§ 18a. What does a guarantee actually entitle you to?
A guarantee (garanti) is an extra promise from the seller (selger) or manufacturer (produsent). It is meant to give you rights beyond the statutory complaint deadline. If the item breaks during the guarantee period, the seller must fix it free of charge — unless they can prove that you damaged it.
Machine-translated from Norwegian. The Norwegian text is the one that applies. Read the original in Norwegian.Norsk English العربية Polski Українська
The text of the law (unofficial translation)
The seller may undertake to be responsible for faults in the item that are not a defect (mangel) under the rules of the Act, and may then determine which claims the consumer (forbruker) may make as a result of the fault. The seller may also undertake to be responsible for a defect to a greater extent than under the rules of the Act.
If the seller, through a guarantee as mentioned in the first paragraph, first sentence, has undertaken within a certain period of time to be wholly or partly responsible for the item's usability or other properties without clearly stating which faults in the item the seller is responsible for and which claims the consumer may make as a result of the fault, there is a defect if the item does not correspond to the seller's undertaking. However, this does not apply if the seller shows it to be probable that the fault is due to an accident, incorrect handling of the item or other circumstances on the consumer's side.
If someone other than the seller has given a guarantee as mentioned in the second paragraph, and it appears to the consumer as if it has been given by the seller, there is a defect under the rules in the second paragraph. However, this does not apply if the seller, before the purchase, informs the consumer that he or she is not bound by a guarantee given by others.
A guarantee is legally binding on the guarantor on the terms set out in the guarantee statement and in associated advertising, and it does not limit the consumer's rights under this Act, cf. § 3 first paragraph. If the terms in the guarantee statement are less favourable to the consumer than the terms stated in associated advertising, the guarantee is binding on the terms stated in the associated advertising. However, this does not apply if the associated advertising, before the agreement was entered into, has been corrected in the same or a similar manner as it was presented.
What does this mean?
A guarantee and a complaint about a defect (reklamasjon) are two different things. A complaint about a defect is your statutory right (2–5 years). A guarantee is something voluntary the shop offers to show that they trust the product.
A guarantee can give you more time (e.g. a "10-year motor guarantee"), or cover mistakes you have made yourself (such as an "accident guarantee" for a cracked screen).
You never lose the statutory complaint deadline even if a guarantee expires. If the shop has advertised a "lifetime guarantee on the frame", they cannot hide a clause saying that "lifetime" only means seven years.
Example
Anne buys a washing machine with a "10-year guarantee on the brushless motor". After seven years the drum suddenly stops turning. The law only gave a five-year complaint deadline — but the guarantee applies for 10 years. The repair shop finds that the motor failed by itself. The manufacturer covers a new motor free of charge.
Common mistakes
- Throwing the item away after two years because "the guarantee has expired", and forgetting that the deadline for complaints (reklamasjonsfrist) is five years
- Believing that the guarantee covers accidents you caused yourself — always check the terms
What should you do?
Ask to see what the guarantee actually covers. Keep the guarantee certificate — in a few years you may not remember who gave it. Check whether it is the shop or the manufacturer that is the guarantor.
Frequently asked questions
Are a guarantee and a complaint about a defect the same thing?
- Do I lose the right to complain about defects in my heat pump without annual servicing?
- The solar panel company is bankrupt – who covers the guarantee on the panels?
- Guarantee only with the manufacturer's own installer – is that legal?
- Do I lose the guarantee if I have the servicing done at another workshop?