Catastrophic failure at 6 months
Catastrophic failure at 6 months — ELEGOO refuses refund despite EU consumer law Body: I purchased an ELEGOO FDM printer through eu.elegoo.com. The machine is less than six months old. It was always operated with original ELEGOO filament, standard slicer settings, no hardware or firmware modifications whatsoever. Within the first months of ownership, I experienced multiple printing failures: unexplained print detachments from the build plate, inconsistent extrusion, and other defects — all under normal operating conditions. Then came the catastrophic failure. I started a print normally and later discovered a massive "blob of death" had formed around the entire printhead assembly. Molten filament had encased the internal wiring, sensors, and surrounding components. This is not a routine clog — the damage has probably affected internal electrical parts of the machine. ELEGOO's response was to offer a replacement printhead/extruder assembly. In their own words, this was meant to "restore the printer to working condition" and "simplify the troubleshooting process." They simultaneously claimed the issue was "more closely related to operational factors during use" — without providing any evidence to support that claim. When I requested a full refund, they stated they were "unable to provide a return/refund solution beyond the applicable return period." Here is what EU consumers should know: ELEGOO's internal return period has nothing to do with your legal rights. Under EU Directive 2019/771 and Spanish law (Real Decreto-ley 7/2021), new consumer goods carry a mandatory legal guarantee of up to three years in Spain. For any defect appearing within the first two years, it is legally presumed to have existed at delivery — the seller must prove otherwise, not you. This right cannot be overridden by any company policy. Despite citing these laws with specific articles, ELEGOO has not acknowledged these rights and has not agreed to a refund. The case remains unresolved after 5 mails. I am now preparing a formal complaint with the European Consumer Centre (ECC-Net) and the local consumer protection authority in Spain. I would advise any EU-based buyer to be aware of this before purchasing from eu.elegoo.com. The product may work fine — but if it doesn't, be prepared to fight for the rights that EU law already guarantees you. Continuación de mi reseña anterior sobre el fallo catastrófico de mi impresora ELEGOO (comprada en eu.elegoo.com, menos de 6 meses de uso, unos 300 €). Tras semanas de intercambio formal, esto es lo que ELEGOO ha ofrecido: 1) Dos departamentos contradiciéndose por escrito: Customer Support dice que el fallo es "por uso" (sin pruebas) y me cobra envío y tasa de reposición. After-Sales me ofrece, en paralelo, sustitución completa de la máquina — es decir, reconoce el defecto. 2) Cuando rechazo la sustitución y exijo reembolso íntegro, me responden con un "gesto comercial de buena voluntad": reembolso parcial descontando "el periodo de uso". Esto es jurídicamente inadmisible. El TRLGDCU (arts. 119 y 119 quater) y la Directiva (UE) 2019/771 obligan al reembolso íntegro dentro del periodo de garantía. Llamar "buena voluntad" a una propuesta ilegal no la convierte en legal. 3) ELEGOO invoca su "política de devoluciones" interna como si pudiera prevalecer sobre la ley europea. No puede. Los arts. 82, 83 y 86 TRLGDCU declaran nulas de pleno derecho esas cláusulas. El art. 14(2) de la Directiva 2019/771 es claro: todos los gastos de devolución son del vendedor. 4) Menos de 6 meses de uso = la carga de la prueba es del vendedor (art. 121 TRLGDCU). ELEGOO no ha aportado ni una sola prueba de mal uso. El problema de fondo: estoy dedicando docenas de horas y correos jurídicamente fundamentados para que ELEGOO cumpla con derechos básicos del consumidor europeo, por un producto de 300 €. La mayoría de los consumidores tira la toalla mucho antes. ELEGOO cuenta con eso. El caso se está escalando en paralelo al CEC España, a la Dirección General de Consumo, a la OMIC y, si es necesario, al Procedimiento Europeo de Escasa Cuantía. Si compras en eu.elegoo.com y algo falla: prepárate para conocer la ley, citarla y exigir lo que ya te garantiza por defecto. Actualizaré cuando se resuelva.