It is optional for the seller to offer a guarantee, but you always have the rights given to you by the consumer purchasing law.
If the goods deteriorate during the guarantee period in such a way as is covered by the guarantee, then they are regarded as faulty. You can then claim the rights applicable under the guarantee.
For the seller to avoid responsibility for the guarantee, he has to be able to claim that the deterioration is due to, for instance,
- an accident after you received the goods
- maltreatment
- abnormal use
- that you have failed to follow instructions for care and service
The guarantee regulations apply even if somebody else apart from the seller has issued the guarantee on the seller's behalf.
According to the consumer purchasing law, you can complain about faulty goods for up to three years after the purchase. The fact that you may have received a guarantee with a shorter guarantee period does not mean that the time for making complaints has been shortened. The difference is that during the guarantee period you do not have to prove that the fault existed on the date of delivery, which you have to show after the guarantee period has passed (or at least show is likely).
It is not obligatory to keep the receipt, if you can prove some other way that you bought the goods from the shop at a certain time. But as it is up to you to prove this, it is easier if you always keep the receipt.
Senast granskad: 2009-12-03
