Hi BeauBrummie Thanks for your interest in my case. The five-year guarantee is on the invoice - an A4 sheet which serves as the receipt, containing the make and model number of the TV set. It includes invoice number; price paid; how paid; VAT calculations; the address of the store in Exeter which sold the set; my home address; date and time paid; the product code and details; and the words "60-month guarantee" in capital letters under the product details. It's headed Sony Centre including the addresses of four premises, three stores (Barnstaple, Exeter and Torquay) and one headed "Sony Service", which was their delivery and repairs centre, also in Barnstaple. On the bottom of the sheet it proudly boasts that the Barnstaple branch was national "Sony Centre of the Year 2000" and also that in 2001 the same branch was a South West regional winner of "Sony Centre of the Year", together with the Sony logo. On the side of the front, running up along the edge, it says "TJ & J Williams T/A Sony Centres South West" and the website address is given under the heading as sonycentres. co. uk / tjwilliams. On the reverse under the heading "Sales/Repairs Conditions", again it has the Sony logo, bearing the words "Authorised Service Dealer". Under the heading "Guarantees", it states: "All TJ & J Williams guarantees are an extension of the manufacturers guarantee (and terms contained therein) covering parts and labour, for the period stated on the invoice. It is a condition of our guarantee extensions that the item is returned to a branch of TJ & J Williams for repair. Large televisions (21 and above) will be collected/returned FOC within the county of Devon. "This order is accepted on the condition that the final payment is received, the title in the goods remains with the seller even though the property has transferred to the buyer. The seller reserves the right to reclaim the goods even though the goods may have been passed to a third party." "Shortages to be reported with 7-10 days of receipt of goods." Under the heading "Repairs", it states: "Whilst every endeavour is made to give our customers satisfaction we cannot under any circumstances guarantee that other faults will not develop in the near future or even on the same day. "Radio, television receivers and electrical appliances are instruments containing hundreds of component parts and in carrying out repairs the parts specified have been replaced. The breakdown of other parts may give rise to symptoms identical to those which were present prior to this repair." It ends: "Thank you for your cooperation." Followed by "This does not affect your statutory rights." The reverse then gives the postal and email addresses, together with the phone and fax numbers, of "Sony Service" at Barnstaple, as outlined above. There is also a helpful map of the location of the service centre. The reverse of the invoice again ends with the words: "Sony Centre". I haven't had a reply from Sony yet but it is early days.

I had occasion today to send this letter to Sony's head office in Basingstoke. As anyone got any idea whether I am on solid ground and have a chance of having my TV repaired or can I expect a reply turning me away? If Sony do that, does anyone know what options might I have that might have a realistic chance of success? Dear Sirs I bought a Sony TV in September 2004 from your then dealership in Exeter, copy of receipt attached (this includes the 60-month guarantee). The TV ceased working on Friday, August 8, 2008, so on Monday, August 11, I telephoned your local authorised repair centre, Applicance Care Ltd in Exeter, and they said the TV set was no longer guaranteed because the dealership I bought it from had ceased trading. So, on the advice of Applicance Care, I telephoned your customer care centre on 0870 511 1999 and spoke to a man there, call log *********, who said there was nothing Sony would do for me as Sony Centres South West was only a franchise. I was very disappointed, as I had bought the TV from the Sony dealership largely because of the five-year warranty. I could have bought a cheaper, similar TV for less money elsewhere but was particularly attracted by the 60-month guarantee offered. The man I spoke to at your care centre was sympathetic but told me there was nothing he could do and advised me to write to you. As you will see from the copy of my receipt, Sony's good name is all over it, including how the retailer concerned had won accolades from Sony. There was every reason to believe the store was, like a car dealership, a main dealer for Sony and it was offering its goods for sale under your banner and with your back-up for servicing, repairs and customer service. For example, I wouldn't expect to buy a new car from a Ford main dealer only to find the warranty on it was invalid should that particular dealer cease trading. If you are not prepared to repair or replace my broken TV set - when I plug it in the little red light doesn't come on, so it appears there is a power supply problem (it's not the fuse in the plug, I checked that) - I will have to consider my options further. In any event, as things currently stand, my view of Sony, its service and products, is somewhat tarnished. I would have thought Sony was a big enough company to honour the agreements of its franchisees, even after a particular store had ceased trading. I look forward to your response. Ends