Receipts and warranties: how to keep them safe

1 min read

When an appliance breaks, the first question is always the same: is it still under guarantee? And right after: where's the receipt? With a few habits the answer takes a minute.

How long the guarantee lasts

In the European Union, new products bought from a professional seller come with a 2-year legal guarantee from delivery (EU Directive 2019/771): if the product is faulty, you go to the seller. The manufacturer's warranty, when there is one, comes on top and has its own rules: check how long it lasts and what it covers. Outside the EU the rules differ.

Photograph the receipt straight away

Many receipts are printed on thermal paper, which fades with time and heat: after a year or two they can be unreadable. A photo taken on the day you buy solves the problem. Keep the original too, along with the card payment record if you paid by card.

What to note for each item

• name and model (the serial number is often needed too, under the label);
• date and shop of purchase, price paid;
• length of the guarantee and, if there is one, the manufacturer's warranty;
• where you keep the instruction manual.

One place, not ten drawers

Receipts in your wallet, warranties in a kitchen drawer, manuals in the cellar: that's how they get lost. Choose one place, physical or on your phone, and put everything there as soon as you get home.

Get reminded before it ends

A fault that appears the day after the guarantee ends isn't covered. A few weeks before that date it's worth checking the item: a strange noise or a button that doesn't work is the right moment to have it looked at.