elink repair

[Class_of.66]

Hi my elink is out of warranty and it wont come on at all, power is working as it powers up my elite,so it looks like its borked;its dead.Anyone have the same issue and sent it back for repair? how much was it? or do I get another one instead? cheers, missing it already,lol.

[idlemarvel]

I have not come across elinks failing like this befiore but you have nothing to lose by ringing up hornby customer care and asking them what you should do.

[Class_of.66]

Hi idlemarvel, I have done that, I fear I may have to get a new one though,still baffled as to why it suddenly died,there were no issues up till then.

[Class_of.66]

Actually I have an elite unit thats unused so I could connect that and get the same ability as an elink?

[RDS]

Yes you can, in fact more ability, because you can also control your layout using the controls on the Elite and are not just tied to computer control.  The Elite also has the 4 Amp supply so it will control more trains etc.  The Elite connects to your PC using a USB lead.

I was just about to reply 'why do you need an e-link repaired, when you have an Elite' when you posted your latest question.

[Augustus Caesar]

Co66... you may find this interesting...

Under the Sale of Goods Act within the first year of purchase (bare with me) if an item of electrical nature like yours goes off for no apparent reason and you have not caused this to happen you are entitled to a replacement free of charge. You do not have to accept a repair. The item should be expected to last for the minumum of its statutary warranty period, which in this case, is one year. After that first year it is down, sometimes, to just how long the unit would be naturally expected to operate with normal use.

If the item goes off after the end of that first year warranty and up to five years since purchase you are entitled to a repair free of charge. You are not entitled to a new item. The caveat is that you have to prove the item is faulty through no fault of your own and that it is down to a manufacturing fault. You also have to prove no abuse, like bouncing it around or throwing it off a wall (I know, sounds silly but it's a fact) etc.

The vast majority of companies will deny this law exists simply because they know little or nothing of it. I have won several cases with this law esp. at PCW**ld.

I know it is a bind having to prove stuff but I would have thought that Hornby might just be sympathetic to you anyway. The unit is small and compact and therefore has fragile parts inside.

If you don't wish to argue your case you could take it apart and check the soldering inside to see if it hasn't cracked causing a dry joint or whatever. Check for blown capacitors too if any are on the board inside.

Just a thought.....

[Class_of.66]

cheers for thr info guys most constructive, I suppose its a matter of plugging  the elite into the pc and rm does the rest, or will I need to configure RM?

[Yelrow]

augustus, how good to find somebody who uses this act to the full. I have a legal. Qualification,and use it at every opportunity, do you know about john majors citizens charter, which I s an even better one, john

[idlemarvel]

You can try just plugging it in and RM may find it, as RM tries all the com ports before giving up.  However it would be best to configure RM in the options popup, once you know what com port windows says its on.  Also you are recommended to set the com port speed to 19200, but otherwise the com port settings and device driver are the same.

Elite will do what the elink does in terms of interfacing your track and locos with RM, but there are some operational differences.  Apart from the link speed just mentioned, RM has a heartbeat function for elink, RM will automatically update the elink with new software when released, and you can do a soft reset of the elink without having to pull the plug as you have to on the elite.

[Augustus Caesar]

John... Hi... I do know about that charter :-)

It was introduced in 1991 if my memory serves me right and covered all kinds of things to make life easier for joe public... the controversial league tables always made me laugh though. It was to show where services were supposed to be running at a level that would help us all out by saving time and money chasing shadows with service providers who were too slow, inadequate or incompetent. Now I know It went much further than that but on here there is no room to discuss the fine arts of said charter.

Sometimes though, and you probably agree, that when one quotes that other law I mention above it is either laughed at, scoffed at or completely disbelieved as fantasy or too good to be true. Trouble is no-one mentions it because shops and proprietors are scared of it and most probably don't even know it exists. When I collared PCW**rld with it first time it was for a DVD recorder that in the States was recalled because of a fault during the manufacturing process. Here in Blighty the unit was sold as normal. When folk complained it was sent for repair usually and came back no better really.

So I had to argue my case keeping back this law until I could not be bothered arguing with them. I quoted it eventually and the manager just looked flummoxed and didn't believe me. After a time he rang his head office who couldn't help him!!! Then a few moments afterward he got a call back to say to exchange the item or refund. I went for an exchange but the system was discontinued four years prior. I chose a better one that was worth an extra £20 and took that.

That law is excelllent but you do have to stand your ground. Best part is: if you know you are right and the shop is wrong in what they say and you quote the law you will almost certainly grind them down eventually. If not use a small claims court... that's what they are for.

Anyway... hopefully this case won't reach this scenario and a fix can be found.

[Augustus Caesar]

Class_of.66... do you intend to just use the Elite and forget the Elink or are you going to pursue contact with Hornby and chase your consumer rights? I'm not trying to stir things up but you have a unit not working and deserve to at least be able to enjoy what you thought was a sound system to operate your layout.

[Class_of.66]

Hi just plugged it and changed the controller to elink,works perfectly! Cheers, yes cust services are emailing me about the elink which is dead,which I hope to get sorted,cheers for your valuable input.

[poliss]

Augustus. The Sale of Goods Act, (and related legislation), says six months, not a year. You may only be entitled to a repair or replacement, not a full refund. You have to contact the retailer, not the manufacturer. A manufacturers warranty is a completely different thing. Here's a link to the relevant legislation.

http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20090609003228/http://www.berr.gov.uk/whatwedo/consumers/fact-sheets/page38311.html

[Teedoubleudee]

Six years, not six months. I've quoted it on more than one occasion, once I got a refund as it didn't perform as expected and once resulted in an exchange which is what I asked for, for a plastic sun lounger that snapped after 13 months.

[poliss]

I was referring to Augustus's post Teedoubleudee, specifically "Under the Sale of Goods Act within the first year of purchase (bare with me) if an item of electrical nature like yours goes off for no apparent reason and you have not caused this to happen you are entitled to a replacement free of charge".

During the first six months it's up to the retailer that there was no fault with the product. After six months it's up to the consumer that there was an inherent fault with the product.  For up to six years after purchase (five years from discovery in Scotland) purchasers can demand damages (which a court would equate to the cost of a repair or replacement).

Are all goods supposed to last six (or five) years?

No, that is the limit for bringing a court case in England and Wales (five years from the time of discovery in Scotland's case). An item only needs to last as long as it is reasonable to expect it to, taking into account all the factors. An oil filter would usually not last longer than a year but that would not mean it was unsatisfactory.

If you copy and paste my link you will see the Sale of Goods Act Fact Sheet where I got the information from.

[Augustus Caesar]

Not quite... bare in mind I have years of experience professionally in this field so know what I am talking about. Anyway... let's not get into anything that can spoil a good debate... :-)

The first six months relate to where a seller has to prove the item IS NOT faulty. The second six months of the first year is down to the consumer to prove the item IS faulty. Which, by definition, is the same as the first six months because the seller is still going to deny a fault existed. So, the courts, if used, really only look at it one way in real terms... the seller has to prove a non-faulty item. That term is for one year from the date of purchase or date of delivery whichever is the latter.
At no point did I say one had to contact the manufacturer. Their contract is with their buyer - who will be your seller, whose contract is with you, the buyer and end user. At no point do you ever go to the manufacturer and claim anything under warranty. They will simply refer you to the person/company who sold the goods to you.

Where I did make one small error is in the sentence, "If the item goes off after the end of that first year warranty and up to five years since purchase you are entitled to a repair free of charge." I should have stated six instead of five. Usually I quote it so I use the five years after the original warranty period runs out. A small error, but, hey ho.

Now, a repair or refund? You are entitled to a full refund within the first year because the goods bought were not of merchantable quality or not fit for purpose. You may be offered a repair but you DO NOT have to accept this.

After the first year you will be entitled to a repair free of charge and if the item cannot be repaired or is no longer available or viable to repair then a replacement should be offered that is equal to or better than the original purchase and has equal functionality or better than the original. If this still cannot resolved a refund may be sought to settle the matter although it not highly likely to be given.

Please be aware that these records of the Act you are reading are on the National Archives site and laws do change. Refer to the latest versions if you have any doubt.

A replacement free of charge in the first year after breakdown is a fact and because the archive states a repair or replacement will be offered shows it does not cover the full law.

These are snippets of the full Sale of Goods Act and should only be taken in the context they are written... as a guide and not ipso facto. For the latest laws regarding this Act you need the latest copy to read and it is a very long document and can get tedious and boring to read for some. However, I have read it and I do know my stuff. The archive quoted does not contain the full passages of text for each point and can easily be misinterpreted. Why do you think law courts argue over words, sentences and context of these for a long time until the judge clarifies or renders a proper meaning for them?

Anyway, apart from my slight oversight I know what I said is true and have been told so by legal officials when asked. Why do I ask? So I don't quote or say the wrong thing to someone who needs the info... where do I get my qualifications to be able to quote this stuff? An AAT pass (Association of Accounting Technicians) and many other accounting and legal passes I have.

Don't get me wrong Poliss I am not having a dig or owt like that so please do not take my words the wrong way... :-)

[Teedoubleudee]

Thanks for your insightful knowledge AC. Like I said earlier, I had quoted the "Act" twice as I felt justified, for instance the sun lounger had only been used a handful of times (British Summer) and was stored inside during the winter and I felt this amount of usage proved the item was not of merchantable quality. The seller didn't agree at first but after a couple of calls gave me a brand new one. Would I have gone to court over it? -probably not worth the hassle but the seller would certainly have lost my custom!

Bringing the conversation back to the OP's problem, I find that electronic equipment generally either fails in a very short time or not at all. Usually it's down to the use of poor quality capacitors or soldering processes.When British companies employ far eastern manufacturing processes to make savings they can't be sure of the source of all the components.

[Augustus Caesar]

I quite agree with that statement about not knowing the quality of work one is going to get if a contract is offered out abroad. The company seeking that work has to be reassured the team doing that work is good enough and honest enough to guarantee quality expected of the payer. It is too easy to see cheep labour and think that the quality will be good simply because the manufacturer says so.

I can understand why companies do go abroad for the goods to made at less cost.. it's maximising their profit and nothing more. More profit = more money to invest in other things - or to put it into one's pockets!!

Still, I would much prefer to see things made here but that won't happen especially short term. Reasons? If the quality is high the worker demands more money, labour isn't cheep here, we work less hours and get away with too much re break times etc. If a worker smokes then he/she can ask for more time at the office door to pump tar and nicotine and they get it! Why? Because we are too soft and workers here have rights that put companies off.

There is no real reason why a bit of soldering done abroad or here should differ though... it's solder, and simply put, it should be done the same way the world over so it doesn't degrade or crack under heat stress... the shame.... oh, the shame...