this problem? Can anyone advise on whether its legal for them to charge so much? I know i should raise this with the shop who sold it to me, but i've no proof that they advised me on the phone that the address was right.

BTW, i can't find anything on their UK website stating that they are a different company.

Neilums

Crikes, sorry to hear that. I can't comment on the £20 P&P charge, which does appear to be excessive, but below is Polar UK's address and contact info (direct from website).

Link -> click on 'Contacts'

Great Britain & Ireland
Polar Electro (UK) Ltd.
Polar House
Heathcote Way,Unit L, Heathcote Industrial Estate
Warwick, Warwickshire, CV34 6TE
ENGLAND

Tel. + 44 (0)1926 310 330
Fax + 44 (0) 1926 428 944
Web site: http://www.polarelectro.co.uk
E-mail: supportuk@polar.fi

alfablue

From that companies point of view their legal position probably comes under Unsolicited Goods and Services Act 1971, which says they can notify you and give the opportunity to collect an item within 30 days, or they can keep it. By telling you that you can collect it they have done their bit, I reckon the extortionate charge is outside the scope of any law and its up to them if they ask for it, and up to you if you want to pay it.

I suppose it is not that excessive if one considers the actual postage would probably be £6 ish, plus the time and effort for them to post it.

On the other hand you could politely point out that it was unclear from the web site before they ammended it and as it was (by their admission) a common mistake, the website was possibly misleading, for which they must have some culpability, so would they consider posting it back at cost? (You can calculate the exact cost on the Royal Mail price finder page - they would presumably send it international signed for with insurance - I suggest you check the price and then quote it with your next contact when you make the offer of that amount).

I would suggest you go softly softly, plead poverty etc, getting arsey (not suggesting you would have done) won't work as I don't think you have any rights here, apart from the slim possibility of the "misleading website" angle, but even then you have a weaker position in trying to enforce anything as the small claims court in the UK isn't readily available to you.

alfablue

Just checked - an International Signed For Small Packet of 320g with up to £500 compensation, to RoI costs £7.98 (the next cheaper level of compensation is £34 - not enough). So their time and (re)packing charge amounts to £12.02, in effect.

Try the plea to pay just the cost (nothing ventured, nothing gained), if that fails, bite the bullet time I reckon.

JustRidecp

Thats really bad luck mate. I hope you get it resolved!

I know its too late now but If I ever need to send everything back to a company for repair/replacement I always e:mail them first letting them know what the score is and wait for their reply and reccomendation, then send copies of all the correspondence with my product.

bryanm

The company you've sent it to has not and has never had any connection with Polar, so it has no culpability whatsoever. The fact that they have a similar name is irrelevant. They have no reason to have a note on their website pointing out that they are not Polar HRM repairers, apart from a goodwill gesture.

BTW. Unless you use the watch for swimming, any competent watch repairer can change the battery for you. If you have some jewellers screwdrivers, then they're not hard to change yourself. Not that it helps as you don't have the watch anymore!

Philip Davis

Thanks for the advice everyone - I guess I'll just have to accept that it was a costly error on my part and then write a cringingly polite letter to 'the other' Polar to get them to forward it on, rather than sending it back to me (i need it fixed quite urgently).

Bryan - yes, i know it is fairly easy to replace the battery yourself, but a few weeks ago there was a thread here and someone found that the watch steamed up with condensation the first use after having a jeweller replace the battery. I thought i was doing the right thing in following the manufacturers instructions.... oh well, I'll be more careful next time.