Whitegoods and appliance company Fisher & Paykel has been fined $200,000 for telling customers they needed to buy an extended warranty to protect their product against repair costs, while putting the truth in fine print.

Warranty provider Domestic & General, who issued the extended warranty on behalf of Fisher & Paykal, was also fined $200,000.

The Australian Competiton and Consumer Commission commenced action against Fisher & Paykel in the Federal Court in late 2013.

The Australian Competiton and Consumer Commission commenced action against Fisher & Paykel and Domestic & General in the Federal Court in late 2013 over the warranty documents accompanying dishwasher sales.

Under Australian consumer law, consumers may be entitled to a repair, replacement or refund on a product beyond the time period covered by the manufacturer's warranty if the product suffered "major failure" or is not of "acceptable quality".