In parallel with the market of new phones, there has recently been a market that is growing at an even more dynamic pace — the market of refurbished phones that, after use or breakdown, were prepared for sale again at lower prices than the original ones.
The economic factor is important, but it is also important to know what rights the consumer has when buying one of these devices in Spain.
The new law on consumer and User rights protection will come into force on January 1, 2022. Its goal is to enable consumers to extend the life of the devices and reduce their environmental impact.
IIeana Izverniceanu, communications director of OCU, believes that this new rule can "strengthen employment", as more specialists will be needed to repair all types of goods. As for the question of whether the extension of the guarantee will lead to an increase in prices, the consumer organization explains that this will not happen, since "more protective legislation for consumers is useful for all market participants, including manufacturers," since "those who are able to bring durable goods to the market at a good price will be chosen by consumers.
What does the law on reconstituted products say?
It states that the minimum legal guarantee for all products is extended from two to three years, and all restored goods must be accompanied by a contractual guarantee, which cannot be less than a year.
What guarantees are offered by refurbished devices stores in Spain?
Before the law came into force, most stores offered the lowest warranty, now on sites such as Amazon (see warranty) and Backmarket. sellers give a 1-year warranty.
According to the rules of some companies, a faulty device can be delivered to a store that will be responsible for repairs, or to an official repair centre. Refurbished phones that are defective can be returned within one year of warranty, while the user receives a full refund of the amount paid. Repairs are carried out by stores as they sell the refurbished product.
Small businesses, sellers of inexpensive products, or manufacturers with an extensive product catalogue may suffer the most. In these cases, some sources explain that they may choose to outsource or start charging extra for certain repairs.
One example of companies that already offer warranty renewals for an additional fee is Amazon. As expected, the strategy around these extensions may start to revolve around additional benefits. Because problems such as screen breakage are still not included in the warranty.
The principle of the minimum legal guarantee in Europe, according to ECC, is two years for any purchase in a store or online from a professional seller based in the European Union. Since the legislation leaves each country the possibility to apply its own conditions, leaving the possibility to extend the required warranty, for example in France this warranty is one year, although other countries, such as Norway or Iceland, offer five years.
How does device refurbishment work?
It is equally important to know what this recovery process consists of. It is important to make sure that there is no damage affecting the operation of the devices. The NSYS Diagnostics solution checks what happened to the device earlier, which parts should be replaced, and will indicate which of them are unoriginal. Our solution can perform more than 60 automated and semi-automated tests and detect more than 100 defects. Diagnose your product faster and more accurately!
