Raw Deal: Missing part was a game changer for 9-year-old Callum

AS every parent knows, there are few things that feel as bad as letting your child down.

And it’s even worse if you keep trying to rectify the situation but, no matter what you do, you can’t seem to get through to the right people.

Paul Greenhill, of Perth, bought a gaming chair for his son Callum.

Gaming chairs are specially designed for playing computer games. There are speakers built in and the chair is low-level, giving the impression that the player is actually within the game – they are very popular and great fun.

The chair was purchased online from Very.co.uk for Callum’s birthday last year.

And it was an instant hit. Callum thoroughly enjoyed using the chair and sat in it every time he used his Xbox.

However, it stopped producing any sound from the headrest area.

Paul had a look and it seemed the control panel was broken. He couldn’t see how this had happened (it didn’t appear to be anything Callum had done) but Paul wanted it fixed and was willing to pay for a replacement if need be.

He phoned the maker, a company called BraZen, several times and was told there was a delay in the supply of various parts for the chairs.

Once the part was in stock, however, Paul was promised he’d be sent a replacement.

But getting hold of this part proved to be quite a trick. Paul phoned on many occasions, emailed and left messages on BraZen’s Facebook page.

Sometimes he’d get a response, but more often than not he couldn’t squeeze a reply of any nature out of them.

One woman who answered the phone said that the parts had to be shipped from abroad but that “rough seas” had delayed them. She then went on to explain how to fit the new panel – which was very nice of her, but not entirely useful as Paul still didn’t actually have the panel!

Even allowing for oceanic storms, Paul didn’t get any closer to a fix for his son’s expensive chair.

He spoke to Raw Deal.

We got in touch with the maker BraZen and the merchant, Very – and both came up with solutions.

BraZen’s technical department told us they didn’t think it was a manufacturing fault, but they had tried – on an ex-gratia basis – to send a replacement control panel. But they didn’t have Paul’s address.

They said they’d asked Very for the address, but hadn’t been able to get an answer.

Very, for their part, said: “We’re sorry that the customer’s games chair was missing a part when they received it. We have refunded the cost of the item and given the customer an additional £30 for the inconvenience caused.

“We’re always striving to offer our customers the best shopping experience.

“We’ll look into what happened in this case and take any action needed to avoid the same thing happening in future.”

It turned out that the solution to the problem was every bit as confusing as the problem itself.

However, all’s well that ends well and Callum now has his chair in working order.

Paul told us: “I received a call from Very to advise they are giving a full refund for the chair, as well as a £30 goodwill payment.

“Moreover, to our surprise, the part we needed from BraZen has also arrived and my son is over the moon that he can use his birthday present after such a long wait. I want to thank you very much for all your help.

“We had been trying for months and I thought Callum would never be able to use his gaming chair again.

“You have made a nine-year-old boy very happy. I don’t know how you do it, but I’m thankful there are people like you who can help.”

Do you have a problem?

 To get in touch with Raw Deal please email your address and daytime/mobile number to rawdeal@sundaypost.com or write to Raw Deal, 80 Kingsway East, Dundee, DD4 8SL (please include SAE).

Briefly outline the problem and how you would like it resolved. Include contact details of the other party and any customer ref/order numbers.

By requesting Raw Deal’s assistance you agree for your name, location and a photo to be published.