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Bought a cheap electric shower today from B&Q after the old one packed in. It's only for the en suite so didn't need/want to pay for anything fancy (I know, buy cheap etc etc etc).
Fitted it this afternoon and it's next to useless, it's only 9.5kw (same as the old one) but once the temperature is turned up to anything remotely warm the pressure disappears. You practically have to stand with your forehead on the tiles to get wet. On cold it's fine.
Inlet pressure is good, old shower was fine until the element went, new shower is wired correctly.
Where do I stand with regards to returning it? Apart from the fact its been fitted I can't help but feel they will just blame me/water pressure/my cat etc.
It's this shower if it makes any difference?
It's faulty. It makes a weird whirring sound (and may spark a little 😀 )
You bought a replacement in the meantime as you needed a shower, so you don't want to exchange thank you.
They won't question it.
A little immoral, but not crime of the century either.
They'll just wrap the packaging up with sellotape and put it back on the shelf for some other poor chump to buy, the downside of their generous returns policy. I've regularly found that every box on the shelf has been resealed, if I wanted second hand goods with the risk of items missing I'd be buying on Ebay.
Oh and regarding shower itself, I am led to believe this is a very good number. Can be had for a lot less than the current rrp as well, either from scouring internet or waiting for one of B&Qs promotions.
Thinking about it there were a few that looked as though they had been opened.
Actually saw that Mira in store but I'm stuck with Triton as the pipework would need altering to suit the Mira (inlet tight into a right hand corner).
Really don't fancy another Triton, if this one is pants sods law the rest will be.
B&Q wont accept it as a return, have to speak to Triton.
Great.
Sale of Goods Act may apply here.
You say the shower is not fit for purpose, ie It was sold as a shower, not a 'dribble'.
You can argue that you've behaved reasonably, you had to plumb it in before you realised it didn't work properly.
Your contract is with B&Q - it's not a warranty issue with Triton, as the shower doesn't appear to be faulty, just rubbish.
http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/shopping/consumer-rights-refunds-exchange
Did you pay by credit card? Might be worth speaking to them about getting your money back that way. Might even be worth talking to your bank about a chargeback if you used a debit card and B&Q remain arsey.
Basically, stick to your guns.
We've got a Triton shower that was in the house when we moved in. It's 10.5kW, so a bit more powerful, but it's fine in terms of water output.
Most of the summer we have it on eco, as it's too powerful left on full whack and sprays the whole bathroom.
Have you fitted it with the new showerhead/hose or just used the one from the old one? I wonder if the shower head is too 'big' and isn't causing enough restriction to get some decent squirt out of it?
We bought a new shower head for ours (just because the old one was knackered); it was a Mira one for about £20 and made the shower work a lot better.
You can get specific low pressure shower heads for weak showers.
If the water pressure is the same (which is should be) and the replacement shower is the same power as the original, then I would expect a similar flow for a given temperature. Perhaps the heating element isn't working properly?
Presumably turned right round to cold, you get a decent flow out of it? So the issue is heating the water, rather than supplying enough water?
bluearsedfly - Member
B&Q wont accept it as a return, have to speak to Triton.Great.
Did you use spaces in your conversation with B&Q?
returningashowertob&qtrackworld
Nomaybethatsmyproblem?
Paid for it by debit card unfortunately.
Tried it with both new and old shower head, the both give similar pressure but I'm using the old head at the moment as the new head gives a spray pattern of about 2" sqaure.
On cold there is plenty of flow its just when the shower is turned to anything remotely warm. At present it's set 3/4 of the way to hot which is pants now so come winter when the temp is turned to full it's going to be useless.
Water pressure is very good, old shower was the same rating and on full heat gave plenty of pressure. New one was fitted and purged as per installation manual and there aren't any restrictions.
bluearsedfly - Member
Tried it with both new and old shower head, the both give similar pressure but I'm using the old head at the moment as the new head gives a spray pattern of about 2" sqaure.On cold there is plenty of flow its just when the shower is turned to anything remotely warm. At present it's set 3/4 of the way to hot which is pants now so come winter when the temp is turned to full it's going to be useless.
Sounds like it's not working properly, I reckon.
We've still got our shower on 'eco' at the moment and have the thermostat set to about 1/2 way round. (I've looked in the past to try and find out how many kW 'eco' drops down to, but haven't managed to find any info).
With the cooler weather, it is starting to get a bit weak, but only when compared to when it's on full whack.
B and q are slowly becoming pathetic at replacing faulty stuff, you now need the receipt and sometimes to prove which store you bought the thing at got this after trying to get a refund on some timber, they also fail to understandf the word guarantee and that it lasts for a year.
The shop is responsible for the failure of the product saleof goods act.