EU Law regarding warranties

SiobhanG_3

I work for a fairly large company who write and administrate warranties for white goods manufacturers. I work in sales, so I spend a lot of time talking to customers on the phone about renewing plans, that sort of thing.

Something I hear a lot about from customers is the 2-year EU law which apparently states that all machines are protected for that amount of time. It seems unlikely that this is the case, since that would render our sales department far less successful than it actually is. When I asked my manager about it, he told me that it doesn't apply to the UK at the moment, and that the manufacturer isn't obliged to provide a free service for more than 12 months.

I can't find any official word on the subject online, so I was hoping someone could show me and help clear this up for me. I don't like providing bad customer service and it's frustrating not to have a clear answer about it.

Thank you!

dmg24

Sitting on hands! :T

If you do a search you will find your answer ...

SiobhanG_3

I have. I can find plenty of forums full of people discussing it but no official word on the subject from, say, a government website. I thought someone in this section of the board might be clued up enough to help me find the right link.

neilmcl

I suggest you search this forum for "EU Warranty" and you'll get your answer.

Searcher

dmg24 wrote: »

Sitting on hands! :T

If you do a search you will find your answer ...

Is it worth getting some popcorn?

fthl

It's a secret warranty that only applies to things bought on wednesdays, thursdays and sundays, or in june.

Freddie_Snowbits

Bu99er, the secret is out again. Now why does not my oil filter on my motor no last two years.

Still keep looking, OP, you're getting warmer

aheaton46

Once again some of the sad little idiots who hang about this forum think it's better to make their sarky and unhelpful comments than try and help someone.

SiobhanG - try here: http://blog.moneysavingexpert.com/2010/12/13/the-eu-goods-must-last-a-minimum-two-years-rule-is-a-myth/

Zippy123

Op, this gives some detail:

I have not read it in detail but you might find it useful...

http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/bargains-and-rip-offs/tips-and-guides/article.html?in_article_id=487339&in_page_id=53954&in_advicepage_id=131

You will need to copy the above link to your browser if it's not clickable.

There is a link to the Europa.eu (EU information site) about 2/3 rds of the way down.

Esqui

Manufacturers aren't obliged to provide any sort of warranty at all. (Shock horror!)

The UK has certain legal rights (which the EU directive forms part of - but our laws have more protection) which can allow people to claim against the retailer for faulty goods up to 6 years from purchase. However, after 6 months from purchase, the customer has to prove that any faults are down to poor manufacturing.

The normal 1 year warranty, which is in addition to legal rights does away with that burden of proof between 6 months and 1 year..and on occasion may provide other extra protection, such as frozen food cover on a freezer (which some do have).

Shop warranties, and extended warranties, often add extra services to make them worthwhile to people who want them. As an example, some may offer a guaranteed replacement (so customers don't have to wait for repairs), or some may guarantee an exact like-for-like replacement, regardless of age, if a machine can't be repaired (stores can, quite legally, give you a less-than-full refund to take into account the use you've had).

(also, the link in the post above says "on a faulty, 5 month old plasma TV, the shop must refund you to comply with the SoGA". 0_o)

vyle

Esqui, do you have a macro you run that auto replies to these posts now?