A reason not to take out extended warranties?

TBeckett100

Hello

referring i think to the sale of goods act, any item sold must be fit for purpose and last a resonable amount of time.

Assuming this is law, should consumers be buying extended warranties when a TV or fridge should last 5 years plus.

Mark7799

Don't know, I've never bought them;)

mute_posting

I agree in principal OP - I'll sure the trolls will be here shortly to nail you to your cross for even suggesting such a proposterous thing (A TV or Fridge last more than 5 years - how very dare they!)

:-)

MP

Bongedone

My Hotpoint fridge and washing machine came with a 5 year warranty anyway. Albeit only parts. The labour probably cost more than buying a new machine.

bicycle_repair_man_2

the problem is, if you've had the item for longer than 6 months, it's your responsibility to prove the item is not fit for purpose, instead of the retailer having to prove that it is.

deanos

TBeckett100 wrote: »

Hello

referring i think to the sale of goods act, any item sold must be fit for purpose and last a resonable amount of time.

Assuming this is law, should consumers be buying extended warranties when a TV or fridge should last 5 years plus.

Its a tough one, retailers wont roll over and fix something thats 2 years old, you have to go to the expence of getting a written report and proving the fault isnt wear and tear,and if they still dont play ball maybe take them to court which takes alot of time , i dont pay for a warrantys but i have 5 year ones on the TV's i bought as they were free, and no i didnt pay over the odds for them i paid the cheapest price using pricematching, at least i will get my TV's repaired no quibble

lemmings999

TBeckett100 wrote: »

Hello

referring i think to the sale of goods act, any item sold must be fit for purpose and last a resonable amount of time.

Assuming this is law, should consumers be buying extended warranties when a TV or fridge should last 5 years plus.

What it states it that items should last a reasonable period of time and that 6 years is the latest you can make an issue from, nowhere does it say items should last 5 years or give any definitive time frame for how long things should last, eg you may expect a £400 fridge to last 4 odd years but not a £80 one

mute_posting

lemmings999 wrote: »

What it states it that items should last a reasonable period of time and that 6 years is the latest you can make an issue from, nowhere does it say items should last 5 years or give any definitive time frame for how long things should last, eg you may expect a £400 fridge to last 4 odd years but not a £80 one

You are of course correct that the 6 year thing is a limit for bringing a claim.

However, a "normal" person would say that something like a fridge or a TV should "reasonably" last at least 6 years (even if they did only cost £80), so (IMHO) the retailer would have to go a long way to discredit a engineers report confirming the fault on such an item.

As an example, my current TV is 12 years old, the one before that was 13 (and still going strong) and the one before that probably 20. There are also other TVs in the house all of which are over 6 years old, some of them bought for less than £100 new, so I don't think it unreasonable to expect TVs to last similar periods.

My folk's current fridge is 10 years old, the one before 15 (now 25 as it is still used), again not "expensive" models when new but if I bought one now that didn't last at least 6 years and the defense was "it's a disposable item it's designed to be replaced every few years" I'd be shouting loundly!

Just my 2p

advent1122

mute_posting wrote: »

As an example, my current TV is 12 years old, the one before that was 13 (and still going strong) and the one before that probably 20. There are also other TVs in the house all of which are over 6 years old, some of them bought for less than £100 new, so I don't think it unreasonable to expect TVs to last similar periods.

My folk's current fridge is 10 years old, the one before 15 (now 25 as it is still used), again not "expensive" models when new but if I bought one now that didn't last at least 6 years and the defense was "it's a disposable item it's designed to be replaced every few years" I'd be shouting loundly!

Just my 2p

Todays electronic items are a lot more advanced with gizmo's and flashing circuity bits so a lot more can go wrong. The TV that lasted 20 years probably had a few valves, a tube and a pushy in button - compare that to the wizardry that you find in a modern tv, which only just stops short of making the tea.
I would not expect a modern Tv to last 12, 13 or 20 years before they give up.

mute_posting

advent1122 wrote: »

I would not expect a modern Tv to last 12, 13 or 20 years before they give up.

Probably not (anthough my 12 year old tv has as many bells and whistles as a CRT bought today) but would you not expect it to last 6?

Which was the point I was trying to make - for "simple" (non-portable)electronic and household devices (i.e. those with minimal moving parts) is it really acceptable to expect to replace them every few years?

I'm not claiming every item must last 6 years - far from it.

MP

chocolatechipcookies

I never buy extended warranties. I rent, so I don't own my kitchen appliances, but TVs, computers and such, I don't even keep them for 5 years. I usually sell them on and upgrade to whatever is out at the time. I think I would with kitchen appliances when I own.