After several months of unreliability the hard drive on my Foxsat box eventually died. It would take a few minutes to boot up and then gave a warning that no hard drive could be found. I was quite glad really because it meant that I could get a replacement under warranty.

This was my experience of the process:

DAY 1 - Sent email to Humax Support outlining the problem and asking how to get a replacement unit.

DAY 2 - Got a email reply with a pretty standard response saying "You will need to format the HDD and then do a factory reset on the HD, and this should fix the issue you're experiencing"

DAY 3 - I sent a email politely explaining that I had done a factory reset (pointless but it ticked the box) but could not reformat the HDD since it could not be found
I asserted that I thought that a replacement was the only option.

DAY 5 - Got an email saying "if less than 28 days since purchase return it to the store else email us for a warranty repair form"
I then asked for the form to be sent to me and it arrived 10mins later.

DAY 7 - Filled in and sent back the form and an electronic version of the receipt by email.

DAY 8 - Got a phone call saying that the replacement box would arrive in two days time.

DAY 10 - Swapped replacment box for the original. Note that it is a refurbished unit rather than a brand new one but at least it had the firmware upgrade.

So besides the fact that I was not happy with the unreliabilty of the original unit or the fact that I lost all my recordings (75% full ), I was actually impressed with the speed of the response from Humax Support.

My replacement box has been in place for a few weeks now and has behaved so far.

Thanks Trickle,
A good log of hoops to jump through!
So anyone with a similar problem copies your script from "Day 1 to & including Day 5.
Hence saving about 5 days.
Mine is OK so far but having tempted fate,

David

Thanks to the original poster for this.

My Foxsat HDR finally gave up the ghost this weekend after a few weeks of being temperamental (think it is HDD failure), purchased June 09. I started my Warranty replacement claim at step 7 by ringing support helpline (0844 669 8800) direct instead of using e-mail.

Phoned 9.30 this morning, got back e-mail with blank Warranty claim form before voice call had ended, sent back claim form and proof of purchase via mail by 10.15, just awaiting a call to confirm change out date by courier.

So hopefully have saved 6 days in this original poster's process.

Please remember then you purchase a product your warranty is with the company that sold you the product not directly with the manufacturer (unless purchased direct). In many cases returning the product to your retailer may be the quickest way of getting a replacement for a faulty item.

Just as long as NO-ONE is getting confused by Bob's statement there - as it doesn't accord with the statements of the DTI or Consumer Direct!

Any retailer is responsible for what they sell, but a manufacturer can also enter into legal responsibilities!

eg To quote from the DTI Traders Guide to The Law relating to the supply of Goods & Services (April 2005)

"Free Guarantees/Warranties
"In addition to having their legal rights a consumer may be offered a guarantee (e.g. by a manufacturer or retailer) on a
voluntary basis. Guarantees – sometimes called warranties – do not have to be offered but if they are, those given free of charge with the product:
* will be legally binding on the person offering the guarantee;
* will have to be written in English and in plain intelligible words;
* must be available for viewing by consumers before purchase, e.g. by advising where they may be seen such as on the internet for those with access; and
* state that they do not affect the consumer's legal rights.

"Duration of free guarantees
"It is up to the company offering free guarantees to decide on their duration. Many products come with a free one-year guarantee; some have two or three years while others have none. This is entirely legal."

http://www.berr.gov.uk/files/file25486.pdf
page 17

That has been the case since the law changed in March 2003 per Consumer Direct (previously the manufacturer could just say they said that it had their warranty, but the reality was they didn't really care!)

So if you have a document saying Humax provide a warranty then feel free to take Humax to the courts if they start shilly shallying and saying its for the retailer to deal with it - I doubt they will - but they might if they think they are above or around UK law!

Of course if Humax's (legally enforceable) warranty requests you to take it back to the retailer first that could I am sure be a reasonable request, as long as they don't think it absolves them from any warranty promise they have made!

MKD

In my case. I purchased mail order via the Internet. So going direct to Humax was the best option for my particular circumstance. Reasons for this statement are:

1) I would have had to pay postage to send it to the Internet retailer.
2) Then it would have to have been received by them before sending out a replacement....another delay.

Going via Humax, Humax fund the courier costs, and the courier does a one for one replacement. So only one delivery timescale is involved. Downside is that Humax ship a refurbished unit, whereas retailer would probably send a new one. I agree that had I purchased from a high st retailer, then that might have been the better option.

So would Humax then provide the retailer with a brand new replacement for the faulty box?, as far as I'm aware that's not how Humax administer their warranty via retailers?.

Although to date we've not had a single Humax Freesat box fail, so not had any need to find out.

Our rule (retailer) on this is brand new replacement within 2 years, though collection of faulty unit is free within 28 days only. We often recommend to customers that they contact Humax technical support first and if they confirm faulty, come back to us and we'll replace; though there has been occasions where Humax have offered to replace at which point the responsibility of the retailer ends, as they didn't supply the replacement (especially if a recon). Always go back to the retailer first.

Just to update anybody who might be vaguely interested:

Sent warranty claim, as described above, on Monday morning.

Tuesday morning received confirmation by e-mail of change-out for Thursday.

Thursday morning get e-mail from courier with on-line tracking link giving me an estimated courier arrival timeslot of 10.30 to 11.30am.

Courier arrived at 11.20 as per e-mail.

Replacement shipped in special re-usable case that can then accept returned unit. The replacement was for all intent and purposes in 'brand new' condition with latest boot and operational firmware.