Wireless device develops a fault within the three-year guarantee

I recommended the Devolo 200 AV wireless N starter kit to a friend and he was delighted with the product. However, he has had the device less than a year and it is now faulty.

He remembered that it came with a three-year warranty but he can’t remember who he bought the device from. I called Devolo in Germany for him but this didn’t help so I emailed Devolo UK.

I heard nothing after a full week. How is my friend to have the faulty device replaced under these circumstances?
Terry Hall

It is going to be nigh-on impossible for Mr Hall’s friend to get this problem fixed if he doesn’t have proof of purchase, such as a receipt or invoice from the retailer.

A bank or credit-card statement showing the sale would be the legal proof that he needs. The Sale of Goods Act 1979 does not demand that the buyer retains the original receipt, just proof of purchase, which these statements provide.

Retailers need to know the date an item was bought so they can also tell if any specific conditions were in force at the time of sale. Without this information Devolo can’t know if the kit was bought new or second-hand.

It would also need the information to check that a three-year warranty was offered and the date it started.

This may be a manufacturer’s warranty, which Devolo is legally bound to honour. If it is the retailer’s warranty, then this responsibility lies with the seller and not Devolo.

We contacted Devolo in the UK and the company was as helpful as it could be. It gave us a support email address and the number for its helpline, which we passed on to Mr Hall.

But, as we told him, there is nothing that can be done about fixing or replacing this faulty product if there is no proof of purchase.