Row over broken shopping trolley bought in Blackburn

A woman who bought a shopping trolley from a Blackburn town centre store says she is ‘unhappy’ it was not replaced or her money refunded after the £35 item broke.

However, staff at Pound Craze, based in Northgate, said they were suspicious at how the trolley wheels had ‘completely snapped-off’ and disputed any accusations the product was faulty.

The shopper, who only wanted to be known by her first name Sarah, has demanded the product be replaced after it broke after "about three" uses, but Pound Craze has refused and said the damage sustained is not normal.

Sarah, from Haverigg in Cumbria, said she visited the store on May 2 and bought a shopping trolley for £35.

She said: “I was with my boyfriend and aunt and we had a day out in Blackburn.

"We came across the store and decided to purchase the trolley.

“But within two weeks it broke. My aunt, who is 69, used it about three times.

“It was a long drive to Blackburn so some weeks later, when there was a funeral we had to attend, we went back.

“We were told the manager would ring but nobody got back to us.”

She added: “We went back again a few days later and got told there was nothing they could do.

“They kept the trolley there and took it off their hands.

“We did not like the way we were spoken too and didn’t like being treated in this way.”

An inspection of the trolley shows the wheels have completely snapped off the bottom bracket of the contraption.

This level of damage, the shop owner said, was not ‘simple wear and tear’, and refused to replace the item.

A spokesperson for the store said they were happy to have the trolley pictured and also compared the trolley to other ones on sale.

The spokesperson said: “We stand by our decision.

“Normally if there is a genuine defect of any sort, we will be happy to replace it. But you are welcome to inspect the trolley yourself.

“The wheels have completely come off the metal frame. There is no joint or anything - the metal frame has snapped. How did this happen?

“Have a look and see if this can be classed as normal wear and tear?

“There are other trollies on sale here and we have never had anyone come back with damage like this.”

The Pound Craze spokesperson added: "We have always helped our customers for over 20 years in such matters by offering refunds or exchanges immediately."

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