I bought a supposedly weather resistant garden cupboard from Argos in January (for £100) and after less than five weeks the door broke in the wind. It was secured to a fence as recommended in the instructions and the doors held firmly with a reusable cable tie. Half of one of the front doors was blown off, breaking the flimsy plastic corners of the unit and making it unrepairable.
I believe it was misdescribed as “durable” and “weather resistant” contrary to the Consumer Rights Act 2015 and wasn’t fit for purpose.
Argos claims that “as per our terms and conditions we are not responsible for any damage caused by the weather”. There is no mention of the weather in its T&Cs. Argos then claimed weather resistant means it can withstand most weathers “including sun, rain and snow” but apparently not wind! It has refused to refund me but suggests I might take independent advice. HB, Totland Bay, Isle of Wight
We’ve covered numerous interpretations of “weather resistant” or “waterproof” by retailers and manufacturers, but why on earth would you want to buy an item like this for permanent outdoor use if it could not stand some high winds? Admittedly, recent storms have been unusually strong but we don’t understand this belt-and-braces ducking of responsibility.
The cupboard is from Keter, which supplies ready-to-assemble outdoor garden furniture and storage worldwide. But, by law, it is up to the retailer to resolve your complaint at this stage.
Argos says it has apologised and arranged to collect the cupboard, so that it can provide a refund and investigate with Keter. We would be interested to hear from any other readers who have experienced similar issues of misdescription.
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