Cyprus-Forum.com

[TonyC]

OK, here’s the short version....

Firstly, I’m not suggesting any form for illegality here, but when I buy something I expect to get what I pay for.

So what has happened that I want to share with potential holiday home buyers? Read and come to your own conclusions.

Well, my wife and I bought a holiday apartment in Peyia from Leptos Estates. Leptos advised us to buy our furniture and electrical appliances from their own daughter company, Basilica Design Centre near the harbour in Pafos. We followed their advice and everything was installed.
However, after about 3 weeks of use, the fridge broke down. Basilica contacted a repairman and we spent a whole July week with no fridge, waiting for a repairman who finally replaced the cooling element in 10 minutes. OK, just bad luck.
However, after a few more weeks of use, the fridge broke down again – same problem, same solution (although the repairman came quicker this time).

Now I thought that 2 breakdowns in about 6 weeks of use suggest that the product is faulty so I asked Basilica to replace it with a reliable one.
Now the fun starts!
Basilica say they will not replace the fridge because this is a common problem. I ask if they mean that all fridges on Cyprus break down in hot weather. Their answer is that as long as I don’t put much food in the fridge and don’t turn it on cold, I’ll have no problems.
So wow, if I don’t use the fridge to capacity, it won’t break down!!!

The Basilica salesman obviously thinks I’m a complete idiot and is only interested in my money in his pocket. So I contact Leptos’ sales department – after all, they showed me some respect when I paid them around 150 000 euros for the apartment. But guess what, the same bullshit - they are obviously great on excuses but lousy on customer relations when they’ve got their hands on your money.

Finally, after several weeks of mailing back and forth, Basilica suggests we send the fridge back to the supplier for testing. If they find something wrong they will foot the cost of replacing it. Oh yeah, course they will....
After a month the answer comes back, the fridge is fine. Mind you, nobody can tell me why it breaks down all the time (oh yeah I forgot, if I don’t use it, it won’t break down).

Well, the guarantee goes out soon, so that next time it breaks down I’ll have to get it repaired at my own cost, or obviousy more likely dump the crap in the deepest part of the ocean and buy a new one – one that will work if I’m foolish enough to actually put some food in it.

OK, maybe the salesman at Basilica is right, maybe I am an idiot, after all he’s got my money and I’ve got a heap of scrap. But idiot or not, I’ll be taking my business somewhere else in the future.

[CBBB]

I would suggest you contact the manufacturer (not his local agent) directly if it is a reputable brand.

I won't call you an idiot, but you should never have gone to Leptos' own company to outfit your place.

[Get Real!]

The Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Tourism have a Consumer Affairs department under the title “Competition and Consumer Protection Service”…

http://www.mcit.gov.cy/mcit/mcit.nsf/dm ... enDocument

They also have an online consumer complaint form here…

“You, the consumer, may submit on line your complaint to the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Tourism by filling in the following electronic document. By clicking “submit” the document will be forwarded to the appropriate department for investigation.”

http://www.mcit.gov.cy/mcit/mcit.nsf/dm ... n?OpenForm


Good luck.

[Oracle]

I was given a useful tip when we bought a fridge freezer for a holiday home (not in Cyprus) and that was to always leave it on at the half position (less than 1) rather than switch it on and off too regularly because when it's not on for any length of time, the fluids harden. Apparently it's a relatively new phenomenon and manufacturers of fridge freezers will probably start limiting warranties for such sporadic usage.

[Z4]

Same happend with yours truly. Mine is now fixed (touch wood).

Other apartment owners in our block were also suffering from broken fridge freezers so it is a very common problem. Our developer (I think) also swapped one or two out I believe.

Good luck

[Tim Drayton]

I have seen some strange revelations on these threads in the past couple of days about people who buy property and then enter agreements to have the complex maintained by a front company for the developer or who buy their furniture from a subsidiary company of the developer. Here in Limassol, as far as I know, people just expect the developer to build and deliver the house or flats, then they shake hands and part company. They use any supplier they wish to furnish their properties and either form their own residents' committees or freely enter into an agreement with any maintenance company they wish for the purpose of maintaining the property. Paphos is obviously a different world from Limassol.

[Z4]

Just the Developers trying to make even more money I think Tim. When people aren't buying properties the fat cats have to make their money I guess.

[Tim Drayton]

Just the Developers trying to make even more money I think Tim. When people aren't buying properties the fat cats have to make their money I guess.

I know what you are saying. But there is a legal expression caveat emptor or 'let the buyer beware'. I remember four and a half years ago when I was buying my flat here in Limassol - this being the first and hopefully last time I would ever be engaging in a transaction like this and aware that this was by far the largest single deal I would probably ever enter into in my life - I made sure that I hired a lawyer with a good reputation and I took the sales contract home first and read it several times noting any caveats I had. Then we had a meeting with the two partners from the development company with my lawyer in attendance and I went through all the contentious points with a fine toothcomb and we got a revised version of the contract drawn up before I signed it. I certainly would not have stood for any provisions such as having to use the developer's own front company for anything after the purchase. I am sorry, but if anybody just signs on the dotted line without checking and querying anything when making a purchase of this size, well, surely they only have themselves to blame.

[FragnaticDeath]

What brand is your fridge? Cheap brands are meant to get broken down easily! this is the case with any equipment you buy out there. Always look for good brands and not the cheap ones.

[Get Real!]

What brand is your fridge? Cheap brands are meant to get broken down easily! this is the case with any equipment you buy out there. Always look for good brands and not the cheap ones.

It’s probably a Greek Pitsos!