Dear Lifehacker, It seems like every time I go and buy something these days, the salesman asks me three times whether I’d like to buy an extended warranty. I always thought they were a ripoff, but I’ve had a few friends that say they were a godsend when their particular gadget broke down. Which is it? Should I be buying these warranties? Thanks, Worrying About Warranties More »
We spend the months leading up to Christmas in a frenzy of shopping, but some of us then spend the days afterwards trying to exchange unwanted gifts or get faulty presents repaired. Know your legal rights before you hit the stores and you’re much more likely to get a good outcome. Lifehacker sums up your entitlements when it comes to refunds, exchanges and warranties. More »
Dear Lifehacker, In the light of the new consumer laws introduced earlier this year, I’m wondering if we should question whether we should be paying to extend the limited warranty of one year on new Apple computers? Apple likes to promote the extended three-year AppleCare warranty as a logical extension of the 12 months “limited warranty” that it already offers, but I’m wondering if that falls within the law. More »
High-end smartphones often cost north of $600 outright, so insuring them makes sense. Telstra’s new insurance option saves you from panicking if you lose your phone or it gets damaged, but that protection doesn’t come particularly cheap. More »
Nationwide consumer protection laws entitle you to take a product back to the place that sold it if there’s a problem and seek either a fix or a refund. However, Apple seems to want to ignore that requirement. More »
Just yesterday, we mentioned that new consumer laws meant that items sold on a contract should be covered by a warranty for the life of that contract. Proving the point, the ACCC has negotiated a court-enforceable undertaking with Optus that means phones sold on a 24-month deal will be under warranty for that entire period — even for iPhone owners. More »
On January 1, new consumer protection laws came into place across Australia. We’ve got the lowdown on how the new rules protect you against door-to-door selling, telemarketing, warranty rip-offs and more. More »
This one emerged on Christmas Eve and thus slipped under our radar for a while, but it’s worth noting: Dell has entered into an enforceable undertaking with the ACCC after making inaccurate statements about refund and warranty rights for consumers. More »
A quick reminder that our special Lifehacker deal to get double the number of free ‘niggles’ from tracking service Niggle It expires on Monday. Don’t miss your chance to get your crucial documents such as warranties organised. [Niggle It]
