Payment for repairs under guarantee

the following is my email to them dated 28 November 2019 to which they have not yet responded.

"thank you for your reply to my support request. I did call the Midrand branch & spoke to Albert. he asked me to bring the mower into the branch & they will check it out for me. I did so yesterday & informed him that he must also change the blade. I was told that I should come back in an hour.

firstly I must note that the staff on the floor are very pleasant & help full.. I got back after an hour & was told that the carburetor needs to be replaced because I left the petrol in the mower when I stored it during winter. my email to you clearly notes that I did so. I did the same during 2018 winter & had no problem with the mower after that winter. also if one removes the petrol how will know that some petrol is left behind in the carburetor. I remove the petrol from my Ryobi 2 stroke 30 cc line trimmer & have no problem with it. note that this unit is 7 years old. this mower was purchased from Makro on 25 January 2018.

I was given a quote of R1006.25 which was reduced to R 703.24 after I complained that the mower was still under guarantee. why was I not given the fair & correct quote in the first instance.also if the mower is still under guarantee then I should have not been charged for the carburetor. is it normal wear & tear after two summer use or due to petrol left behind in the carburetor. note that my trimmer is 7 years old & has no such problem. I use the mower twice a month for about 3 hours each time for average 7 months per summer. the approximate total hours the mower has run thus far is 84 hours. attached find a photo of the mower. note that it is in a very good condition & not been misused.

I had the same problem with my last Ryobi electric mower in January 2018 & I was asked to pay R 1000.00 for repairs. when I refused to pay & said that I will complain to the consumer council then Ryobi accepted responsibility. it is possible that the last winter was very long & business was slow & now that the rains are back Ryobi is trying to make up for lost revenue. I noted on the invoice that I was paying under protest as the mower was still under guarantee. will I need to approach the consumer council. my concerns are as ffl: 1 why not the correct fair quote the first time? 2. the amount charged for the carburetor is not a train smash but on principle I should not be charged for it. I did note that I was paying under protest as the mower is under guarantee. 3. is Ryobi using such excuses & making innocent clients pay for repairs that should be done under guarantee?

I had no alternative but to pay for the repairs as I need to use the mower. I will await your reply before I take any action."