GOTOMOW & MOUNTFIELD NO CONSUMER RIGHTS
I purchased a Mountfield mower from gotomow.co.uk when in use the flap covering the top of the grass box opened leaving the operator covered in dust and anything else the mower could throw out. It was not possible to use the mower and be directly behind it as you were inhaling dust and even wearing glasses failed to prevent dust entering my eyes. It was possible to see the blade through the gap at the top of the grass box and I considered this to be a very dangerous. I contacted Gotomow and sent videos and photos of the mower expelling debris through the gap, together with a photo showing the blade visible though the gap.
Gotomow had no interest in this and did everything to pass my complaint off, as a small problem easily rectified. I stated that the mower was not fit for purpose and I rejected the mower on these grounds. But Gotomow insisted that I take it to a Mountfield dealer for repair in the first instance, as it was over 6 months old.
I took the mower to the repair centre and they had it for two weeks replacing all the parts that they considered relevant to the problem. When I collected the mower and used it, the problem still existed, in fact I thought it was actually a little worst than before the new parts were fitted as once the grass box had some grass in it, the weight caused the flap to open and it was not possible to push it closed. When I informed Gotomow of this and again provided video evidence of the fault, their only response was to tell me that the mower does not have a problem that could not be easily fixed. I returned the mower to the repair centre again. The technician reported that the mower had a default problem that they were unable to repair as it was design fault. They advised me to return it to the supplier (Gotomow) as unfit for purpose. This was from a company that Gotomow instructed me to take it to.
This was now complete confirmation of what I had stated two months previous and was clearly not the news Gotomow wanted to hear. I sent Gotomow the email I received from the dealership repair centre, informing me that the mower was unrepairable and that it was not fit for purpose. I again asked Gotomow for a refund for the mower as I could not use it safely and it was unrepairable as the engineer stated.
Two days later Gotomow emailed me one afternoon instructing me to once again to take the mower to the repair centre because another person from Mountfield would “love to see it”. Gotomow stated that, if the mower is not at the centre, I was to get it there by the morning. Absolutely unbelievable. I did not take it to the centre again as that route was now exhausted. I then received a telephone message from Mountfield that morning offering to exchange the mower for new but as the engineer stated, it was a default problem, so I did not want to exchange it and end up with a similar problem later. I refused the exchange and emailed Gotomow to inform them I wanted to be refunded.
Gotomow have now completely ignored my emails requesting a refund for this unrepairable faulty machine. It appears that Gotomow were very happy to uphold their rights by attempting a repair but when the repair failed, the purchaser can take a running jump as far as their rights are concerned. I am now having to go to my credit card company to request a section 75 chargeback to try and get my money back. They have requested the email from the repair centre stating that it has a default problem and the videos I have. Hopefully this will satisfy my credit card company who will them make a charge back.
I would not recommend making a purchase from Gotomow. Certainly my experience with them shows that they have no interest in the rights of their customers. If you make a purchase from them and experience a problem, you will be directed to a third party as though it has nothing to do with them. They then attempt to make it a problem between you and the manufacturer although your contract is with them not the manufacturer. They were fast to email their rights as the machine was 6 months old but after exhausting their rights to attempt repair, they had zero interest in my consumer rights as a customer with a machine I cannot use.
YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!!! If I eventually receive a response from them or my credit card, I will update this review.
19th August update
So absolutely no response from Gotomow which is precisely what I expected. Mountfield left a message that stated they would replace the mower for a new one. I called them on my return from holiday to ask if they would replace it with another model and they said they will look to see what was in stock. Despite further calls and message text to them, Zero response was my experience once again. I will never purchase anything from GOTOMOW again.