An employee stands next to a Whirlpool washing machine inside a home appliances showroom.
Credit: Reuters File Photo
New Delhi: The government on Thursday asked manufacturers and sellers of white goods like refrigerators, air conditioners and washing machines, to make warranty or guarantee of these products applicable from the date of installation rather than the date of purchase.
Rohit Kumar Singh, Secretary, Department of Consumer Affairs, has sent letters to the concerned companies in this regard.
In the letter, the secretary has strongly advised the companies to revise “the warranty or guarantee policy in the sale of white goods to consumers, to reflect its commencement from the date of installation rather than the date of purchase,” according to an official statement released by the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution.
White goods typically involve installation by trained technicians, and until they are correctly installed on the premises, consumers are unable to use such goods.
It is observed that this practice leads to a reduction in the total warranty period which a consumer would have normally enjoyed from the time he could use the product after its installation. This issue is further accentuated in case of purchases made through e-commerce where an additional time is involved in the delivery of the product, the ministry said.
The ministry further noted that initiating
the warranty or guarantee period when consumers are unable to use the
product constitutes an unfair trade practice under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019.