Housemate A provided a TV for the lounge, its was his TV, from his room in our previous house.
Housemate A barely watches any TV.
Housemates B and C watch a moderate ammount of TV, PS3 etc. We all have jobs and better things to do at the weekends.
Housemate B met his new missus in October, she lived in her own house localy and so they probably spent >50% of their time there. He effectively moved out to live with her in May, maybe spending 2-3 nights in the house since then, but still paid rent/share of the bills etc at the house.
Housemate C has a TV in his room and probably watches as much TV up there as he does downstairs.
Last week whilst moving his stuff out housemate B put a DVD on and left a friends kids and the missus infront of the TV while he and his mate moved his stuff out in mates Volvo.
TV stoped working, they (everyone appart from housemate A) were all in the room at the time, no one was anywhere near it, the sound just stoped working and was replaced with what sounds like an earth fault, you can still hear it, but theres a low frequency white noise over it.
The TV is 14 months old. A Samsung 32" LCD, cost arround £330 or so. And housemate A thinks that B and C should bear the cost of replacement as he's hardly watched the thing.
What would you do if you were A, B or C?
I'm not telling you which ones me.
I think your'e A.
A - accept that TVs break - and are often beyond economical repair these days
B - move out & forget about it
C - realise it's his turn to buy a telly
it[s]s was[/s] is his TV
If something i paid for breaks i replace it, but thats just me.
No, it's one of those trick questions like you used to get at school, there is no right answer, just sit there and cross your arms looking smug.
The sensible answer is that why on earth would B and C contribute? The TV was there so they watched, what should they have done bought another of their own to watch? A was happy to leave it there for all to use so don't see the issue.
Few more details, C thinks they should go halves on a repair bill as he still has to live with A, B has essentially told A to go back to the shop he got it from and pusue them as in his oppinion B and C had nothing to do with the TV going wrong and thinks the repair bill will be more than the TV's probably worth.
what's the manufacturer warranty? If 2 years (some are), then go through that route. If not, arm wrestle at dawn for it
I think A stands for A....le,
and personallyi would blame D, who sneakily set a time delay device in the tv, just so Band C could get the blame for A, tv not working.
Nobody's fault.
A bears the cost him/herself.
A put the TV in "public" area so what does he expects?
If A wants to put the blame to others then s/he should not put the TV in the public area in the first place.
😯
A put TV in living room, should not expect any payment as it was his/her choice to share it.
Spent £500 on my 32" just over two years ago, last month it started tripping the RCD every time you turn it on. Life's a bitch and stuff breaks 🙁
A to pay. B and C to give a contribution if they are decent chaps
one for the moral amongst you
Should be no lack of them on here! 😉
what's the manufacturer warranty? If 2 years (some are), then go through that route
Almost certainly will be under warranty, and even if it isn't, then pretty sure EU regs mean that you should be covered anyway (I think electronic things are covered up to 2 years, something to do with reasonable life or somesuch?)
So A should get in touch with whomever he/she bought it from (if he's the original purchaser!) Failing that, get in touch with the manufacturer...
Pretty much what ziggy said. If B or C or someone connected with them had actually broken it that would be different, but if it just stopped working properly of it's own accord then it's just one of those things. I could see how A might reasonably think it's C's turn to provide a TV for common use, but I don't see that anyone really owes A anything.
If A hardly watches TV, and C mainly watches TV in the bedroom, why bother to replace it. Oh and it should be covered under warranty.
Once A put TV in lounge he accepts its for communal use. B and C accept this and use it even on a limited basis. Surely if any communal item breaks the repair bill should be split by A,B and C.
Well if A hardly watched the telly why should he buy a new one, however if a new telly is bought and A has not contributed then he would have no claim over tv
Who pays for the TV licence? if 'A', then he should not have to pay for the repairs/replacement
if B or C then I think he [A] should
Leeeeegally....
Unless there was any form of contract of use entered into by the various parties when the TV was placed in the communal area, then B and C aren't liable for a penny. If A gave them permission to use the TV at any time, then tough titty. Shit, as they say in Paraguay and various other places on Earth, Happens.
Mooooorallly....
TV died of 'natural causes'. No-one did anything deliberate or otherwise, to bring about it's demise. Yet another example of how shittily built stuff is these days, sadly. Flatmate A should have got household insurance, if they haven't already.
CASE DISMISSED.
[i]Next case M'lud, the defendant is accused of Crimes Against Humanity, following being caught riding a Fixie.
[/i]
[b]GUILTY! THE DEFENDANT SHOULD BE TAKEN FROM HERE TO A PLACE OF EXECUTION WHERE HE WILL BE HUNG BY THE NECK UNTIL HE BE DEAD!!!!!!
[/b]
[i]But M'Lud...[/i]
[b]CONTEMPT OF COURT! 5 YEARS HARD LABOUR![/b]
Ahhhh......
It's A's TV, down to him in my opinion.
Who pays for the TV licence? if 'A', then he should not have to pay for the repairs/replacement
if B or C then I think he [A] should
Don't see why it makes a difference who pays the licence. What if it's shared by all three?
the defendant is accused of Crimes Against Humanity, following being caught riding a Fixie.
so what did he do after he was caught that was so terrible?
Oh don't start I'm too tired.
I think I'll have a little lie down. It's hard work, sending people down all the time.
if its only sound, can you not run sound through some pc speakers, that is unless you use the tuner which it wont work for, i have sky and dvd player connected like that.
Has nobody considered Hosuemate E?
Hosuemates E pays no rent and watches telly when everybody isn't there, he also likes to take the telly to bits and saves 'spare' screws in a jar.
He also does things to your mouth when your asleep.
The TV belongs to A and he put it in a shared room presumably to be used by all. It's still his TV and he should get it fixed if he wants to keep it/use it.
If it can't be fixed/replaced under warranty then a bit of cash from B and C each would be the nice thing to do.
Housemate F returns home to find jam in the mute button on the remote
GUILTY! THE DEFENDANT SHOULD BE TAKEN FROM HERE TO A PLACE OF EXECUTION WHERE HE WILL BE HUNG BY THE NECK UNTIL HE BE DEAD!!!!!!
Hanged 😉
Any reasonable person would expect a TV to last longer than 14 months so you've got a very strong case under sale of goods act to get the retailer to either fix or replace (their choice) the telly.
A to pay.
Lol at the legal advice.
Personally I think the kid that was watching the dvd ls liable, case closed, dock there pocket money and send to young offenders
Chuck some orange juice on it and claim on the contents insurance .....
B shares the new lady with A as compensation and with C so he brings his telly down to stick in the shared living room
Lol at the legal advice.
You like that one innit? 😀
Bullshit like that works when other parties have no clue as to what the Law actually is...
If it just broke then accept it.
Next time buy one from John Lewis and get a 5 year warranty.
the kids broke it
tough shit A
radio rentals where are you now?
Up to A to decide if he wants to replace or chase up warranties. He chose to offer it for sharing. I'd be taking it back or poking around inside.
If A, B and C want a new shared tele then they could all chip in for a cheap 2nd hand one.
If housemate A watches barely any Tv then its probably no great loss to him and therefore not worth him replacing it. If its his TV and he chose to keep it in the communal area then thats his choice.
That said, Its probably the decent thing for B + C to chip in.
Just Do (without) It
How many months use?
IMO no one guaranteed the TV when they watched it. It'd have gone at somepoint anyway.
However if A had provided/loaned a microwave to the house everyone should contribute.
Why? I don't know why.
Either you all agree to pay an equal share to buy a TV, or you don't and don't get one. Simples.
Either you all agree to pay an equal share to buy a TV, or you don't and don't get one. Simples.
Isn't more a question of who is responsible for replacing A's broken TV, irrespective of whether it will end up being for communal use?
I'd definitely be trying to see if the original retailer would cover it under warranty anyway irrespective of who owns/watches TV. If A hardly uses TV then don't bother getting another. If B and/or C want one they should buy one.
If I was A and couldn't get the repair done under warranty I'd probably get it repaired (if economical to do so) and maybe just mention the cost to B & C and say that I would be grateful if the others would contribute toward the cost.
In case anyones still hanging on for a thriling conclusion I'm B.
I've proposed I 'buy' the broken TV for £135, hosuemate C chips in £60, we buy a replacement off ebay for £195 (plenty to chose from), I buy an AVreciever for my new house and everyone is at least on speeking terms if a little unhappy with the whole sorry mess.
I hate house prices, lets face it when 3 people earning ~£30k each can't afford to live independantly there's something wrong!
simple, as a group go out and get very drunk. then come home, try to "fix" T.V, give up, throw it out fo bedroom window until it explodes. cheer.
Who was holding the remote control when it broke!
psychle is right. Take it back to the shop. Even if the warranty is out, EU regs state 2 years, the reason we do not have 2 years is because we have the 'reasonable' expectation category and that is more than 2 years. Check with CAB. If the shop refuses to fix (which is very unlikely) go see CAB
[s]thisisnot[/s][b] A [/b][s]spoon[/s] fixes it and gets on with life with two mates still being mates. Life's too short for stupid things like this.
Contact the shop/Samsung. They're notorious for the sound going, Samsung can provide a software update to fix it (happened to a chap at work)
Or, to answer the question, if A never uses the telly and it's now broken, he say's "I never used it anyway, and would therefore never use the replacement, so if you want another one, buy it yourself".
just to re-iterate, I'm B (a few people nor reading the whole thread before replying)
I said A
😛
Oh house sharing days were great...I had a right crack dont get me wrong but as i was the one who owned everything...TV, Stereo, vinyl, bikes, food, dope, beer...everything got eaten, drunk, broken, scratched or borrowed so unless you draw up some kind of agreement on shared items from the onset or it is blatently obvious that someone was to blame you must suck the mop my man.
B has essentially told A to go back to the shop he got it from and pusue them
Then you'd be right.
A buys an expensive TV, then promptly gives it to his mates to watch. TV breaks. A is liable for sorting it out as he clearly has more money than sense.
As others have said, A's best bet is persuing warranty claims. I see no obligation for B and C to contribute towards repairs, however if a replacement was to be bought then I'd expect B or C to be buying the replacement as they're the heaviest users. A obviously isn't going to want to buy a second TV if he never watches it.
That said, depending on circumstances, B or C might want to help finance a replacement / repair, which would be a good thing to do, but if A is being arsey then I'd be arsey right back.
You're B? Good job - you can tell A to go swivel.
Warranties aside:
The TV is A's responsibility and property, he chose to put it there with no consideration to cost of replacement etc. He put it in a common space and allowed others to use it. While he has no responsibility to replace it if he doesn't want to, if he does then he bears the cost (though the others may contribute). The point is that if A buys another TV and B and C contribute, A cannot then take that TV when he leaves as it is part owned by B and C, who may ask for a portion back.
...lets face it when 3 people earning ~£30k each can't afford to live independantly (sic) there's something wrong!
Is that supposed to be a joke?
All chip in for the repair.
I would take it that person a owns the tv, it broke, then it's his responsibilty, unless there is an agreement in place already.
In my house I provided the washing machine, fridge freezer, tv, sterio, blah blah blah.
I live with one other person, we both agreed, that I would just leave all the stuff for any one to use, providing that if it broke, then we would share the cost of the replacement but it would still be my property.
I think what you have suggested sounds fair, fixes the issue of the lack of tele, and then if A gets the cashback on the dodgy tele then you both get your money back and he is 105 quid richer
Is that supposed to be a joke?
Nope, they joy's of living in Reading.
For what we paid per room, guys doing the same job as us, but on marginaly less money were renting 3 bed houses in Manchester 🙁
Nope, they joy's of living in Reading.
For sh1ts and giggles I searched rightmove.com and within a minute got over 10 pages of 1 and 2 bedroom flats for around £700/month. Not cheap, I agree, but easily done on a £30k salary.
As Psychie and Charlie have already said, you should be able to get the tv repaired or replaced by the retailer. My brother had a 37" toshiba from Commet which broke after about two and a half years. Called commet customer support, quated the sale of goods act 1979, provided an engineers report that cost him £20, and got 80% of the original cost of the TV back.
Gave the same advice to a work collegue, 18month tv broke, used the same legislation and had it replaced free of charge.
If A cant be bothered to pursue this course first, then B and C shouldnt feel any guilt in walking away.
just for referance: -
Your legal rightsMany people assume there is only a legal warranty for one year. Further confusion was caused in recent years following reports on EU law, which offers a two-year warranty.
However, the UK Sale of Goods Act (1979) state actually gives you greater rights and therefore takes precedence - a warranty of up to six years in England & Wales. If an item fails within six months, the obligation is on the retailer - not the manufacturer - to repair or offer a partial refund. Beyond that, the onus is on the consumer to prove the goods had an inherent fault at manufacture which has caused them to fail.
But consumers can also turn to the EU law for cover up to two years. The European rule does not require the buyer to show the fault is inherent in the product.
Three fish, are they in either
Baisingstoke Road, whitley, (usualy refered to as 'south reading' by estate agents)
Or Oxford Road (refered to as west Reading)
Or anywhere else in 'Reading'
It's probably sh**/dangerous to live there/both
£800 would be a flat with a garage in an area you might not get knifed in. £1100 if you want a 'nice' (nothing special) flat somewhere 'nice' (not a characterfull village with easy access to the stations, just a newbuild estate).
[url= http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-to-rent/Reading.html?maxPrice=700&displayPropertyType=flats&oldDisplayPropertyType=flats&index=90 ]These[/url]
it's still covered by the EU mandatory warranty that manufacturers have to offer for two years on electrical items, so get the retailer to fix it for free.
Colonel Mustard in the living room with the rolling pin
Any reasonable person would expect a TV to last longer than 14 months.
Really? - It was once quite reasonable to expect a decade or so out of a telly, a friend of mine dropped a trinitron three stories and it kept working. I wouldn't hold out those kinds of hopes for an LCD telly though. I used a batch of 4 of them for an exhibition I built a couple of years ago, One had packed up in the first month, after 14 months we'd swap out dead TVs six times. I then had a contract another show that had two LCD tvs in it, over 12 months they both had to be replaced.
Wouldn't spend my own money on one.
it's a shared house, A should know that anything used communally will get trashed but B and C should chip in, good on you Mr B for holding your hand up. get a really cheap sh1t one off ebay it will force you to watch it less, or even better, see how long you can go without one, I had a 2 yr tellyfree existence at one point and I did so much more with my time
sharing is great, I did for a good few years and the last house I lived in was ace
skidartist - MemberAny reasonable person would expect a TV to last longer than 14 months.
Really? - It was once quite reasonable to expect a decade or so out of a telly, a friend of mine dropped a trinitron three stories and it kept working. I wouldn't hold out those kinds of hopes for an LCD telly though. I used a batch of 4 of them for an exhibition I built a couple of years ago, One had packed up in the first month, after 14 months we'd swap out dead TVs six times. I then had a contract another show that had two LCD tvs in it, over 12 months they both had to be replaced.
Wouldn't spend my own money on one.
6 years out of my Sony LCD so far. I seem to remember as a kid in the 80's that the TV repairman earned a few quid out of those big colour TV's...
Buttons were better though. ITV? Cerlunk.
Let me ask a question: did each housemate end up contributing something to the house or was it only the TV?
Did A also bring a washing machine, B brought a dishwasher, C brought a microwave etc? Cos if it were like that, I'd be tempted to say that it's unlucky for the TV owner but really all of you chipped in "hardware" and you all probably used it in different amounts and any of it could have blown up for no reason at any time.