Companies sometimes quietly offer free or discounted out-of-warranty repairs or product replacement for customers who complain. Lemon laws. Many states have lemon laws for new and used cars, pets, and, in New York, even wheelchairs. Some lemon laws provide arbitration panels to hear complaints. If you suspect that a product is unsafe or if it is recalled, contact the manufacturer or retailer immediately.
You can find news of recalls at SaferProducts. Extended warranties or service contracts are a bad deal. Moreover, the typical cost of repair is on average not much more than the cost of the contract.
The consumer warranty protections described here make service contracts even less worthwhile. Self-insure by placing the money you would otherwise spend on service contracts into a savings account. Use that when you have to repair or replace a product at your own expense. Check the fine print and whether your state law defines lifetime warranty. One example would be the cost of food that was ruined because of a defective refrigerator. You might be able to claim these, especially in states with strong consumer protection laws.
A version of this article appeared in the May issue of Consumer Reports magazine with the headline "Warranty Protection. Get Ratings on the go and compare while you shop. Sign In. Become a Member. Remember Me. Forgot username or password? Not a member? Need further assistance? Your rights compared. She happily buys a fancy new toaster. Three years on, it too stops working. She's looked after her expensive toaster well, so confidently takes it back to the store for a repair, replacement or refund — in line with her consumer rights.
Franklin loves his oven. It has wifi, a temperature probe and camera, and cooks his steaks to perfection. He feels less devoted when the device sends him error messages, and a oven repairer tells him it's a six-week fix — a specialist needs to reset the software.
Once fixed and serving up the perfect roast again, Franklin's oven is still his pride and joy. But he wishes he'd known what it might take to repair when he bought it. Some electronics aren't built to last. Computers and mobiles, in particular, can become out-of-date — or obsolete — as manufacturer updates make in-built software redundant.
It is especially important to maintain appliances used for cleaning, eg washing machines, vacuum cleaners and dishwashers.
Being constantly filled with gunk takes its toll. As does heating and cooling, filthy water and detergent. Cover gadgets you don't use very often to stop dust getting in. Dust can cause overheating and significantly cut your appliance's lifespan. Always check the manufacturer's instructions before cleaning. Never spray cleaning products directly onto an appliance or device. Computers, tablets and mobile phones slow down with age, but also when their memory is too full or they have a virus.
Your device will run better for longer with regular maintenance:. Don't assume you need to replace an appliance when it stops working. Electronics can be repaired. Well-known brands and more expensive models are often easier to fix. Manufacturers should keep spare parts for the same amount of time the model is expected to last.
It can be hard to get parts for appliances that have already been on the market for several years overseas. Repair damage after normal use. It may save you time and frustration — or stop you damaging your device. When Fernando's breadmaker stops working a friend suggests he visit a repairer before jumping online to price up new ones. He is glad he does.
You may argue that waiting for a week, without a washing machine or a freezer if they are unusable is unreasonable. Cases need judging on their own merit using common sense. If you feel you have a strong case and the appliance is new you may try demanding a replacement instead. This may at least hurry them up a bit. If under an extended warranty you are at their mercy, which is one of the disadvantages of them.
If they give very bad service you can look into claiming compensation but would need to take advice from a consumer help group. You can research Which? Consumer Rights for expert advice What do I get when I take a trial?
Several Which? Trial Offers available to allow you to research all future purchases and see expert reviews and recommendations. Easily save a lot more money than it costs. Ransom Spares is a family company with over 1 million white goods appliance spare parts for sale. Next day delivery available, friendly company with over reviews on Trust Pilot. Skip Comments Note: Comments often contain very useful and extra information. Sadly it is quite normal Mireille.
If they have to order a part it can take a while. Obviously if it was delayed even further you can try complaining and demanding they do something, they can sometimes write off difficult machines although you would most likely have to pay some of the cost of a new one if they did. Dear Andy, Im not sure if you can help, I have a breakdown insurance on my dishwasher and have waited over 2 months and its still not repaired, can I ask for a new one.
They are not helpful, thank you. Hello Jane. This is exactly the type of scenario that I describe in my article. Obviously you would think they would have the incentive to give such good service in order to encourage you to buy other breakdown insurances in the future but they are likely to be thinking that far ahead. It is difficult to imagine how something could take over 2 months although I presume they are blaming the Covid situation. The first thing I would do is get out all of the paperwork and carefully read all the terms and conditions.
It is possible that they have something in there like a promise to repair within a certain time frame or what they will do if they cannot repair it. After that I would complaint them that 2 Months Is Way past a reasonable time to wait and it is looking like they cannot repair it.
Hi Andy, hope you can help? I bought an American style refrigerator 20 months ago with Samsung. I waited three weeks for an engineer to be told the compressor was broken and now need to wait another three weeks for them to come. The engineer told me that he had never came across the compressor on a nearly new fridge going.
Can I argue that the time given to repair is not reasonable? Any suggestions on how I can get this quicker… fast food is draining my purse I work long hours and have no time to shop every day. Hello Cherry.
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