From: Alex 
Newsgroups: uk.finance
Subject: Re: Warranties
Date: 9 Nov 2004 18:28:40 GMT

Without a hint of irony, Mike Scott
 astounded uk.finance on 03 Nov
2004 by announcing: 

> Roland Watson wrote:
>> I am buying a dishwasher from Comet and am considering their extended
>> warranty. Is it best to just stick with the retailer or, like insurance
>> policies in general, one could shop around and get a better deal
>> elsewhere? 
> 
> Quite likely better deals elsewhere: the shops make a significant part 
> of their profit from warranties.  But do you really need one?  You'll 
> get a year's free warranty anyway

That's misleading.  You'll normally get at least a year of manufacturer's 
warranty but that is in addition to your statutory rights.  All it means is 
that they're less likely to quibble during that period.

However, if your machine breaks down after 18 months due to a fault with the 
equipment itself (e.g. manufacturing defect, substandard components) then you 
are still able to pursue the retailer* since you would reasonably expect such 
a device to still function correctly after that time.

* Note that your contract is with the retailer, not manufacturer, and so any 
claim has to be against them.  It's up to them to pursue the manufacturer 
themselves.