Right, where to start. I'll try to keep it brief. Apologies for the lengthy post in advance.....

Bought a washing machine and cooker online from Comet for new house, washing machine is fine, no problems so far.

We bought an  LPG convertible cooker as we run on LPG cylinders - the cooker was delivered late, and was then converted to LPG (using the kit supplied with the cooker) installed by a qualified gas engineer. On attempting to complete the LPG conversion the gas engineer found that owing to poor build quality it was impossible to access the regulator screws which the manufacturer's instruction book says have to be turned down to minimum setting for LPG. He suggested we get the manufacturer to send an engineer out to sort the porblem. We were unable to use the cooker as the burners didn't operate correctly without the regulators being turned down.

The manufacturer told us that as we'd bought the cooker from Comet, they weren't allowed to touch it during the first year owing to an arrangement they have with Comet to provide the first year warranty repairs.

Contacted Comet, who initially sent an engineer out. He turned out not to be LPG qualified, so wasn't able to do any work. Contacted Comet again, who started getting awkward.

They told us that they didn't have ANY LPG qualified engineers to do the work and said we'd have to pay an independent engineer to fix the cooker!!!! Naturally I pointed out that our contract was with them, they had sold us a cooker which wasn't built properly and they were providing the first year's support, so they would have to get an engineer out to do the work. I then got a call saying that as we'd converted the cooker to LPG they weren't liable. The cooker is advertised on their website as "LPG convertible" and it is supplied with the kit to do it - which is why we bought it. They weren't getting away with that. I contacted Trading Standards who agreed that they were most certainly obliged to mend it.

Now we've still not had a resolution, and we still haven't been able to use our brand new cooker some two weeks later, but what really concerns me is that they are unable to provide the first years warranty support on LPG cookers which they sell as they have told us that they don't have any suitably qualified engineers! They are unwilling to simply get an independent engineer in to fill this gap and pay for it, for some reason, even though they are presumably obliged to under their warranty terms. I will be following this up with Trading Standards as this is completely unacceptable as far as I can see.

They have also claimed they're not liable for any re-installation costs if they replace the cooker! Of course they are! Why should I be £180 out of pocket for a second installation when the only reason I need  a second installation is that they've sold  me an unusable cooker?

Anyone else had any similar experiences?

Hi --- Would also remind you that you are still within your rights to reject the item under, "the sale of goods act" as it is not fit for the purpose you have bought it for, and also of either a bad design or poorer build quality than you expected.

You could do this demand a full refund and wash your hands of them, relieving yourself of any future problem of this kind. -- another weapon in your arsenal --- so to speak !

Yep! "Reject" is what I intend to do tomorrow. We will demand a full refund as we're worried that if they simply replace the cooker with the same model, there's no guarantee that it won't have the same problem.

 Then I intend to go to a specialist Calor centre and buy a cooker which is already set up for LPG. I will however follow this up with Trading Standards (already lodged my initial complaint) as if they sell LPG cookers and don't have any LPG engineers, they cannot possibly perform their contractual obligations under the warranty. 

Cheers.

Follow up - have rejected the cooker and Comet have refunded us the full purchase cost.

 Curiously, (and unsurprisingly given their previous appalling customer service and inability to retain the simplest information) a week after receiving the refund no-one has contacted us to arrange collection of the faulty cooker...

 I have asked them to collect it, but.....nothing!

 The refund letter was sent to an address I've never lived at! (although thankfully the actual money went into the right account). The original complaint has been escalated with Trading Standards, who have passed it on to their office local to Comet's headquarters in Hull.

 COMET - you truly are the most useless, incompetent waste of space I've ever had the misfortune to deal with. And I've had to deal with Southern Electric Phones, so that's really saying something. If you can't cover your own warranty obligations you should not be selling the items in question, or you should not claim to offer a warranty.

Thanks for the warning B&T.

I am refurbishing the kitchen in my new (needs modernisation) house and was going to go to Comet this week to buy oven, hob, hood, dish washer, washing machine and a few other items.

I had poor service from Comet a number of years ago and haven't shopped there since (I also advised my family to avoid them). I had decided to give them another try this time as I thought by now they would have taken steps to shake off their dreadful reputation. Sadly it seems they haven't.

They obviously have enough trade to not worry about, what they think is, the odd few dissatisfied customers. What they don't realise is that those few people tell their families, friends, workmates etc. Word gets around especially with the internet.

So Comet, you are obviously still rubbish at customer service and for that reason I'll be going elsewhere. It's your loss!

Had to do an update - COMET'S level of incompetence goes from ridiculous to absurd....

Having received my refund for the broken cooker and heard nothing about the collection by Comet, I got a letter on Friday 9th Nov telling me they'd attempted to pick up the appliance on Nov 3rd. Now, this was news to me as no-one had contacted me to arrange it, so I knew nothing about it. However, even if they had arranged it, they tried to pick up from the same wrong address which I've told them is wrong 13 times over the past 4 weeks!!!

 The letter went on to acknowledge their continuing error: "Our records showed an incorrect address that I have now corrected. Our records show that the collection is still outstanding" Still outstanding? Really? Not a big surprise!!!!

I phoned the Stock Audit Dept, complained, checked they had the right address and arranged for the cooker to be picked up this afternoon (Sat 11th Nov).

No-one had turned up by 16.00, so I phoned again to check. They told me that the cooker (which is still in my kitchen) had already been collected.... Naturally I explained that I wouldn't be asking when they were going to collect it if I no longer had it...I was passed to another customer "service" person, who, 30 seconds later I found out STILL HAD THE WRONG ADDRESS!!! (14 times I've told them now).

 I had a rant and have re-booked the collection for next Saturday...I'll post again then.

Don't buy from Comet. Their level of incompetence is just astonishing.