Commercial warranties often offer no better protection

The European Consumer Centres Network (ECC-Net) has researched the added value of commercial warranties in 25 EU Member States. The results show that not all commercial warranties provide better protection than the legal guarantee.

What is a commercial guarantee?

When you buy goods within the EU, Norway and Iceland you have a legal guarantee of at least two years. In some cases, consumers can purchase additional warranty. This is called the commercial warranty. Often these warranties do not offer added value and they have plenty of restrictions. Only if the commercial warranty covers accidental damage or defects by misuse, it could be positive for consumers. 

 

Should you purchase additional warranty or not?

The ECC-Net advises consumers to read the conditions carefully before they agree to a commercial warranty, as well as using the following checklist:

  • Is the duration of the commercial warranty longer than the legal guarantee?
  • Do you, as a consumer, not need to prove the manufacturing defect after 6 months?
  • Do you receive a replacement item during the repair period?
  • Are the procedures of the commercial guarantee clear?
  • Is the return of the defective product arranged by the seller?
  • Is all damage covered?
If consumers can answer more than three questions with a ' yes ', a commercial warranty could be interesting.