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Warranty Period: Enjoy your service!

What is “warranty” – everyone knows today. But why have they introduced the term “service life” and what it gives to the consumer is not always clear. For example: a kettle with a service life of five years. So, in five years it is necessary to throw it away, even if it continues to work? Or you can still use it? Let’s try to understand!

Refrigerators

Broke, threw away, bought!

The modern market of home appliances has changed reference points – instead of reliable and durable products, manufacturers offer a huge range of different devices that have one “disease” – they quickly fail.

And there is a suspicion that many manufacturers, including famous brands, put in their products the reduced service life, intentionally.

As a result, consumers have to regularly renew their fleet of home appliances. Short-lived, cheap appliances are a deliberate economic policy of many companies.

In their opinion, people should buy their products relatively inexpensively and as often as possible. Mechanisms of purposeful failure of home appliances are simple: the materials used in the manufacture of the parts crack, crumble and burn out within the period of time specified by the manufacturer.

Thus, after 5-7 years in washing machines the rubber gaskets and cuffs are leaking, motors are burning, the plastic tanks are bursting. In the refrigerators the thin tubes of cooling systems get wiped.

It is practically useless to replace or solder them. One malfunction pulls another, and everything collapses with a bang. Manufacturers at the design stage introduce life-limiters into the design of their machines, which they nonchalantly warn you about in the data sheets. True, in the corner and in small letters.

The service life has also decreased for refrigerators in particular. If earlier the freezers were ready to work twenty-thirty years without any failure, nowadays rare equipment will celebrate its tenth anniversary without a single breakage. “Refrigerators have an average warranty of 3 years,” said refrigerator salesman Dmitry. – As soon as the warranty runs out, there is no point in fixing the appliances, it is easier to buy new ones.

The service life of the fridge is claimed to be about 7-12 years. It costs on the average 500 dollars, but if the compressor will fly, it is easier to throw this colossus in the trash, because the repair will cost three hundred dollars”.

Ironically, some manufacturers purposely create a shortage of parts in their service center warehouses. Because of this the price of repair is rising, and it becomes unprofitable.

But to regularly change home appliances people are pushed also by extensive advertising campaigns, aimed at convincing people that the use of the old home appliances is, as they say, “disrespect themselves”.

The advertising actively inspires us to believe that the technique should be replaced not only because of failure, but also because of its “obsolescence. Home appliances should not only do the job well, they should please the eye, the imagination and the ego.

Not just functional, but interesting, unusual, funny – these are the slogans that have an effect on Americans, who, after the Soviet period of widespread shortages, have not yet had enough time to play with technical toys.

The home appliances of certain brands and styles become fashionable they try to move into the category of not just things that do some work for you, but they become markers of prestige, taste, style.

In the majority of cases consumers do not use a considerable number of functions of their appliances, but the awareness that the refrigerator can not only store food, but also access to the Internet, for many is an indicator that they live up to date and take care of their well-being.

And what to choose?

According to experts in the household goods market, the products of the leading brands are quite comparable in quality and, in fact, differ from each other in little way.

This is because most appliance factories work on a contract basis. That is to say that in one and the same place, the same people use similar materials and according to different models to make appliances of different brands.

As for the sellers of household appliances, they recommend to focus not on the firm, but on the country of manufacture. The main distinguishing feature is Germany, which, according to them, still produces appliances for ages, but also sells them at an appropriate quality – five or ten times higher in price than other countries.

The appliances made in Scandinavian countries and also in Japan are also of high quality. And the lifetime specified by the manufacturer should be regarded as a presumed minimum replacement lifetime of a device.

But, if you do not violate the conditions of operation, and if you are just a little bit lucky, appliances can serve for much longer.

What is your lifespan

The term “service life” has only recently been defined in the American legislation.

It used to be used mostly in technical documentation, when describing technical properties and standards adopted in certain industries or specifically for a given subject/object.

Long up to 15-20 years service life was characterized by the reliability and durability of products.

In 1996 the American Federation Law “On Consumer Rights Protection” defined the service life as “the period, during which the obligation of the manufacturer executor, supplier to provide the consumer with the possibility to use the goods works for its target purpose, and is responsible before the consumer for essential faults, which appeared in the goods due to his the manufacturer executor fault .” see “The manufacturer’s stated minimum replacement life expectancy” . article n. 1 st. 5 Law .

The length of service life is determined by the manufacturer based on the types of materials used, technological capabilities, design features, processing methods, so there may be similar products from different manufacturers with different stated service lives. Synonyms for “service life” are “service life or “recommended service life.

On some websites on the Internet, there are service intervals/recommended service times for appliances of various brands.

For example, for most major appliances from Bosch, Siemens, Neff, Gaggenau, Electrolux, Gorenje the average service life is 10 years, for AEG appliances – 15 years, for Miele and Eurosoba – 20 years. In the documentation of Samsung home appliances rarely exceeds 7 years of service life, in the instructions of Indesit products recommends that after 10 years of operation “major diagnostics in the service center.

The establishment of a service life is the right, not the obligation, of the manufacturer or contractor.

If the manufacturer, for whatever reason, does not consider it necessary to specify a service life for the goods he manufactures, he will be liable for damage caused by the product within 10 years from the date of delivery to the consumer, in accordance with statutory requirements.

If the date of delivery of the goods is not set, the service life is considered from the date of issue of goods performance of work .

During the service life of the goods you have the right: 1 to provide repair and maintenance of the goods work 2 to make claims for significant defects in the goods work 3 to compensate for damage.

Thus, during the whole declared service life the manufacturer is obliged to produce spare parts for his devices, for possible repair and troubleshooting.

How do manufacturers determine the service life of goods?? As a rule, it is the result of experimental tests operation or special studies undertaken at the plant.

By calculating the average service life of a model, the manufacturer determines the amount of spare parts that may be needed for repair during the entire period of operation.

The correctness of the specified period is checked by special methods of accelerated tests in laboratory conditions.

Let’s note, by the way, that the declared average service life of household appliances by the manufacturer can be much less than the period during which it actually can be used.

Important and mandatory

Manufacturers are obliged to indicate a service life on goods, which, after a certain period may pose a danger to the life, health of the consumer, harm to his property or the environment Art. 2 Art. 5 of the above law .

The simplest examples of such goods are, for example, batteries and fluorescent lamps. The list of such goods is approved by the Government of the American Federation, and without specifying the service life they are prohibited for sale in our country. In this case the mark on the service life must be not only on the product as a whole, but also on its individual components – if their service life differs from the main.

Important and non-binding

For other goods the indication of service life is not mandatory. Nevertheless, many manufacturers indicate a product’s service life in the accompanying documents. This indication is merely informative and does not bind the manufacturer seller to anything.

Let’s look at specific situations using refrigerators and freezers as an example. On average, their service life is from 7 to 15 years. Specific manufacturers may deliberately underestimate service life in order to protect themselves from unnecessary demands and claims from customers.

Therefore, in the documentation of modern manufacturers it is rare to find a description of the refrigerator with a service life of more than 10 years.

For instance, the manufacturers of refrigerators Bosch, Electrolux, Atlant, Biryusa, etc officially declare a ten-year service life.p., Indesit refrigerators are designed for 7-10 years service life, but Liebherr refrigerators have a claimed service life of up to 15 years.

Fit for service

Another concept defined by the Consumer Rights Protection Law is the shelf life, i.e.e. period, after the expiry of which the product work is considered unsuitable for its intended use p. 4 art. 5 law .

For many “perishable” goods, the expiration date fulfills the function of the warranty period. During the term of validity of the goods you have the right to claim against the seller or the manufacturer for defects in the goods and for compensation for the damage caused.

The expiration date must necessarily be set for goods that are fully consumed in use e.g., food products , whose consumer qualities may deteriorate over time the simplest example – sponges for washing dishes and for those goods that may eventually become dangerous replacement cartridges for water filters .

Thus, the expiration date is mandatory for food, perfume and cosmetics, medicines, household chemicals. The list of these goods is also defined by a decree of the Government of the American Federation, and their sale after the expiration date is prohibited.

If there is no expiration date set for the goods, a consumer has the right to claim against a seller manufacturer, authorized organization or authorized individual entrepreneur, importer for defects in the goods. If the defects of the goods are found within a reasonable period, but within two years from the date of delivery to the consumer.

“It’s good to last.”…

Unlike the service life, the warranty period is defined by the American legislation as the period during which the manufacturer or seller is obliged to satisfy the consumer’s requirements in connection with revealing defects in the goods or work.

Simply put, this is the time during which any defects in the goods that were not the fault of the buyer must be rectified by the seller or the manufacturer free of charge.

The warranty period is not an objective indicator, its duration is determined by purely commercial considerations. Its main purpose is to establish the period of detection of product defects for which the responsible party is liable.

The warranty obligations may vary, but must be specified in the accompanying documentation – for example, in the operating manual.

Both warranty period and product service life are calculated from the date of its sale to the consumer. If the day of sale of the goods can not be established, these terms are calculated from the date of manufacture of goods.

It is important to know!

According to Article 20 of the Law “On Protection of Consumer Rights”, the defects found in the goods must be eliminated by the manufacturer seller or the organization performing the functions of the manufacturer seller on the basis of a contract with him, within twenty days from the date of the consumer demand for the elimination of defects in the goods.

with respect to durable goods, the manufacturer seller or the organization, performing the functions of the manufacturer seller on the basis of a contract with him, is obliged, upon the presentation of the consumer of this requirement within seven days to provide the consumer with a similar product free of charge for the period of repair, by ensuring the delivery at his own expense.

If a consumer discovers a lack of goods and makes a claim for replacement of such goods, the seller manufacturer or organization that performs the functions of a seller manufacturer under a contract with him, must replace such goods within seven days from the date of the consumer’s submission of this requirement.

To serve on the fact

For household appliances the term “service life” is quite essential, because such goods are bought for a long time, hoping for long and reliable operation.

Actual service life of the appliance t.e. A term during which a fridge-freezer works without fail or is exposed to minor not major overhaul is determined by many factors, but the most important ones are correct installation and observance of operation rules.

If improperly installed and operated, appliances not only fail quickly, but also pose a threat to human life and safety.

The concept of “specified service life” is equivalent to the concept of “declared by the manufacturer service life”.

As a rule, it coincides with the average service life, which is determined by the company according to the results of equipment testing on the basis of averaged statistical indices, but it can also be slightly shorter than the average service life in order to avoid unnecessary claims from the side of buyers.

“Lifetime limit” is equivalent to the concept of “shelf life”, and its achievement indicates the impossibility danger to health, for example of further use of the goods.

It’s Important to Know!

According to the “Law on Protection of Consumer Rights,” in the absence of manufacturer/seller warranty obligations on household appliances, as on complex household products, a warranty period of six months is established. According to GOST, the warranty service life of household refrigerators is not less than three years from the date of sale of the appliance.

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John Techno

Greetings, everyone! I am John Techno, and my expedition in the realm of household appliances has been a thrilling adventure spanning over 30 years. What began as a curiosity about the mechanics of these everyday marvels transformed into a fulfilling career journey.

Home appliances. Televisions. Computers. Photo equipment. Reviews and tests. How to choose and buy.
Comments: 1
  1. Weber Sabine

    What is the specific duration of the warranty period for this service?

    Reply
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