Minimum Warranty Length?

[reppoh_eht]

Hi All,

I remember reading somewhere on the net in the last month or so about minimum standards for a warranty and I had a feeling that it was fromt his forum but after a quick search cannot find what I'm looking for.

Basically a friends laptop has crapped itself and only came with a 12 month warranty, it is 13 or 14 months old. Went back to the reseller and they told him to get lost.

I thought I read on here somethinga bout a 12 month warranty doesnt actually mean much and that you should still be covered (not sure if it was by the warranty or some other thing?)

Hopefully someone remembers it if it was indeed posted on this site.

Cheers

[Media Park]

There is something called statuatory warranty, which implies that there is a reasonable expectation for something to last a certain length of time (generally something with a twelve month warranty should last a bit longer than 13-14 months).

The issue most retailers have is that they don't offer the warranty, the manufacturer does.

Example.
You purchase a Toshiba laptop December 2010, and Toshiba gives you a 12 month warranty.
Statuatory warranty implies that you should still be covered for a certain amount of time after that warranty, but who do you go to?
Do you go to the retailer? Who may have taken your money, but is not involved with the warranty, or do you go to the manufacturer?
Statuatory warranty suggests you go to the retailer, who will not want to help you, because the supplier will not take the faulty product back or repair it at their own cost outside of the normal warranty.

The other issue is that it is not written down how long statuatory warranty should cover.
A $20 kettle has a twelve month warranty, if it last for twelve months, you should be happy.
A laptop, different story...