Four months ago I purchased a Morphy Richards kettle from the Co-op in Wigston. Last weekend it decided to stop working. I did all the usual things like check the plug, wiring etc which were all fine. I came to the conclusion that its time was up and had died.

Fortunately I had kept the receipt, guarantee (valid for 1 year) and the original box (which I retrieved from my daughter’s bedroom housing her High School Musical cards!!). I drove myself down to the Wigston branch of the Co-op to exchange it for a working kettle. After eventually finding a parking space, which involved me circling the car park several times, I walked the short distance to the Co-op.

I went straight to the cash till where I waited until the two sales assistants finished their conversation about house prices and inflation. Interesting though it was, I interrupted (if I hadn’t I may have still been waiting now!) and explained my predicament. They were very helpful, checked my receipt and said I could go and choose a replacement kettle. Excited at the prospect that I could soon have a coffee, I decided upon a stainless steel Russell Hobbs kettle. Luckily it was £34.95 which was exactly what I had paid for my Morphy Richards kettle four months previously. This was going to be a fairly simple transaction, or so I thought!………..

Pleased with my choice, I made my way back to the sales assistant who put it into a carrier bag for me. I asked her if the guarantee was in the box. She told me that I had eight months guarantee left on my old kettle and this was all I would get for the new one. I tried explaining that the old guarantee was for a Morphy Richards kettle that was now broken and returned and that I wanted a twelve months guarantee on the new Russell Hobbs one. She said to me that there was no way that this could be done. It made no sense to me, so I asked to speak to the Manager, and guess what……….? She was the Manageress! I thought it had been too easy. Ten minutes of arguing passed and I was much too tired to go on listening to her nonsense and finally I gave in.

I told her that under the circumstances, I wanted a refund instead. She refunded me the £34.95 for the faulty kettle. I then told her that I wanted to purchase the Russell Hobbs kettle. She scanned the price and I paid her the £34.95 she had just given me. “Does it come with a twelve month guarantee?” I asked, to which she replied “yes its in the box”

Where is the logic in this? I thought it would have been much easier to swap over the kettles……….how wrong I was! They should change their name from Co-op to Un Co-op!