GuaranteesOnRecord

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How long can they take to fix it?

19 quoted answers, each with its source

The short answer

Statutory consumer guarantees last for a reasonable time after purchase, not for a fixed period; some salespeople in CHOICE's mystery shop told callers their rights were limited to a fixed period such as two years, which is not the legal position. For goods, a reasonable time depends on the type of product, the price paid, and how long a regular customer would expect the item to last; for services, it can depend on the nature of the services, weather, and availability of parts or materials, and the time a business has to fix a problem depends on the nature of the product or service, so an installed dishwasher repair at a house may take longer than a pair of pants repaired in-store. In Consumer Affairs Victoria's example, a consumer would not be entitled to a remedy where the sole reason a painting job took longer was weather outside the painter's control, but it is a major problem if the consumer would never have bought the service had they known how long it would take. The right to reject goods runs from the date of supply until the fault would reasonably be expected to appear; manufacturers and importers must provide spare parts and repair facilities for a reasonable time after purchase even if the consumer bought elsewhere; and products and services bought before 1 January 2011 are not covered by the current Australian Consumer Law, though they may be covered by older laws.

Every part of this comes from the quotes below. How we write these.

What the rules actually say13

Quoted straight from the ACCC, the Australian Consumer Law or a state consumer regulator.

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The ACCC states that what is a reasonable amount of time for a business to fix a problem depends on the nature of the product or service.

first-party
1 quote from 1 source
What is a 'reasonable' amount of time for a business to fix a problem will depend on the nature of the product or service.
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The ACCC illustrates a reasonable repair time by contrasting a repairer attending a house to fix an installed dishwasher with a pair of pants repaired in-store.

first-party
1 quote from 1 source
For example, it may take longer for a repairer to attend a house to fix an installed dishwasher than for a pair of pants to be repaired in-store.
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The ACCC states that what is reasonable for the supply of a service can depend on…

  • the nature of the services.
  • weather conditions.
  • availability of parts or materials.
first-party
2 quotes from 1 source
What is 'reasonable' can depend on factors including:
the nature of the services weather conditions availability of parts or materials.
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The ACCC states that a manufacturer or importer must provide spare parts and repair facilities for a reasonable time after purchase, even where the consumer did not buy the goods directly from them.

first-party
1 quote from 1 source
When a consumer buys a product, the manufacturer or importer must provide spare parts and repair facilities for a reasonable time after purchase. This applies even if the consumer did not buy the goods directly from the manufacturer or importer.
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The rejection period for goods is the period from supply within which it would be reasonable to expect the relevant failure to become apparent.

first-party
1 quote from 1 source
(2) The rejection period for goods is the period from the time of the supply of the goods to the consumer within which it would be reasonable to expect the relevant failure to comply with a guarantee referred to in section 259(1)(b) to become apparent having regard to:
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  • Consumer Affairs Victoria states that what is reasonable will depend on the nature of the services.
  • Consumer Affairs Victoria contrasts the time needed to build a house with the time required to lop a tree.
first-party
1 quote from 1 source
will depend on the nature of the services. For example, the time needed to build a house will be longer than the time required to lop a tree.
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Consumer Affairs Victoria states that it is a major problem if the consumer would never have bought the service had they known how long it would take.

first-party
1 quote from 1 source
It is a major problem if the consumer would never have bought the service had they known about how long it would take.
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Consumer Affairs Victoria states that the right to reject products runs from the date of supply to the consumer until the fault or problem would reasonably be expected to appear.

first-party
1 quote from 1 source
The right to reject the products runs from the date of supply to the consumer, until the fault or problem would reasonably be expected to appear.
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Consumer Affairs Victoria states that a consumer would not be entitled to a remedy where the sole reason a painting job took four weeks rather than the usual three was weather outside the painter's control.

first-party
1 quote from 1 source
It usually takes a qualified painter three weeks to paint a house, but the job has taken Geoff four weeks. The sole reason for the delay was the weather, which is outside Geoff’s control. The consumer would not be entitled to a remedy.
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Products and services bought before 1 January 2011 are not covered by the current Australian Consumer Law.

first-party
1 quote from 1 source
Products and services bought before 1 January 2011 aren't covered by the current Australian Consumer Law. They may be covered by older laws.

Measured finding1

Something someone actually measured, with the method attached.

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CHOICE reports that salespeople in its mystery shop sometimes told its callers that their rights were limited to a specific time period such as two years.

1 quote from 1 source
Sometimes we were told that we’d be entitled only to a repair (never a replacement) or that our rights were limited to a specific time period (such as two years).

Practical effect2

What is observed to happen in practice, as distinct from what is documented.

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CHOICE reports that the…

  • correct information it received included a statement that televisions must last a reasonable amount of time based on the value of the television.
  • statement that said televisions must last a reasonable amount of time also said that consumer guarantees cover a consumer for longer than a year.
2 quotes from 1 source
But others gave us correct information
“Consumer guarantees will cover you for longer than (a year). TVs must last a reasonable amount of time. They base it on the value of the TV, it would be longer than a year.”

Often said, but we could not find it in the rules3

Lots of people say this. We went looking for an official source that backs it up and could not find one, so treat it as something people repeat rather than something settled.

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  • CHOICE states that consumer guarantees last for a reasonable time after purchase.
  • Manufacturer's warranties are time-limited.
1 quote from 1 source
Unlike time-limited manufacturer’s warranties, consumer guarantees last for a “reasonable time” after purchase.
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CHOICE states that a reasonable time depends on the type of product, how much was paid, and how long a regular customer would expect that item to last.

1 quote from 1 source
A “reasonable time” depends on the type of product, how much you paid, and how long a regular customer would expect that item to last.