JABSCO WARRANTY - Not worth the paper its written on

[GrantS]

I have a Jabsco Automatic Water Pump (Cleghorn Waring), which i fitted to my boat last year. Recently it has been pulsing when the taps in either the head or the galley are not fully open. Now, this could be just debris or a restriction somewhere, but i thought i would speak to Jabsco about this first.

They have said that they are happy for me to remove the front of it to check for any debris / scale that may stuck inside it, but if the cause ends up being the pressure switch itself that is the problem, they informed me that this is not covered by their 3 year warranty.

According to Jabsco, it is only the motor that is covered. The pressure switch is classed as a wear and tear part.

This is misleading to any potential buyer, because on the box it came in, it says in big letters ' 3 Year Warranty'

I will need to investigate the actual cause of this yet, but thought that i would advertise for 'JABSCO' the fact that the pressure switch on their water pumps are not covered by their attractive 3 year warranty.

Also, should anyone need to telephone the company regarding any of their products you won't have to dial the 0870 7388001 Tel No.

Here is the alternative one - 01462 480380

[diesel falcon]

Hi,

sounds like you need one of these??? http://www.mailspeedmarine.com/fresh-wa ... 5705.bhtml

[GrantS]

Hi Trevor,

The model i have does not need an accumulator tank - says so on the box

[diesel falcon]

Ok, but they do help my pump is too big for my system and pulses with the taps full open so going to fit one! gives you a bloody good shower though better than at home!

[Paladin]

Without seeing the exact wording of the 3-year warranty, I won't make any comment on that side of it, but is the pressure switch a replaceable item or is it integral, thus rendering the pump a total write-off?

The Sale of Goods Act 1979, amended in 1994, says that when you buy goods they must fit the description, be of satisfactory quality - which includes lasting a reasonable length of time - and be fit for their purpose. If goods aren't of satisfactory quality you're entitled to compensation, which is normally the cost of repairs or replacement.

The manufacturer's guarantee is in addition to these rights, not instead of them. The JabscoShop Terms & Conditions actually state this.

I would have expected a water pump to last more than 18 months or so. The pump (not a Jabsco) in my current boat is ancient and the one in my previous boat (which I had for 8 years) was already fitted when I bought the boat and was still running perfectly when I sold it.

The vendor, not the manufacturer, is responsible, but it might be worth approaching Jabsco on the point of how long do they expect their product to last (notwithstanding the 3-year warranty) and if they think the xxx months that this pump lasted is representative of the reliability of their products. It might add weight to your argument if you have kept a log of the days on which you have used your boat in that time. Although the pump was fitted, for example, 18 months ago, it might have only been used during a total of two or three weeks in that time. Hardly long enough for the pressure switch to wear out, I would have thought.

[GrantS]

The pressure switch is a replaceable part (but attached to the pump). However, the pressure switch on mine might be be ok yet, so i may not need to go any further with this. I will need to invetigate the problem 1st.

I really wanted to make people aware of what is not covered on the Warranty of a Jabsco Automatic Pressure Sense Water Pump

We used to have a touring caravan, which we owned for 7 years. During that time, we never had to replace the pressure switch which was a totally stand alone part (and fully adjustable), or the pump, which was a submersible one.

[senator]

Pet hate of mine Grant.

From the box claim I would assume that I am not going to have to put my hand in my pocket for 3 years after purchasing this product for anything in the box, unless the fault is caused by something totally not part of the pump elsewhere on the system.

It is the same reason as I do not even venture into a shop that uses the big 70% off and if you look carefully in the corner up to in little tiny writing. I know from day one that they are attempting to mislead me and as such I am dealing with someone who I can not trust and is trying to rip me off. Would much rather go next door and pay more for it and have done so on many occasions.

[mbird]

We've got one of those pumps, which also pulses on and off when the tap in the heads is used as anything less than full bore. It's never caused us a problem though as the flow of water is constant, so I've just left it be. Are you sure that's not how it's meant to work?

[MY littleboat]

The pressure switch may not come under the three year warranty (wording) but, as said above the Sale of Goods Act will cover it - especially if the fault developed in the first 6 months of ownership as it could be deemed that the fault must have been present at purchase - after that the sale of goods act requires that you demonstrate you have taken all care of the item before breakdown occured..but more importantly you will certainly be covered if it is less than 12 months old under your Statutory Guarantee which covers any goods which are sub-standard, misrepresented or become defective...however it is the retailer who is obliged to refund or replace the goods - and guess what - contrary to popular belief, you dont even need a receipt as your declaration that the 'goods came from them' is enough under British Law, and you showing that you have paid on a debit or credit card is a good secondary proof if they fail to accept that.

You basically take the whole pump back to who you bought it from and declare that you 'REJECT THE GOODS AS BEING DEFECTIVE/MISDESCRIBED' and this also goes as far as the wording on the box if the paperwork inside says otherwise and they are legally obliged to refund, exchange - however, and again unlike popular misconception, you have the choice as to whether you want a refund or exchange or credit note toward other goods. The only legal part they play is that they are entitled to offer the refund in the same manner as to which you paid initially.!

[GrantS]

Hi Mark,

The pump didn't do this last year, only started doing it recently. So if you have the same type of pump, then it shouldn't be pulsing like mine and also shouldn't need an accumulator tank as advertised by Jabsco.

Over the winter, the entire system was drained & hoses detached from pump & water tank. The taps were also left open, so no chance of ice damage. (standard procedure that we carried out with the caravan over a 7 year period with no problems whatsoever)

Don't forget that i haven't looked into the reason it is doing this yet, so a bit early yet to condem the pressure switch.

We will see.........

Hi Gavin,

Thanks for the info......... If i find out later that it is the pressure switch at fault, i will be in touch with the company again and depending on their final answer will determine what action i will take.