Understanding Consumer Guarantees and Warranties under the Australian Consumer Law (ACL)
When you buy products and services in Australia, you are protected by the Australian Consumer Law (ACL), which ensures that certain consumer guarantees automatically apply to your purchases. These guarantees are not affected or overridden by any warranties provided by the suppliers.
But it's crucial to have a clear understanding of how warranties come into play when it comes to the goods or services you purchase.
For information on manufacturer warranty terms, refer to the warranty tab on our product pages.
What are Warranties?
Warranties are voluntary promises offered by the person or business selling the product or service. Once you make a purchase, these promises become enforceable rights under the ACL. It's important to note that warranties and consumer guarantees are distinct from one another.
Consumer guarantees provided by the ACL apply regardless of any warranties offered by suppliers, and they stay in effect for a reasonable period, depending on the nature of the goods or services. This means that even after the warranty period has ended, you may still be entitled to the consumer guarantees.
Common Warranties
Suppliers sometimes make additional promises or representations, either verbally or in writing, about the quality or standard of their goods. These warranties may cover various aspects of the product, such as:
- Quality, state, condition, performance, or characteristics
- Functionality and duration of use
- Availability of servicing, parts, or identical goods
It's important to note that if a supplier or manufacturer provides such a warranty, the ACL mandates their compliance with it. If they fail to fulfill the warranty, you have rights under the consumer guarantees to seek appropriate actions against them.
By understanding the relationship between consumer guarantees and warranties and knowing your rights, you can make well-informed decisions when purchasing goods or services in Australia.
Making a Warranty Claim
If a product stops working inside its warranty period, contact us first at products@buzz.energy with your order number and a description of the fault. Please do not send anything back until we have authorised the return.
In a lot of cases we can sort the problem out without a return at all, by working through it with you or with the manufacturer's technical team. That saves you the wait and the freight, so it is always the first thing we try.
We cover collection
Where the fault has not been diagnosed yet, we will confirm the details with the manufacturer or supplier, then arrange and pay for collection of the unit. Once it reaches the assessing party, it is tested.
If a fault is confirmed
You will be sent a replacement unit or given a refund. You pay nothing for freight in either direction.
If no fault is found
The unit is working, so there is nothing to replace or refund. What happens next is your choice.
- Have it sent back to you. You cover the freight both ways, being our collection and the return trip. We will invoice you for that before the unit is sent back, so you know the cost before anything is charged.
- If you are still inside the 30 day return window and you would rather not keep it, our standard returns policy applies instead. The freight we have already paid is deducted from your refund, along with any restocking fee. Please note that policy requires goods to come back in "Like New" condition, so a unit that has been installed and used will not usually qualify for a refund.
Before you book a collection
Most "no fault found" results turn out to be settings, wiring or a system configuration issue rather than the product itself. Get in touch first. We will run through the likely causes with you and bring in the manufacturer's technical support if we need to. It costs nothing and it usually solves it.
Solar panels
If you are making a warranty claim on a solar panel, please contact us before the panel is taken down. Panels are easily damaged during removal, and once that has happened there is no way to tell the original fault apart from the damage caused taking it off the roof. A panel that has already been removed cannot be assessed.
Nothing in this section limits your rights under the Australian Consumer Law.