A product that I've sold is faulty and the supplier will not engage with me. What can I do?

As a retailer you should be familiar with the guidance from NSW Fair Trading.

There are a few other things that will help you to decide what’s best to do.

Value of the product

If the value is low, the you may be able to quickly resolve with your customer and take up the issue with your supplier separately.

As the value gets higher, you may be less able to resolve with the customer without the involvement of the supplier.

Customer relationship

Some customers may understand that the working with the supplier may take some time to resolve the matter, others may not.

Some customers will be worth investing more time and effort with, and others will not be happy no matter what you do. The value of the customer relationship should be assessed and then considered when deciding what to do

Supplier relationship

Some suppliers will be easier to work with than others.

If the supplier relationship is critical, you will have to invest more time and effort, just as you might with a customer.

If the supplier is easily replaceable or not as important to your overall supply chain, then you may have more leverage to negotiate an outcome that you want.

Court action against a supplier, or indeed anyone, is a last resort. Negotiation, and potentially mediation, are likely to be the best options for resolving a problem.

To arrange a mediation or get advice, please contact our team.