Brand Name Warranty vs Local PC Shop

Brand Logo, Trust, Loyalty, QUality, Status

Anyone who reads those glossy computer magazines cannot help but be enticed by the advertisements for shiny new computers that can be built to order, and for much less than the brand names are offering. So why should a consumer pay more for those big name brands? Reliability? Warranty? Trust?

So why is it then that these same big brand names only offer the same 1 year warranty as the local computer shop? Great question. But it is not relevant anymore.

The Competition and Consumer Act 2010 states that goods should last a “reasonable time”. It is certainly reasonable to expect that a more expensive goods should last longer than cheaper goods. Similarly brand name goods should be expected to last longer than non-brand name goods. After all when an organisation trades on its name, and therefore its brand, as one of quality, and prices their goods considerably higher than all other similar products, is it not reasonable to expect a longer warranty? If not, why bother paying more for the brand name product.

The law now concurs. This means it is no longer legal for a brand name firm to reject a warranty on say a computer after twelve months or even two years. This I.T. Consultant would expect a brand name computer to remain operative without hardware faults for at least 7 years, batteries excluded.

The same argument can be applied to mobile phones and tablets. The mobile nature of these devices means they may be expected to take more wear and tear in their lifetime than their deskbound cousins, but certainly one year guarantee on these devices is not enough. Not according to the law of Australia at any rate.

Do not be fooled by the sales talk. The length of a guarantee is not determined by the manufacturer, or the store where the goods were purchased or what it may say in the box. It is determined by the laws of Australia in particular the Competition and Consumer Act 2010.

If you pay more for a brand name computer, then you can expect it to have a longer guarantee than a put together custom job from a local PC shop. That’s the law.