It will happen to everyone at least once, you will buy an item and suddenly find it isn’t working! An annoyance not only as it needs repair, but also due to entering the dark topic of the guarantee. The most common questions are whether the guarantee will be recognized or not, if the waiting time will be infinite and if the repair will imply an additional expense. It can be said with certainty that nowadays, customers are highly protected, even if it is only recently that topic has become clearer, making consumers aware of their rights with respect to this very hot topic.
Guarantee: some general information
Although technological products are the most protected items in terms of guarantees, it is important to remember that the Consumer Code (which regulates all matters regarding the guarantee) refers to all durable and semi-durable goods.
First of all, there is a great distinction between the legal guarantee and the conventional guarantee: the former must be recognized by the retailer, ie the person who has drawn up the purchase contract with the buyer, while the latter is not an obligation, and therefore may vary from manufacturer to manufacturer even among different models belonging to the same company.
A faulty product, or in which a malfunction occurs within two years from the purchase, falls within the legal guarantee, and must be notified to the retailer within two months from the discovery of the defect (regarding this last aspect it is important to remember that if the consumer discovers the defect at exactly two years, they do however, have two months longer to notify the fault and make use of the guarantee).
However, the methods of substitution depend on the contingency: it will be up to the buyer to opt for a repair rather than a replacement or, in the most extreme cases, a termination of the contract and the return of the amount in cash.
It is important to remember that the conventional guarantee does not in any way invalidate the legal guarantee provided by the Consumer Code. It will be up to the consumer, according to the more or less advantageous conditions of the conventional guarantee, to choose to contact the manufacturer or the retailer.
For purchases with VAT, things change
For those who make professional purchases, therefore with a VAT number, the two-year statutory warranty offered by the Consumer Code (dedicated to final consumers) is no longer valid and is instead applied for one year provided for by the Civil Code or, optionally, the conventional one freely determined by the producer.
The transparent guarantee in the Hi-Tech area
After the report on the textile sector, Konsumer and Garanteasy reviewed the technology sector and found that nowadays, approximately 84.8% of technology product dealers communicate the guarantee on their sites in a clear and transparent manner and, more specifically, 12.1% are “Sufficient”, 42.4% get a “Fair” score, 24.2% “Good” and 6.1% “Excellent”. This is certainly helped, as Konsumer Italia explains, to ensure that around 70% of Italian consumers are now aware that they are entitled to the legal guarantee provided by the Consumer Code on electronic products. This figure clashes with the poorer 50% of those who are aware of being able to make use of it on clothing and accessories.
The guarantee with Maikii
Maikii has always been committed to transparency towards its customers, which is why it provides a lifetime guarantee for all USB sticks. For all other tech accessories, the guarantee is two years, except for batteries where there has been an adjustment to the legal guarantee which provides a 6-month coverage.
