Q: A year-and-a-half ago, two new doors were installed in my home. The doors were made of aluminium and had blinds installed in between the glass. As soon as they were installed, I noticed that the blinds were not working properly; they were getting stuck.

The seller informed me it was a defect in the mechanism and he would ask the manufacturer to replace them. After a number of months and several phone calls, the seller finally brought over a new set of magnets that should have solved the problem.

Unfortunately, the problem was not solved and I had to wait a few more months before the seller tried to fix the problem once again.

The second attempt at repairing the blinds failed too. In the meantime, I noticed abnormal blotches on the tampered glass, so I immediately asked the seller to come and verify this. At this point, I insisted with the seller that unless he would solve this, I wanted my money back. The seller promptly promised me he would provide a new set of blinds and that the glass would be replaced.

Two months ago, he removed the doors and brought them back with new blinds and glass. How­ever, a few weeks later, I once again noticed problems with one of the magnets. The seller is trying to solve the problem but he is not managing. At this point, I am fed up and would like to know if I can refuse more repairs and ask for my money back?

A: Since you have already given the seller several possibilities to put things right and bring the doors into conformity with the contract of sale, and since this was never successfully done, then legally you may not accept any further repairs or replacement and ask for your money back.

At this point, you should also formally complain to the seller by writing a letter containing a brief of what happened and asking for a refund. This should then be sent to the trader by registered post.

Should the seller refuse your request for a refund, you may file a complaint with the Office for Consumer Affairs at the Malta Competition and Consumer Affairs Authority.

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