6 year rule for faulty goods

[SueEllen]

There is no six year rule. The UK even opted out the 2 year statutory guarantee for electrical goods when the UK was in the EU,
Basically, goods should be fit for purpose for a reasonable time in the UK; your fridge has lasted long enough, buy a new one.

Like LadyM my fridge-freezer has lasted over 10 years.

So I have to disagree with you that under 6 years is long enough for a fridge freezer.

[Paddy]

Like LadyM my fridge-freezer has lasted over 10 years.

So I have to disagree with you that under 6 years is long enough for a fridge freezer.

In the good old days yes, these days there is build in redundancy of five years.

[Snooky]

Contrary to what Paddy & others have claimed, we retained most or all EU legislation on consumer protection when we left the EU. Certainly the 6-year rule still exists in UK law.

If you consider your statutory rights under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 have been breached (which include), you have up to 6 years, or 5 years in Scotland, to claim against the retailer (https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga...tes?view=plain - paragraph 105). Your grounds could be that the item was not of satisfactory quality, or not fit for purpose (Sections 9 & 10 of the Act).

The 6 years is guaranteed by law. You can also make claims after that point but the retailer has no legal commitment to consider it.

Fridges, and especially freezers, should last far longer than 6 years. I have a fridge and freezer that are both 36 years old and are still going strong.

[Paddy]

Contrary to what Paddy & others have claimed, we retained most or all EU legislation on consumer protection when we left the EU. Certainly the 6-year rule still exists in UK law.

If you consider your statutory rights under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 have been breached (which include), you have up to 6 years, or 5 years in Scotland, to claim against the retailer (https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga...tes?view=plain - paragraph 105). Your grounds could be that the item was not of satisfactory quality, or not fit for purpose (Sections 9 & 10 of the Act).

The 6 years is guaranteed by law. You can also make claims after that point but the retailer has no legal commitment to consider it.

Fridges, and especially freezers, should last far longer than 6 years. I have a fridge and freezer that are both 36 years old and are still going strong.

So much bollox I don't know where to start. You obviously have no idea what is a breach of contract however...

"Under the law of England and Wales and of Northern Ireland, claims for breach of contract are subject to a limitation period of six years from the date of the breach of contract, whereas in Scottish law the limitation period is five years. Because the protections provided under this Part of the Act operate on the basis of contract law, the consumer has 6 years (or 5 years in Scotland) within which they may pursue remedies for breach of one of the statutory rights. This does not mean that a consumer may seek a remedy under the Act for any fault arising in goods at any time in the six (or five) years following delivery, but only if one of the statutory rights is breached. The statutory right under section 9 (goods to be of satisfactory quality) will only be breached if goods are not of the standard which a reasonable person would consider to be satisfactory, taking into account circumstances including the price and any description given. This test of reasonableness is provided under section 9(2). For example, the statutory right may not be breached and so a consumer would not be able to obtain a remedy if, say, a very cheap kettle stopped working fully after four years, as a reasonable person might not expect a bottom of the range kettle to last that long."

[Snooky]

So much bollox I don't know where to start. You obviously have no idea what is a breach of contract however...

"Under the law of England and Wales and of Northern Ireland, claims for breach of contract are subject to a limitation period of six years from the date of the breach of contract, whereas in Scottish law the limitation period is five years. Because the protections provided under this Part of the Act operate on the basis of contract law, the consumer has 6 years (or 5 years in Scotland) within which they may pursue remedies for breach of one of the statutory rights. This does not mean that a consumer may seek a remedy under the Act for any fault arising in goods at any time in the six (or five) years following delivery, but only if one of the statutory rights is breached. The statutory right under section 9 (goods to be of satisfactory quality) will only be breached if goods are not of the standard which a reasonable person would consider to be satisfactory, taking into account circumstances including the price and any description given. This test of reasonableness is provided under section 9(2). For example, the statutory right may not be breached and so a consumer would not be able to obtain a remedy if, say, a very cheap kettle stopped working fully after four years, as a reasonable person might not expect a bottom of the range kettle to last that long."

Thanks for your polite response.

I'm not stupid enough to imagine that any item can be returned for any reason if there are problems in the first 6 years, of course there's a reasonableness test. But most normal people would expect an expensive fridge freezer (which it was, because all these American style ones are stupid prices) to last at least 6 years, if not a lot longer.

The point of the 6 years in this situation is that your statutory rights are protected by law for that long, so retailers trying to wash their hands because it's out of warranty or whatever, are in the wrong if you can show the goods didn't meet the requirements in the CRA.

You're now very welcome to the last word

[Paddy]

Thanks for your polite response.

I'm not stupid enough to imagine that any item can be returned for any reason if there are problems in the first 6 years, of course there's a reasonableness test. But most normal people would expect an expensive fridge freezer (which it was, because all these American style ones are stupid prices) to last at least 6 years, if not a lot longer.

The point of the 6 years in this situation is that your statutory rights are protected by law for that long, so retailers trying to wash their hands because it's out of warranty or whatever, are in the wrong if you can show the goods didn't meet the requirements in the CRA.

You're now very welcome to the last word

[northernladuk]

Thanks for your polite response.

I'm not stupid enough to imagine that any item can be returned for any reason if there are problems in the first 6 years, of course there's a reasonableness test. But most normal people would expect an expensive fridge freezer (which it was, because all these American style ones are stupid prices) to last at least 6 years, if not a lot longer.

The point of the 6 years in this situation is that your statutory rights are protected by law for that long, so retailers trying to wash their hands because it's out of warranty or whatever, are in the wrong if you can show the goods didn't meet the requirements in the CRA.

You're now very welcome to the last word

I'll have a go. If the OP is talking about the seal around the door then it did meet requirements and seals could be considered consumables. It still refridgerates, just lets a bit more of it out the door than it did when you bought it so it's all a moot point IMO.

[WTFH]

I'll have a go. If the OP is talking about the seal around the door then it did meet requirements and seals could be considered consumables. It still refridgerates, just lets a bit more of it out the door than it did when you bought it so it's all a moot point IMO.

The OP describes it as the “inner lining around the bottom” which could mean absolutely anything. Could be the seal, could be drawers not being closed properly, could be hundreds of things. The fact that the OP has scoured the internet to find others who have the same issue, but not asked them what they did, instead gives us a half story and wants advice, well, perhaps they should ask their accountant.

[Zigenare]

Interesting how our points of view differ, as I would expect a reasonable length of time for a fridge to be 10 years (same for TVs) maybe I'm just old and items used to last longer.

The days of the Hoover Twin Tub are over!

[DoctorStrangelove]

The days of the Hoover Twin Tub are over!

There's a chinese "Equivalent" availabe apparently: you'd be lucky to get a year out of it.