Providing warranties 

When there is a warranty 

You must honour any warranty or promise made to the consumer. However, you must still honour the consumer guarantees.

This means you must fix a problem when goods fail to meet a consumer guarantee, even if the consumer does not have a warranty or extended warranty, or the goods are out of warranty.

A consumer can insist a supplier meets a consumer guarantee, even if the goods are covered by a manufacturer’s warranty.

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Warranties against defects and consumer guarantees 

Manufacturers often provide a written warranty that promises consumers:

• goods will be free from defects for a certain period of time
• defects will entitle the consumer to repair, replacement or refund.

This is called a 'warranty against defects'. It usually lists the defects covered and the period of the warranty.

When goods covered by a warranty against defects fail to meet a consumer guarantee, a consumer can insist the manufacturer honours the warranty.

A warranty against defects is different from an 'express warranty'.

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Express warranties and consumer guarantees 

Suppliers and manufacturers often make extra promises - sometimes called 'express warranties' - about the quality, state, condition, performance or characteristics of goods.

In doing so, they guarantee the goods will satisfy this warranty.

For example, a supplier tells the consumer that a bed will last for 10 years. If the bed only lasts for 6 years, the consumer will be entitled to a remedy.

An express warranty may not be in writing and is a promise usually made to persuade the consumer to buy the goods – it is different to a warranty against defects.

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