• dan@upvote.au
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    6 months ago

    Huh I didn’t realise that. I’m Australian but have been living in the USA for around 11 years.

    Australia’s consumer laws are far stricter than the USA. In Australia, the store is responsible for fitness and quality of a product, based not just on its advertising but also what sales reps in the store say to you.

    Obviously you can’t return something nor ask for a repair/replacement if you’re using it for something other than its intended purpose (like using a chainsaw on bricks or whatever), but otherwise, the law is in your favour as a consumer.

    Stores must also accept warranty returns and not say that you need to go to the manufacturer. It’s not legal to say “no refunds”.

    Products must last at least as long as a reasonable consumer thinks they should last. For example, a fridge would have to be repaired or replaced under warranty if it stops working after 4 years, even if the warranty is only 1 year, as most people would reasonably expect a fridge to last more than 4 years.

    It means some stuff costs more, but it’s absolutely worth it for the protection you get.