Interesting warranty information - is this normal/acceptable?

wazza23 on 22/01/2019 - 01:32

Hi all,

Bought a netgear d7000 for $250ish 15 months ago from wireless1. Have had wifi problems throughout that time and after troubleshooting every aspect of the network the problem was resolved with a new router. Ended up being the netgear.

Wireless1 contacted and offered a replacement as netgear were absolutely useless on the phone. I didn’t want the same product so was happy with a store credit or replacement router of a different brand.

The warranty person at wireless1 then told me that no matter what I buy from there will have had 15 months of warranty already gone as the purchase date will be of the netgear. I found that very odd but not sure if that is normal or allowed? Other products that I’ve had replaced have a warranty that starts on the day it was replaced?!

Hope someone can clear it up for me.

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Comments

  • trustnoone on 22/01/2019 - 01:51
    +1

    I think i had a similar question once before, and I'm sure I've seen it here a few times, but apparently its:

    but the strict definition is that if the usable life of a product

    So you're covered for the life of the product, so lets say the life is 2 years, even if you get a new one at 1.5yrs you only have .5 yrs left. Or at least thats my understanding taken from this persons comment (which would be their understanding so this is like third hand guess XD)

    https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/414062#comment-6547832

    In saying that, I would imagine it would be better to take store credit, then buy your product with the store credit, and I would guess thats a new purchase, not a replacement and should give you the full coverage.

    (also not a big deal but ACL and warranty are different things, warranty is what the company gives you, for example Sony may give you 1 year warranty on a device, ACL consumer gurantee I think is the one that states it must last a respectable amount or something, which could be longer then the 1 year).

  • SmiTTy on 22/01/2019 - 02:09

    If they replaced the item for you of the same product , that would be true.

    But don't see why a new product purchased would only have the remaining warranty left. Id look at it as a refund (which you should be entitled to) and a repurchase

  • follow on 22/01/2019 - 02:12

    just get a refund

  • whooah1979 on 22/01/2019 - 06:12
    +2

    Have look on your tax invoice. The warranty period starts from the date of the transaction.

  • chumlee on 22/01/2019 - 08:22
    +1

    I believe if a part is replaced in a unit the warranty carries on but if it's a replacement then warranty resets. ACCC website should have the information

  • wazza23 on 22/01/2019 - 09:03

    The store credit thing is stil in limbo as he has to check with his manager that they can do it. He told me though - Anything I buy will have the same invoice date as the initial purchase 15 months ago .

    Couldn’t find anything on the ACCC website on this specific issue.

    • [Deactivated] on 22/01/2019 - 09:15
      +2

      If you get a replacement of the same item, the warranty may resume from date of original purpose.

      If you bought a SSD with your refund, it is a completely different product and the warranty is from the date of the new purchase.

      Spending store credit is akin to a new purchase so a new invoice means a new invoice date.

  • wazza23 on 22/01/2019 - 09:03

    Also said refund is not an option due to the month time frame (warranty is 12 months)

    • djkelly69 on 22/01/2019 - 09:29

      Manufacturer's express warranty might be 12 months, but doesn't affect your statutory warranty entitlements. Seems fairly reasonable to me to expect a $250 modem (ie. mid-high price range) to last 2 years or more. Sounds like a major issue, so should be entitled to a refund, repair or replacement at your choice.

      However I don't think it is worth fighting over that much - if they approve the store credit, I would just use it to get a new modem which is well reviewed, move on and hope for the best.

      • HighAndDry on 22/01/2019 - 09:36
        +1

        Sounds like a major issue

        Arguable. It seems the router was cutting out sporadically, not dead and so it could have been due to a compatibility/protocol issue than an actual defect. Hard to know without looking at the router.

        But yeah - I don't think this is worth arguing over, and if OP gets a replacement unit from another brand, might even get the full manufacturer's warranty still.

  • HighAndDry on 22/01/2019 - 09:07

    Yeah then that sounds about right. He's trying to do you a solid - usually it would be a 'repair by way of replacing the whole unit'. That would also not extend or refresh your warranty.

    • ronnknee on 22/01/2019 - 09:51

      That'd be true for replacements ie. router for router. I think the misleading part is the store credit and warranty on other items.

      no matter what I buy from there will have had 15 months of warranty already gone as the purchase date will be of the netgear

      So if OP decided to spend the store credit on something else completely different like an HP printer, then it's no longer a replacement and should be considered a new purchase with new warranty.

      • HighAndDry on 22/01/2019 - 10:28

        True, but I think the salesperson's view is basically that OP isn't entitled to the store credit (or any other form of refund) and so this will be a goodwill gesture - and OP will get what they're entitled to, which is the equivalent of a repair/replacement, which does not have any new warranty involved.

        It is a little convoluted and I wouldn't be surprised if the manager comes back and either says "can't do it", or "can do it and OP gets full new warranty".

        • ronnknee on 22/01/2019 - 10:35

          Yea I mean, store credit is more flexible than a replacement, but it's still not the same as actual store credit (less warranty). It's also weird backdating new purchases, especially on different products. Interested in ACCC's take on this.

        • Savas on 22/01/2019 - 10:58

          Even if he's not entitled to it, that is wrong to not expect the replacement no matter what reason to last a reasonable lifetime. I don't know why you have a history of defending lazy stores. The most it would take is 5 minutes of paper work for the store to send the faulty product back.

          • HighAndDry on 22/01/2019 - 11:22

            @Savas:

            that is wrong to not expect the replacement no matter what reason to last a reasonable lifetime.

            You can expect it, but ACL rights attach to a purchase. If this is basically a goodwill freebie, OP technically wouldn't get those rights, same as if the store just gifted OP a product.

            • Savas on 22/01/2019 - 11:28

              @HighAndDry: It has the same ACL regardless of how much he pays. And they aren't doing this out of goodwill, they are doing this because he bought a faulty device. And who said it's a freebie, OP might buy something more expensive.

          • Baysew on 22/01/2019 - 11:33
            +1

            @Savas:

            I don't know why you have a history of defending lazy stores.

            I didn't know HighAndDry did have a history of defending lazy stores.

            • HighAndDry on 22/01/2019 - 11:52
              +1

              @Baysew: I don't - I'll bash a store that's actually shoddy as much as the next person. But too often people think they're entitled to a lot more than they actually are, and so I end up 'defending' stores basically because I'm saying "no, you're not entitled to XYZ."

  • Prince K on 22/01/2019 - 11:11
    +1

    When I was at Apple getting my out of warranty iPhone fixed (2.4 years old), they gave me a (refurbished?) replacement and said the warranty was reset. Which means I got another two years from the day of replacement, so I guess the same warranty logic should apply for everything else

    • HighAndDry on 22/01/2019 - 11:23

      ACL consumer guarantees != warranty.

  • moo on 22/01/2019 - 12:12

    Has anyone gotten an iPhone fixed under consumer guarantee post their "2 years" warranty?

    • OpayuOnam on 22/01/2019 - 14:30
      +1

      Yes I have been able to do this in a chadstone apple store, the issue was a none functional home button which rendered the entire phone useless. They gave us a new (refurb) phone and a complementary data transfer (I couldn't believe they actually charge for this service).

  • wazza23 on 22/01/2019 - 15:26

    Update: Wireless1 have been excellent and have concluded that I can purchase any product I like through their eBay store or wireless1 store online and then contact them where they will then refund me the cost of the previous router. New invoice to be made so no warranty period lost.

    Great experience dealing with them.

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