Arthur versus Goliath

Making a point: Arthur Proudley is urging others to follow his lead

A ROYTON man who took on a retail giant in a David and Goliath battle — and came out top — is calling for a consumer revolution.

Arthur Proudley (64) is now £600 better off after a row over his faulty satnav, brought electrical giant Comet within a whisker of having the bailiffs sent in.

Arthur saw red when his sat-nav broke and the Elk Mill store refused to replace it, so he marched over to County Court and launched an action.

But the plucky pensioner, of Cambrian Drive, realised he was in a very strong position when he was told by the court that if Comet lost and refused to pay up he could could freeze their bank account or send in the bailiffs.

He said: “I was absolutely flabbergasted.

“You could, in theory, freeze the bank account of a huge firm like Comet for the sake of £500. It’s incredible.”

Now Arthur is urging other shoppers to take the power back and fight the corporations when they fall short.

He said: “People spend a fortune in these shops and when things go wrong you just get fobbed off.

“I fought this for the principle as much as the money and would urge others to do the same. I did it by myself, without the help of a solicitor, and if I can do it, anyone can.”

Arthur’s problems began when his £400 Tom Tom sat-nav broke, in August.

It was still under its two year warranty and Arthur had also paid another £100 for a further three years warranty — covering it until 2011.

Comet referred Arthur back to Tom Tom who eventually told him nothing could be done.

In the end, Arthur says, Comet offered him a secondhand model.

He said: “Nowhere in that warranty did it say that I had to accept a secondhand reconditioned model, so I wasn’t willing to accept it.

“I went to County Court and was charged a £50 fee, which would be repaid if I won my case. It was so simple to do.

“Comet never responded to the court, so it found in my favour and asked them to pay me the money, but when nothing came I went back in and that’s when they said that if I paid a further admin fee of £50 I could get bailiffs sent in, so I paid the money.”

A cheque, which had, by now, increased to £600 to cover Arthur’s costs, soon winged its way to County Court and is now safely tucked away in Arthur’s back pocket.

He said: “All this could have been avoided if they had simply replaced my sat-nav. It would have cost them a lot less.

“People need to know they have rights. People are often told they have to deal with manufacturers, but the place you buy the item from has to deal with your complaint.

“If people knew more about their rights it might make big stores think twice before trying to fob people off.”

A spokesman for Comet said: “It was unfortunate this matter was not resolved at an earlier stage. We are pleased to confirm this matter is now resolved. We would like to apologise to Mr Proudley for the inconvenience this issue has undoubtedly caused.”