Warranties: Cards without a calling

FROM vacuum cleaners to toasters, warranty registration cards come with virtually every product you buy.

They are familiar to many when making a electrical or big-ticket item purchase, but many consumers remain unsure on whether their details need to be filled out.

Australian Consumer Law says they don't need to be and a spokeswoman from national consumer group Choice says many people are wasting their time if they do.

"Essentially, all you need is proof of purchase - your credit card receipt or the actual receipt," she says. "You don't have to fill in these warranty registration cards."

The cards often require the consumer to fill in details including first name, surname, address, mobile phone number, email, where you bought the product. Then there are questions like why you chose it.

The spokeswoman says you don't need to hand over these details.

"Often it's a way of getting more information from the consumer, personal details that are really useful for the company when they're doing marketing," she says.

"There would be certainly an element of marketing and getting people's names on databases, so I think the message to consumers is hold on to your receipt or at the very least your credit card statement."

The first port of call for any consumers who feel they've bought faulty goods should be the retailer and if they have no luck there, they should approach their state's department of fair trading.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission says while warranty cards may be a good way of providing proof of purchase, they are not necessary and a receipt or credit card statement should suffice.

Under the Australian Consumer Law (ACL), consumer guarantees provide for the repair, replacement or refund if a product is faulty or does not perform the task for which it was intended.

"Failure to complete a warranty card does not affect these consumer guarantees rights under the ACL," an ACCC spokesman says.

"Even if consumers don't have a warranty or the period of their warranty has expired, they may still have a right to get their item repaired, replaced or even refunded.

"There are no hard and fast rules about how long after a manufacturer's warranty or an extended warranty expires that consumers may be entitled to a repair, replacement or refund.

"The consumer guarantees are not limited to a set time period - instead, they last for the amount of time that is reasonable to expect given factors including cost and quality of the item or any representations made about the item."

Dick Smith's business manager product development, Karryn Ellem, says while it's a good idea for consumers to follow any instructions provided by the manufacturer of a product they've purchased, failing to fill out a warranty card must not impact the consumers rights under the ACL.

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