Received a Dafni Hair Straightener a few years ago as gift. Looked after it well. Went to use it recently, it exploded, caught on fire and burnt my hand. It came from the Shaver Shop. I sent them photos, they passed me around to a few people and promised to get back to me regarding what they would do. I was concerned it might happen to some one else. Weeks went past and despite leading me on, the Shaver Shop finally came back with ‘out of warranty’, why don’t you go to the manufacturer. So I did. They were amazing, replaced it and are testing it for faults. As for the Shaver Shop - they’ve lost my business for life.
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Welcome @consumer13. It seems that you have achieved the result you were after, despite the retailer. Good for you.
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Under Australian Consumer Law the retailer, in this case The Shaver Shop, is responsible for being a consumer’s first line of contact for product problems. It is illegal for them to fob you off to the manufacturer and if they do this routinely they could face significant penalties.
However since your product was ‘a few years old’ and depending on the product and its price, it may truly have fallen outside the period where the ACL applies, so without further knowledge the rest is general commentary for next time, if you have one.
Depending on the product and time since purchased, it is possible the retailer improperly fobbed you off to the manufacturer, and that is a problem. A retailer ‘owns’ the warranty as stated, as well as a period where the ACL Consumer Guarantees can be claimed.
While your issue has apparently been resolved by the manufacturer, when a retailer tries to absolve responsibility or fob you off, and you do not accept that under your rights under the ACL there are two distinct ways of communicating with them.
The one most of us start with is ‘informal’. An example of ‘informal’ would be ‘my hair straightener caught on fire’ by phone or email or in person. In the context of your rights under the ACL I call that ‘idle chit chat’ yet many businesses respond favourably to that.
When fobbed off going formal can be a bit of work, but depending on the value, experience, etc many should and do. If unsatisfied after going formal one can use the trail to lodge a formal complaint to your state fair trading and the ACCC.
When businesses do not respond as they should, and the customer is left with an unsatisfactory outcome or experience, going formal starts with a ‘letter of complaint’ (search the forum, there are many links to your rights and how to write a letter of complaint).
That shows a lack of training at best. They should have dealt with your problem or minimally become the middle man in reporting the problem to the manufacturer on your behalf, unless they suggested and you agreed it would be better handled direct.
All that hopefully will assist you if there is a next time, with any product or service.
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I have a Panasonic Shaver that I purchased May 2020 that no longer charges. It cost $289 and came with a 2 year manufacturers warranty. Knowing I would likely get the ‘out of warranty’ response from the retailer, I went straight to the manufacturer. They have offered me a replacement for $69 instead of the $549 RRP.
What does everyone think? Is it normal for a shaver to fail after 3 years? Should I press for a replacement under consumer law, or take the offer?
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Without commenting on what seems right or responsible (ie that you should be able to make a case it should have gone more than 2 years at its price point) you should also weigh the frustration and effort $69 could avoid, which I presume includes shipping?
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I have had a Panasonic Norelco 8240XL with li-ion battery for over decade. I tried to find the exact date of purchase, but unfortunately can’t find it. It would have been around 2010. Still on the original batteries - I charge it around every 3-4 weeks.
It was my second Panasonic shaver. The first one which had NiCad batteries lasted from about 1991 to the current one’s replacement. It had one battery replacement over its life and was replaced as it needed another battery replacement and the blades weren’t as sharp as wished they were. The reason for buying a second one to replace the first was it was reliable and battery life (both between charges and also before needing replacing)
My own experience shows that the batteries should last a long time (about 7-10 years for NiCad or 10+ years for Li-ion). I am surprised that they didn’t last all that long which one would expect to last a lot longer.
In 2 years, under normal use there would have only been possibly 20-50 charging cycles (recharge 1-2 times a month) which is very low for rechargeable batteries to fail.
It is worth noting that Panasonic website states shaver batteries should last 2 years. This might be more about aligning with the manufacturer warranty period than reality. Retailer websites indicate expected life of 3-5 years depending on model.
It depends. Is the replacement offered by Panasonic the same model or a higher end model that you have (noting RRP price being $549 compared to your purchase price two years ago of $289).
If it is the same model, I would be pushing your rights under the Australian Consumer Law. The Panasonic batteries can be readily replaced and I am surprised that Panasonic didn’t offer this to you as the solution. The problem could however be that the internal control board have failed for some reason - batteries are okay. Possibly if the batteries won’t charge at all, it could be the control board since the batteries should last a lot longer than 2 years. Maybe this is why Panasonic isn’t offering a repair as the cost may be greater than the value of the shaver. If it is the same model, I would be asking for a full replacement at no cost to you.
If it is an ‘upgraded’ model, something you need to consider - is the $69 cost for an upgraded model worth it to you. I can’t answer this question, but you should be able to work out the answer.
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As I see it the $69 is instead of having what could be a time consuming argument. I would take it at a run regardless of any assessment of your chances of winning.
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Thanks for everyone’s feedback. There was no prior battery degradation, so I’d say the issue was something to do with the board. Panasonic said based on my information it’s not viable to repair.
The $549 is the RRP, but I originally bought it at a substantial discount. With that in mind I think I’ll take the $69 offer, which does include shipping yes. That’s going to be the fastest way to get me well groomed again.
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Sorry, but I disagree…
A shaver that fails after 3 years? Why should you have to pay anything for a replacement? They should be ashamed to have such shoddy products for sale!
You are a member of Choice, the consumer’s association par excellence. Let them know of the advantages of a free thumb’s-up in the Choice community.
Go for it!
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As of yet, they haven’t made me do anything like prove there is a fault etc. Whilst I strongly agree that I would be well within my rights to push for it, that would likely result in me having to send the old one back for them to assess. And unfortunately I need to shave, so the faster and easier solution is just going to have to do.
Having said that if the replacement also dies rapidly, I will not be returning to Panasonic.
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I agree. The shaver being RRP $549 would be a top end product which should have many years use, fault free (noting mine have been low to midrange models with good fault free lives). As
They acknowledge the fault is unrepairable when it is likely they would have repaired it under the Australian Consumer Law at no cost. They now expect a consumer to pay $69 for a replacement shaver which is unacceptable. Panasonic under the Australian Consumer Law should be replacing the unrepairable shaver, at no cost to the consumer.
Panasonic could, if they chose to, to allow a exchange of the unrepairable shaver with a replacement shaver at the place of purchase (Shaver Shop). The exchange could be done very quickly.
Alternatively I would be asking for a full refund. This may not be the best solution if the shaver has gone up in price and buying a replacement is more than the $69 being offered. In such case would be a backward step.
I would definitely not be accepting the $69 offer and would highlight the ACL requirements for Panasonic to arrange a replacement shaver at no cost. This upholds the consumer guarantee and is what action should be taken.
It is also likely they know there is a fault they are responsible for and are seeking payment to reduce their own losses. A consumer shouldn’t be responsible for such.
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General comments:
The ACCC provides a basic tool that can be used to clarify one’s position.
The points @phb has mentioned in the previous reply are also covered by the ACCC guide,
‘Repair, replace, refund, cancel | ACCC
P.S. plan B - at least for my needs?
When away or …. I make do with a low cost Braun travel razor. It functions fine on rechargeable NiMiH AA batteries. Mine is more than 10 years old. I’ve seen them at Chemist Warehouse for under $30. Dollars to be saved if one looks around.
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Or Plan C? 
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