In 2007 we bought a few big appliances from Connexion. Being a big company we took out the 5 year extended guarantee and thought it would help remove any hassles if there is something wrong given we weren’t in France all the time.
Now in 2011 (within the 5 year period) we find we have a problem. We contacted Connexion to be told that the guarantee is no longer valid because Connextion Montpellier closed down. The new Connexion Montpellier is a different franchise so they won’t honour the guarantee.
Sound dodgy!?!? We’ve written to Connexion Paris (head office) to complain as we paid for the 5 year cover with a big company as we thought it would be safe. They’ve said they don’t need to pay out because it was the franchisee not them who had the guarantees.
I’ve contacted our legal insurance & sent a letter recommande avec accuse de reception. Lets see what they come back with this time!
Hi Jane, thats good to hear. My experience was with Connexion & I’ve highlighted a few concerns, mainly that because the policies are not insurance backed (as is common in the UK) that if the franchise company goes out of business (Connexion operate as franchise outfits under big brand name - not sure about Darty) then the extended guarantees are not honoured by the Head Office (which stays in business) which leaves the consumer in a pickle.
I would have been grateful for my guarantee if it had actually guaranteed something but as I explained, in my case it was not worth the paper it was written on. Buyer Beware!
I think the title of this thread is very misleading - I was very grateful for the extended guarantee I bought from Darty (great company with excellent after sales care) when my tumble dryer broke just after the normal 2 year guarantee had run out. It required two visits from and engineer and parts - the guarantee has paid for itself already and it runs for another two years
I’ve spoken to my Judicial Insurance with AXA and they have asked me to send everything to them, they will then write to them.
We’ll see!
They are like the UK ones. I used to get into trouble for not selling them as an add on. There are so many opt outs for the company, so they don’t have to give you anything, hard for someone trying to translate all the pages of French legal gobbledygook and many have depreciation clauses for the time you have owned the product. Don’t want to sound like a saint but I’ve got a conscience. Funnily recently when buying a new fridge freezer in a major unnamed chain, I always thought it was a baker’s shop, the salesman wasn’t going to let me out until I bought one. When he gave up he just thrust the sales document in my hand and pointed me to the checkouts, where they started on me again, this time 2 people got involved and they called the salesman over to make sure. Nothing like pressure selling.
Isn’t this so typical of most of the customer service here? A shrug of the shoulder instead of making an effort to help.
We have a lot of that down here. Mind you makes you all the more appreciative should one receive some customer service, which does happen occasionally…
Hi Ricky, yes I’ve asked if it was insurance backed but they said no, basically the franchise was pocketing the money & taking on the risk themselves. Not ideal! Buyer Beware!
Have you checked the paperwork for the extended guarantee? Specifically with whom the insurance contract is with. If these contracts are the same as in the UK, the extended part will have been placed with an insurer and not necessarily the legal entity (the original Connexion Montpellier) from whom you bought the items. With any new items, remember that despite many outlets still referring to a 1 year guarantee, under EU consumer protection law, there is now a statutory 2 year guarantee - another factor to bear in mind when considering whether these extended guarantees are worth it.