Many of the websites on our Consumer Law webpage will have useful information on guarantees... but please do visit the legal help website first.

I could make this page amazingly short... by just saying... go to the legal help website!

They are to the point, yet superlatively informative, and written in good plain English. Better still, you can download a PDF file of the info. I know I learnt things there, I'm willing to bet you will too.

Being one step ahead makes sure you aren't cheated out of your legal rights if you encounter any problem with your purchase. This applies to all goods.

Be prepared... read and inwardly digest the information at the above link! There are pages on consumer law and MANY other fascinating and useful topics... all explained in a no-nonsense fashion... just use the links to the left, or, alternatively, click on the Site Map symbol at the top of the page.

On a more general note... to buy, or not to buy, that is the question?

...Extended guarantees are the items I am referring to...

On the whole they have received a great deal of bad press. Why?

Cost... they are, without exception, expensive.

It is claimed that the sales personnel in many retail outlets receive more commission on the sale of an extended warranty than on the item itself. This means that they will push the sale of these guarantees.

There is a great deal of built-in obsolescence in many items... and parts for repairs are not kept for any period of time... this even applies to cookers and other items which one would expect to have a longer lifespan.

Even with an extended warranty in place there could be additional costs involved. The guarantee may be parts only, or exclude parts, or be on a return-to-base basis.

Will the item be worth repairing, or would it be cheaper to buy a newer, more up-to-date model?

You will often be told in the retail premises that you need to sign up NOW to get this extended guarantee. [On numerous occasions, once they have accepted that I won't buy the guarantee, I have received offers, through the post, at various intervals of an extended warranty on this same item. So much for having to sign up NOW!]

My customary habit is to definitely NOT buy these guarantees when they are offered at the point of sale... or any other time, for that matter. After all these goods should be fit for their purpose, etcetera... please see our page on consumer law.

Why not find out how much extra it would cost... then put that amount of money away in a special savings account?

If the item needs repair... [depending on how much it cost in the first place - and taking into consideration built-in-obsolescence]... when it is out of the normal free warranty period then you can choose to either put that money towards a replacement, or find out how much a repair would cost.

To mend, fix, or repair just about anything at all... How To Mend It

Why not have a look round 'how to mend it' even if your electrical item is beyond repair, you could well find information on how to mend something else?

Useful Websites Follow:

Bad Business Bureau... from the founder of Rip-off Report.com [which will come up as a pop-up when you access the bureau]. A worldwide consumer reporting website, well rounded information with both pros and cons reported... The Bad Business Bureau.

Better Business Bureau... [serves US and Canada] has good range of topics including 'consumer ratings', 'donate wisely', and 'dispute resolution'. Also includes a way to file a complaint online. Please be fair, if a complaint is satisfactorily dealt with, let it be known!

AND, please do NOT forget to visit... the legal help website... you really shouldn't miss any of their vital information, it is just so rare to read anything which concerns the law [or similar subjects] which is written so sensibly.

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