Liability for an item causing damage to customer's property
Hello felllow sellers,
Today I got a message:
“I purchased an induction diffuser from you which we have used once on our brand new induction hob in our newly fitted kitchen.
Unfortunately this diffuser has caused unrepairable damage to our hob.
It has taken part of of the coating off of the surface of the hob, which has incurred heat damage in the process.
It has done this on 2 different areas of the hob.
This item is not fit for its intended purpose and now our hob is ruined. We do not know the extent of the damage nor if the hob will now continue to operate as the manufacturer intended.
Your product has caused this damage, and I would like a resolution and await your comments.
Regards”
What is a proper reaction here?
Should I tell him I am very sorry, issue a refund (it obviously will not make up for it, as it is a 17ish pound item) and redirect him to the manufacturer?
Thank you in advance,
Blazej
27 replies
Seller_esvgLzKXw2YAl
Personally, I can’t see how that would cause that kind of damage.
However…
I presume firstly that the buyer has checked that to use this item on their hob is safe?
The instructions with the item itself would give full directions on how it is to be used?
In any case, you will be liable for a return, but the manufacturer of the item itself, would be responsible for any damage it’s caused.
I would firstly contact your supplier and try to find out if there have been any kind of problems like this previously.
Apologise to the buyer profusely and offer a free return.
Then direct them to contact the manufacturer directly.
I’ll be honest, I’m not sure of the law surrounding this, so you may want to check that out yourself first.
Seller_zWhFURNhcbesd
Have you received any proofs like photos etc of the damage?
As you are the one selling it, you should be the one contacting the manufacturer. If they in turn want to contact the customer directly, it is up to them, I suppose.
Of course an apology should be made but before anything else, more info is needed I think.
Seller_AaTSN0AimLp9O
These ‘diffusers’ are known for causing induction hob damage.
As the retailer you bear some, if not most, of the responsibility.
I guess the only way you’ll deal with it is to hold you hand up and replace their hob or deny any responsibility and await their further action.
Seller_peDwbbfBk34CQ
Thank you for your replies.
I did not get any photos of the damage. I will ask for them.
I do not know if they checked whether the item is safe to use but I will not ask about that as the answer I would get is surely “yes”.
I will obviously issue a refund and apologise.
Of course, paying for their hob would be the last thing I would like to do, but I am not discarding that possibility.
Now I am thinking about getting some insurance… I started selling on Amazon a year ago and did think about it till now, to be honest.
Any further comments are welcome.
Regards,
Blazej
Seller_peDwbbfBk34CQ
Thank you, thank you.
That is what I will do.
I will post here once the case has moved forward.
Regards,
Blazej
Seller_EJIX7rqDNQJi2
You should offer the buyer to return the product for a refund and then handle the return according to the Amazon policy.
Scams like this are very common when buyers are making up stories, trying to obtain money from inexperienced newbie sellers. Amazon will definitely not require you to pay for any damages.
Also, accusations like this should be only dealt with by legal means where proof is be provided by both parties and the situation investigated by a professional. You definitely shouldn’t be issuing the buyer any credits without evidence that your product damaged their property.
Seller_peDwbbfBk34CQ
As usual, thank you for tuning in.
I have refunded them with no evidence as this is only a 16.5 pound item. That does not make much of a difference to me (I know many of You would disagree).
I am not going to send any more money without proof, obviously.
I have sent a question to manufacturer, as it seems the liability lies mainly with them. I am not safe however, as I could be sued, as mentioned before.
I have also sent a response to the customer with an apology and asking for name/model of the hob, pictures and a detailed description of the incident (how the item was used, for how long, what it was heating up and so on).
I am now waiting for the reply from any of the parties.
Regards,
Blazej
Seller_peDwbbfBk34CQ
Hi again!
I knew the conversation about a refund would start but we have had so many of them already…
This is not my main concern anyways.
Update:
Last time I contacted both the customer and the manufacturer.
Manufacturer told me NOT to redirect the customer as, according to them, the complaint should be reviewed in the reverse order of the purchase path. However, they asked me for the photos to speed things up.
They asked for tthe photos of the item itself as well, so maybe it is good for the buyer not to return it?
The customer sent me the photos and the description of the incident. In my opinion, it is their fault as it seems like something was stuck between the diffuser and the hob and, by burning, caused most of the damage.
I did not mention any of this to the customer, of course.
I sent those photos to the manufacturer a week ago, but got no answer yet.
I will be buying more wares from the same wholesaler this week so I will ask them about this case.
I sent a message to the customer assuring them that I did not forget about them and telling that I am still waiting for the manufacturer to respond.
This is pretty much it for now.
Regards,
Blazej
Seller_peDwbbfBk34CQ
Hello,
I got a response from a manufacturer.
I have drafted my message to the customer (below).
I thought You may have some ideas about what to write for them to (let’s be frank) drop the case. 
"Hello Sir,
I am reaching back to you with the response from the manufacturer. Its has been translated by me.
They attached a fragment of Hotpoint’s manual stating that upon reaching high temperature, the sensor will automatically turn the hob off.
The message is as follows:
"Above is a section from the Hotpoint user manual.
As can be seen from the above, the hob was discolored from the temperature and most probably the temperature sensor in the hob did not work, because the Kinghoff adaptor was overheated which can be seen as discoloration not only in one place but also on the whole.
In the case of a long overheating, it is normal that the steel will change color. Traces on the hob do not show a regular mark. The induction hob and the adapter should be clean and the photos show that the customer probably burned some greasy food residue (the fat reaches a high combustion temperature). They did not clean them and still used the product which led to cause these residues to burn.
It is generally known that the glass used by the company that produces glass for the manufacturer of the induction hob is market-leading and the material used by them can withstand extreme temperatures.
We cannot see any reasons to be responsible for the damage."
I am sorry the manufacturer did not accept the complaint.
If there is anything else I can do for you, please let me know.
Regards,
Blazej"
Seller_peDwbbfBk34CQ
Thank you all for your help.
As advised, I have polished the translation and sent it to the customer about a month ago.
Have not heard from them since.
I think the case is closed.
Regards,
Blazej
