Clipping of news on Brazilian Culture, Law and Citizenship
05/20/2013
This article was translated by an automatic translation system, and was therefore not reviewed by people.
Retailers sell installation, but do not tell that customer service can make or even request it for free
RIO - To operate an appliance, simply follow the manufacturer's guidelines. Most can be installed by the consumer. And there are models that come with free service provided by the manufacturer. But if consumers prefer activation is done by a professional, you can hire a service, authorized or not. All these options should be presented to the customer at the time of closing a deal. In practice, however, sellers focus on, beyond the product, also sell the facility, which may reach R$ 419 in the case of TV with home theater in Fast Shop.
When the cost is not fixed per product is around 10% of the well. But this percentage may represent more - almost 20%, or R$ 358 of R$ 1,899 charged by a hood. And, to sell such convenience, some lie or omit information, propagating difficulties.
GLOBE survey by the last Monday in nine stores in Rio - two of Casas Bahia, Ponto Frio three from three of Ricardo Eletro and the Fast Shop, and telesales - found that the sale of the facility is present in the strategy these business networks. Generally, the service is offered after the consumer do decide to purchase or if the seller is asked about the installation. The offer is always accompanied by a speech extolling the benefits of service - convenience, a small increase in the value of the share, lower cost - and a flood of difficulties that discourage say no to the offer.
In the case of televisions, the service can be useful to lock the device on the wall, although the setting can be made by the consumer. But sellers go beyond the placing on the stand and claim that "it is almost impossible to configure a TV yourself" and that service - R$ 159 in Ricardo Eletro, R$ 199 in Casas Bahia and Ponto Frio, and R$ 355 in Fast Shop - is necessary for everyone.
Already wash and dry machines are presented as a big deal, "the basket is stuck", "we need to configure it", "there is a hot water inlet" and "you can lose the warranty." To install them, the Fast Shop charges R$ 266. Cold and houses point Bahia, about 10% of the value. While the authorized service goes for R$ 150 at most.
And based on all the difficulties presented at the time of purchase that, four years ago, the engineer Cid Valerio chose to pay the Fast Shop by installing its first wash and dry. Although expensive to find, accepted the suggestion of the seller. But to observe the work of the technician, felt aggrieved:
- At the end of the purchase, the seller said that the installation was very difficult and recommending the service. As the model was changing, I accepted.
This year, to buy a new washer and dry, the installation was on account of Valerius:
- Neither wanted to know the price. It was very quiet. They say, for example, it is difficult to drop the basket. But he is screwed and the tool comes along. There is everything in the manual. It did not take 20 minutes.
Christian Pires, lawyer of the Brazilian Consumer Defense (IDEC), sees no problem in the retailers offer installation. But consider abusive practice, which can be punished for violating the Code of Consumer Protection, did not inform the actual installation conditions and not to say that the service is offered for free by the manufacturer:
- Almost imposition of that shopkeeper to buy a facility, presenting difficulties or omitting information may be considered abusive. The vendor can not avail themselves of the lack of customer knowledge to trick you.
Selma Amaral, Director of Customer Procon-SP, also highlights the duty of disclosure:
- The store sells the product. And the information is in the manual, which only comes with the product. Seriously withhold information or mislead the consumer into error.
Suspension sales service
The Viavarejo, which accounts for Casas Bahia and Ponto Frio, says its salespeople are trained to assist the client and identify the need for installation. And admits paying a percentage on the sale of the service. In response to the GLOBE email sent on Wednesday, reporting offerings, the company said that only provides service for computer, mobile, TVs and home theater. On Friday, when asked again about the white line, reported that since Thursday suspended the installation of dishwashers, washers and wash and dry, as most manufacturers do it for free.
The Ricardo Eletro offers installation pays TVs. The service includes technical visit, removal of the packaging machine, adjust sound and picture, functionality testing, passage of cables and wires, instructions on use, cleaning and organization of the site.
The Fast Shop says direct their professionals to offer the best solution as needed. Since 2004, installs kitchen products, laundry, video and audio for amounts from R$ 99. Asked if the seller tells you if the service is offered for free by the manufacturer, the network did not respond.
In the case of TVs, Sony, Samsung and LG claim that the devices can be installed and configured by the consumer and, in addition to the manual, there are channels online and telephone support.
The LG refrigerator side by side install for free. To wash and dry, says the product can be activated by the consumer and offers online support and telephone.
According to Renata Leon, manager of Engineering Services at Whirlpool Latin America, the brands Brastemp, Consul and KitchenAid, installing hood, side by side and washing machine with hot water is free. The average installation of other products varies from R$ 50 to R$ 70.
According to Electrolux, the manual indicates that the installation is free. And he warns that "there is no warranty coverage for products installed by others."
Samsung does not install the white line charge and says consumers can do it. If you opt for technical assistance, the service is charged.
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Source: The Globe - Online
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This article was translated by an automatic translation system, and was therefore not reviewed by people.