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Thread ID: 37408	2003-09-06 10:44:00	Hard disk warranty?	dumb-bell (3303)	Press F1

Post ID	Timestamp	Content	User
173432	2003-09-06 10:44:00	I see that HDD warranties only come with a 1 year warranty now. I think I have read somewhere that if a new hard drive collapsed say 15 months from purchase, it would not stand up as 'goods of merchantable quality', under the Sale of Goods Act, and would need to be repaired, replaced or money refunded'. Does anyone know anything about this, or where I could find the answer. Many thanks for any help. Dumb bell	dumb-bell (3303)
173433	2003-09-06 10:54:00	not that I know about. a 1 year warranty is just that. if you have problem after 1 year the too bad. sorry but thats the way life is.	robsonde (120)
173434	2003-09-07 09:42:00	If you have or had a hard drive fail within 15 months from purchase you would have a very good case for claiming a new one even with a 12 month warranty. The Ministry of Consumer Affairs would be the place to get advice.	tommy (2826)
173435	2003-09-07 10:41:00	Under NZ Consumer law the 1 year warranty does not absolve the supplier of their obligation to provide reasonable life expectancy. At up to 2 years a full replacement would not be out of order, but you might expect to pay an increasing proportion of the installation costs. After 2 years the value of the disk might be taken pro-rata and you would be expected to pay a proportion for the use enjoyed prior to failure. You may have to work to get your replacement or compensation, but if you don't ask/fight you get zippo. Cheers Billy 8-{)	Billy T (70)
173436	2003-09-07 11:07:00	I'd like to point out that you can still buy most hard drives with a 2 or 3 year warranty (make a specific request to any reputable retailer and find out for yourself). It only costs 7% more for the 3 year warranty, so it's up to you to decide whether that 7% is worth it. With the questionable reliability of some brands as of late, I think it's worth it...	whetu (237)
173437	2003-09-07 21:20:00	I read in a Consumer magazine a little while ago about a lady who bought a laptop with a 1 year warranty. Almost 5 years later the HDD died and she was told by the place where she bought it from that it was out of warranty and she would have to buy a new one. She took it to the small claims court and won, so the place where she bought it from had to pay for a new HDD (Not the HDD manufacturer!!!) The reason she won is that the Consumer guarantees act covered her for reasonable life of goods sold. In this case they reckoned that a HDD should last at least 5 years.	CYaBro (73)
173438	2003-09-07 23:38:00	after 5 years could you even get parts for it ? if a seller has to repair/replace things whenever they breakdown withen the "exspected lifespan" of a product, why bother with warranties at all ??	tweak'e (174)
173439	2003-09-07 23:56:00	You can get hard drives with 3 year warranties. They are the premium models and are likely to have 8mb of cache. If you buy the el cheapo ones with only 1 year warranties then you are getting what you pay for.	PoWa. (3243)
173440	2003-09-08 00:04:00	I'm with you tweak'e. It makes it a bit scary when you read things like that, especially if you're in the business of selling PC's / parts / laptops! Is it worth it??!!!	CYaBro (73)
173441	2003-09-08 02:43:00	That was an extreme example tweak'e, and we don't know the full story. The supplier may have dicked the consumer around during an earlier period when the HDD was showing early signs of failure, they may have written hostile correspondence, or they may not have turned up to the hearing to put their side of the case. A lot depends on the Tribunal referee too. It is generally a "meeting in the middle" outcome and in most instances a pro-rata deal would be in order. Nothing stops the retail supplier going back to their supplier for recompense either. The CGA does point responsibility back down the supply chain. Cheers Billy 8-{)	Billy T (70)
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