Kogan - warranty, refunds, & customer service issues

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I use a remote cabled shutter release with my camera & it’s one of those things that wears out about every 12 to 18-months so when I look for a new one I try to avoid Canon Australia’s extortionate pricing ($119.96…)
I needed to replace it recently so hit google & Kogan came back with an excellent price for a genuine article - $25 plus postage.

The device arrives & out-of-the-box it doesn’t work correctly.
They are supposed to have a 2-stage function just like a DSLR camera shutter button – press gently & it will find focus, press harder & it will take the photo.
This didn’t. Press as gently as you can & it just takes the photo. Net result is lots of out of focus shots so basically… useless.

Silly me thinks it will be a simple return & replace. No, no, no…
When I finally got a response they requested that I make a video of the problem & send it to them so their ‘technicians’ could evaluate the problem.
I told them this was absurd as you basically wouldn’t be able to video the issue not to mention the fact that the request itself was a pretty outrageous waste of my time.
So back & forth a few more times until now where they may (or may not) be sending me reply paid details to return the product however…

Once they receive the item they plan to have their ‘technicians’ assess and evaluate the problem before they decide if they will replace the device.
If they are so gracious as to replace an item that was effectively DOA the process will likely take around 30-days.
Now, let’s remember, this is a $25 item we’re talking about.
I have already wasted hours of business time running around in circles & the end is nowhere near being in sight. For a $25 purchase.

I’ve been an avid internet shopper for many, many years and have bought items from all around the world & I would have to say this is the single worst returns policy & process I have EVER encountered.
Made all the more infuriating by the relatively low value of the item.
Wouldn’t you think they’d have a common-sense cut-off point for doing immediate replacements? Otherwise it’s just costing everyone involved money.

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Thanks for sharing the experience @adam1, and good luck with the refund. If you have paid with a credit card, you can always request a chargeback if you’re not happy with the result. Let us know how you go.

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I purchased some LED downlights from ebay. A few were DOA and the seller’s first response was for a photo-video of the problem.

What to do? A photo of the lights in the ceiling 'not on"? Being lazy I took a photo of the DOAs sitting on a table. :smiley:

Would you believe they provided a prompt refund? I suspect staff sometimes have to work with a script and one tick box is broadly speaking the “evidence”.

The moral is one can never know how high (or low) the hoop is for a refund or replacement until you give it a go, and until then they read their “chapter and verse”.

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Received a fully-functional replacement finally. Arrived early April. Took so long I’d actually forgotten about it!
Made me laugh when the launch of Amazon Au was being talked about & it was mentioned in the media that it will shake Kogan up.
With customer service policies like I’ve experienced Amazon will walk all over them in no time at all…
I certainly won’t ever be shopping Kogan again.

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Unacceptable wait time @adam1, I hope there wasn’t an urgent occasion. Thanks for the update :+1:

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A bit late to jump into this subject, but I have had a different experience with Kogan - several actually.
A while ago and within a few weeks only I bought a several items from Kogan. Unfortunately most of them either didn’t work as designed or expected, or they had issues after a while.
I contacted Kogan in a very friendly and respectful way, either by phone or email, and always got a response within a couple of days and could return the item free of charge. The Blu-Ray player with the fault got checked by their technicians and was then replaced. Works fine since then.
But: Most likely I won’t buy anything from Kogan anymore as the quality is fairly low - like the price of the items they sell…

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Our Kogan TV simply stopped working within 2 years of delivery. They supplied a new set free of charge - in fact a larger screen model which we didn’t really need - but we are not complaining about that! In our experience, their on line staff are courteous and articulate. I am surprised at the comments on this blog. To conclude, we have found their products good value - and that includes Chanel perfumery.

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Our investigations team :female_detective: have looked into Kogan’s refunds and returns policy, and it’s not a pretty picture!
‘When Clive Ferguson got in touch with the Aussie online retailer Kogan after his recently purchased Kogan D500 Notebook experienced a major failure, he wasn’t expecting a tiresome corporate-style runaround. But that’s what he got.’

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I was under the impression the cost of mailing an item back to the store was a cost you directly experienced because of their faulty product. Therefore they’d be required to reimburse that cost. Is that wrong?

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@Peterchu You are correct.

For small items, consumers generally wear the initial cost, but you can then claim a reimbursment later. For large, difficult or otherwise expensive items to post, the retailer must pay the postage and pick up the item within a erasonable time.

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Ah that’s what I thought. Thank you!

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Kogan tops Fair Trading complaints list:

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We ordered a King gas lift Bed frame from Kogan sold by seller “Nestz”. The product arrived damaged with a big visible hole on the footboard and a crack across the footboard(felt under the fabric layer) making it unsafe for use as the metal frame sits on the foot board. When contacting the seller to refund the product, they want to give us a replacement footboard instead. But we do not want a replacement as it is risky and what if the replacement part also arrives with a major fault. And what is the guarantee that other side boards are not faulty. The seller is very adamant that this is a minor issue and people across the world sleep on broken beds safely. I think this is a big safety risk to our lives and hence we needed a full refund of the product as the bed is useless for us. How can they say it’s minor fault without examining the fault? The crack is under the fabric layer and can’t be pictured, we asked them for a physical inspection for this major fault in the product but they say it’s ok. Both Kogan and Nestz are really shameless and do not care about customer service. I wish I never bought anything from Kogan

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Welcome to the community @himanshunahata,

I moved your post to this existing relevant topic that may be helpful, and as noted below, there are many others to guide you. Use the community search function.

What you are describing could fall into multiple categories under the Australian Consumer Law. As they are offering to replace not fix it is a major fault and/or it is also could be categorised as insufficient quality.

Rather than spending time talking and emailing Kogan, that will probably get nowhere slowly, read your rights under the Australian Consumer Law. You can find myriad links in topics on the Community, and explicitly pages from the ACCC and Choice as well as advice on how to proceed with one. Since you write it was sold by Nestz, everything written ‘Kogan’ may really be ‘Nestz’ since the actual selling retailer ‘owns’ your problem and legally has to resolve it. Since you purchased from the Kogan website you could reasonably claim Kogan was the seller and Nestz just fulfilled the order. Regardless one or the other is responsible and the ACL applies either way.

Write a formal receipted ‘letter of complaint’ stating what you bought, any claims made thereof including snips of advertising, what the problem is, what your rights are under the ACL, what you want, and by when. ‘Receipt’ can be an email acknowledgement or proof real mail got to them.

It is possible your bed frame was damaged in transit and a replacement would be fine, but under the ACL their word is not the last word. You can also find many references to Kogan on the Community that might also provide guidance on how they do and do not respond. Note that they are also responsible for return shipping in most cases.

Do not expect them to modify their position until you ‘go formal’. Ringing their ‘customer service’ or just filling out an email form is ‘idle chit chat’ toward a satisfactory resolution.

Another option you can consider is to file a charge back on your payment method assuming you used a credit card or paypal.

Please let us know how you go.

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It is highly possible the damage was caused though the handling or delivery of the bed by their courier. Larger items can easily be damaged through handling and transit if not adequately protected and secured.

This is likely the appropriate response and will be consistent with the Australian Consumer Law. As the product is likely to be damaged through its delivery by the courier, the product itself isn’t faulty but the service or lack of care by the courier company it. It is likely that the replacement foot board will not be damaged, provided that it isn’t damaged through its delivery.

A product should not be broken when delivered, either as a result of a manufacturing fault or its delivery. One expects a new product to be new and fault free. While they technically may be correct that it is possible to sleep on the bed with a broken foot board, when one bought the product it would be expected that when delivered it would not have any broken parts.

The broken foot board should be replaced as one would not have bought the product knowing that it would be delivered with a broken foot board.

They can make this decision if what they say that the bed could be used with a broken foot board. The foot board also appears that it can easily be replaced to make the bed good again, and in a condition which it should have been delivered.

It appears that Kogan and Nestz are trying to resolve the broken foot board with you in accordance with the requirements of the ACL. If the foot board can be readily replaced, then this would meet the requirements of the ACL.

Furthermore, if the bed had the warehouse undamaged and delivered to your house damaged, the broken foot board isn’t a manufacturing fault or anything which was the result of the beds manufacture…but the careless courier used.

If they confirm that the foot board was not broken when it left the warehouse and damage resulted from its delivery…and you paid a deliver fee, I would be negotiating a refund of the delivery fee you paid as this service did not meet your expectations or that for services under the ACL. I would also indicate that this refund is also required for your time and inconvenience to replace the foot board.

Have you changed your mind about the bed you have purchased and this is why you want a refund?

If you have had a change in mind, see what Kogan/Nestz change of mind policy is. From memory, Kogan Change of Mind Policy only applies to Kogan brands that sell. If Nestz is one of their brands, will mean that the bed must be returned in order to get a refund.

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Hi Can anyone give me advice on my topic
I paid $300 for an extended warranty on a $949 TV from Kogan - it has been repaired once already under my warranty but has blown up again - literally - I asked for it to be replaced as its clearly faulty - i dont want it sent away to be repaired - this is what they sent me back

As per the Extended Care terms and conditions, our aggregate liability in respect of all claims under your Extended Care shall not exceed the original purchase price of the product. This means that the amount available to use for all claims combined is the value of $949 being the original purchase price of the product (full Terms and Conditions are available on Kogan’s website:

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Hi @Furring1, welcome to the community

It is worth reading the ACCC website in relation to minor and major faults, and refunds:

A consumer can only ask for a refund, where the business has to oblige with the request, when there is a major fault. The challenge for a consumer with an electronics products is a simple failure can cause a device to stop working…and a repair may be cheap and easy to do and a minor fault. At the same time, the same device could have a major fault (by definition under the ACL) but exhibit the same problem (that being, TV doesn’t work). Whether a product has a minor fault or a major fault in some circumstances can only be assessed when the TV is repaired.

Kogan possibly are within the rights to indicate that the TV should be sent away for assessment and repaired (if it is practicable to do so). If the cost of the repair is excessive making it uneconomical to be repaired or the TV can’t be repaired, then this would definitely be a major fault and you can then ask for a refund (or a replacement TV) - which you will then be entitled to at that time.

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As they, the poster, stated the TV literally blew up I would think that is a major fault. What age is the TV? If only 1 to 3 ish years old Australian Consumer Law would support the purchaser in seeking their choice of outcome. Extended warranty simply adds further rights sometimes beyond ACL rights but Kogan have had questionable behaviour when it comes to ACL rights as we know. The poster needs to start a formal process with Kogan, that is put all contact in written form as phone calls are not proof if anything requires action in more formal settings eg Civil and Administrative Tribunals.

If is a large TV, Kogan are obliged to arrange pickup and if the TV is faulty the cost is Kogan’s to bear. It would also be useful for the poster to get some legal advice regarding their rights. We do have a topic on this site that lists for States and Territories some free consumer legal advice centres. I hope they have a successful outcome in this matter.

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Welcome to the forum. I have moved your post to an existing topic covering your issue.

If you have a look back through the posts you will clearly see that you are not alone. There are many other threads covering issues with Kogan. To search, go to the magnifying glass on the top right, and type in Kogan.

Good luck, and let us know how you go.

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People, be very aware that this company is very dodgy when it comes to servicing warranty. I purchased a Kogan 75" TV and paid extra for extended warrant of 3 years. Now , after nearly 2 1/2 months they have just had the unit picked up? This after repeated phone calls to them. Who know how long a repair or replacement TV will take (if at all). Be aware fellow consumers, this company doesn’t care about you after you have purchased.