Help!

On this page, we've provided help and answers to some of the most common queries we receive.

If you have any questions which are not answered here, please contact us and we'll be happy to help.

This company is based in the UK.

5. Original / Replacement / Universal remote controls compared

Original Remote Controls
Original remote controls are identical to those ones supplied with a new appliance. When you buy a new television from a reputable dealer, the remote control which comes with it is known as an original remote.

Original remotes are usually branded with the same brand name of the appliance they go with. In other words, if you buy a Sony DVD player, the original remote control which comes with it will probably have Sony's branding on it somewhere.

The main advantage of buying an original remote over replacement or universal types is that it will look identical to the one you are trying to replace. When compared with Universal remotes, an original (or replacement) remote will always be guaranteed to support all of the features of the one being replaced - this is not always so of universal remotes.

The main disadvantages of buying an original tend to be price and delivery times. Originals are normally manufactured at the same time as the appliances in relatively low volumes (often only in hundreds or thousands). The manufacturer may retain a very small stock of spares but charges premium prices for what is a relatively unique product. Due to the diverse stockholdings of original remotes between our numerous suppliers, the delivery times offered vary greatly.

 

Replacement Remote Controls
Replacement remote controls are functionally equivalent to originals but will have a case which may be a different colour, material, or shape to the original. Where possible, the manufacturers of replacements try to mimic the placement of keys between replacements and originals but there may be occasional differences in position.

The cases and electronics of replacements are designed to a very high standard to meet the high demands of the professional audio-visual servicing industries. The cases tend to be robust designs with button and label printing designed to last.

The main advantages of replacement type remotes are lower cost and ex-stock availability. By using common case styles, replacement remote controls are manufactured and stocked on a larger scale than originals. The economies of scale involved mean that replacements can be offered at a price usually less than that of the originals with almost immediate despatch from point of order.

The only potential disadvantage of replacement remotes is that they don't bear the branding or have an appearance identical to the originals.

 

Universal Remote Controls
Universal remotes (also known as one-for-all or learning remotes) attempt to mimic the functions of every original remote control. Inside each one, there is a database containing the information needed to configure the remote to act like the original.

The main advantage of a universal is that it has a price and availability similar to replacement remote controls.

There are a number of disadvantages to universal remotes. Out of the box, they will not work straight away and will need to be programmed to select the correct remote to mimic. This can be a cumbersome process and there is no guarantee that all models are covered. Due to the single physical design of universals, they can never have button layouts which match the originals. A final and significant problem is that the range of original remote functions which are mimic'ed may be a reduced set of functions. This may mean that a universal could operate the play / rewind / stop functions of a video recorder but might not be able to operate tracking or timed recording settings.

7. Our returns/refunds policy...

If you have a problem with your remote control:

If you purchase a remote control from this site and suspect it is faulty or does not operate your appliance, please contact us, as we may be able to help diagnose the problem over the phone or by e-mail.

 

12 month guarantee:

All of our remote controls are supplied with a 12 month guarantee. If your remote control becomes faulty, (and this is not the result of damage to the remote control after delivery), please package the relevant item securely and send it to us. Please ensure that you enclose a note which includes your name and address. Please also state your reason for returning the goods.

As soon as we receive returned goods in acceptable condition, we will offer a replacement or refund the full purchase price for that item.

Please note that if we do not receive returned goods or they arrive in an unacceptable condition, we will be unable to offer a refund.

Where remote controls are returned to us with no fault outside the cooling off period, (see below), we will be unable to offer a refund.

 

7 day cooling off period:

By law, customers in the European Union have the right to withdraw from the purchase of an item within seven working days of the day after the date the item is delivered.

To cancel your purchase within the seven-working-day cooling-off period, please package the relevant item(s) securely and send it to us so that we receive it within seven working days of the day after the date that the item was delivered to you. Please ensure that you enclose a note which includes your name, address and state that you wish to return the goods within 7 days of receipt.

As soon as we receive returned goods in acceptable condition, we will refund the full purchase price for that item. We will not refund your cost in returning the goods to us.

Please note that if we do not receive returned goods or they arrive in an unacceptable condition, we will be unable to offer a refund.