Gyzmo I agree with you, as I work in this field. The consumers first port of call should be the retailer as they are the only person that they have a contract with. The consumers statutory rights come first and warranties are only required over and above these. If the consumer does not know whether the number relates to the retailers designated repairers or the manufacturer, then calling it could open a whole new can of worms. Basically, if it belongs to the manufacturer and they accept a repair through them, then any rights they had against the retailer are effectively severed. Therefore, if any further problems ensued and the warranty was gone then they would not have anywhere to go for remedy. The warranty exists for approx 1 year, whereas the rights under the SOGA applies for 6 years or 5 from discovery in Scotland. However, this does not mean that all goods must last this period of time!!

The burden of proof lies with the purchaser after the first six months from the date of sale. If you wish to have the retailer remedy this, and they are not willing to look at it, you will require to have an independent report carried out by a repair centre to state that a fault exists and it is due to an inherent fault within the TV. If you get this report carried out then you should send another recorded delivery letter to the retailer, enclosing a copy of the report, and asking them to rectify matters. If they do not, then ultimately you are looking at small claims court. The remedy you will probably be entitled to is repair, or costs of repair. If not repairable, then a replacement of like for like quality taking into account age and usage. Again, if this is not possible you should be able to claim a partial refund. Hope this helps!