Providing a warranty is voluntary

Since it is optional to provide a warranty, it is up to your company to decide how long the warranty will last. It is most common for a warranty is valid for a certain period of time, such as a year. You can also formulate the warranty to ensure a certain property of the item. E.g. a wagon damage guarantee. It is important that it is clear what the warranty covers, so that both you and the consumer know what applies to the purchase.

Provide written information about the warranty

You must provide clear information about the content of the warranty and what is required in order for a consumer to use the warranty. It must also be stated that the warranty does not affect the rights that the consumer has under the law. E.g. the right of complaint. The information must be provided in writing.

If the consumer wants to use the warranty

If the item deteriorates during the warranty period, you are obliged to do one of the following:

• repair the item
• offer the consumer another item
• make a deduction from the price
• take back the item and give the money back

The warranty does not apply if the consumer has been negligent

The warranty is not always valid. In the event of the following points, the consumer cannot demand that the warranty apply:

• an accident that occurs after the consumer has received the item
• in case of neglect
• abnormal use
• if the consumer has not followed the care and service instructions

It is you who must prove that any of the above has actually occurred.

Complaints and warranty are not the same thing

A consumer always has three years to file a complaint about an original defect in an item. An original defect may be a manufacturing defect or some other defect that the item had before the consumer received it.

Warranty is optional and can be regarded more as a “bonus”. A warranty with a period of less than three years does not shorten the period during which a complaint may be filed. A consumer may thus have both the right of complaint and a warranty.