Your electrical goods could be covered by legal warranties years after you buy them

Updated

Australian households may be being duped into buying extended warranties for appliances like fridges, washing machines and LCD televisions, and deceived by some retailers that the goods only have a 12- to 24-month warranty, consumer group Choice has warned.

Choice has called on consumer watchdog the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), and state governments, to update consumer law guidelines and outline exactly how many years Australians should expect their electrical appliances to last.

Its 2018 consumer reliability survey, based on the responses of more than 1,000 Australians, as well as manufacturer feedback, revealed that typical household appliances have a life expectancy of years, not months.

"We found that with some basic maintenance, a fridge should last between six to 13 years depending on price, while washing machines and dishwashers can keep going from five to 11 years," Choice spokeswoman Nicky Breen said.

She said Australians may feel pressured into buying new models as soon as they are available in stores, but that "you do not need to replace things every few years".



"A lot of these items will last for well over a decade. A high-end LCD TV should last for around 11 years," she said.

A high-end laptop should last eight years, while a high-end smartphone should last six years. A high-quality oven can last up to 20 years.



Ms Breen said Australians were being conned into buying extended warranties.

"Under the consumer guarantees you are entitled to a refund, repair or replacement if a product develops a fault a 'reasonable' amount of time after purchase," she said.



"All too often businesses suggest that the 'reasonable' time period is the 12- to 24-month warranty period, but these guidelines show that in most cases that is woefully inadequate."



Ms Breen said she hoped the guidelines Choice had released would lead to regulators like the ACCC adopting them, so that consumers could have a better idea of their rights.



"If the retailer refuses to budge they [the customer] can point to these guidelines," she said.



"We want the regulators to put out clearer guidelines about what is reasonable life expectancy or the period of time a product should last.

"It's a really grey area and we just want some clarity for consumers."



Choice said it had raised the matter with regulators.

"The ball is in their court," Ms Breen said.

An ACCC spokeswoman told ABC News it and other state-based regulators "are currently looking at a range of issues following the recent review of the Australian Consumer Law, including the provision of clearer information for consumers and businesses about durability of consumer goods".

"A standard 'reasonable' time period for products to last under consumer guarantees does present some challenges due to the range of factors and variables likely to apply to different scenarios," she said.

Topics: business-economics-and-finance, small-business, consumer-protection, consumer-electronics, regulation, human-interest, australia

First posted