§ 27. How long can you complain about a product?
You must notify the seller (selger) quickly after you discovered the fault — always within two months. The absolute limit is two years, or five years for goods that are meant to last a long time (car, TV, white goods, phone).
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)
If there is a defect (mangel) in the item, the consumer (forbruker) must, within a reasonable time after he or she discovered or ought to have discovered it, notify the seller that he or she will invoke the defect (complaint about a defect (reklamasjon)). This deadline for complaining can never be shorter than two months from the time when the consumer discovered the defect.
A complaint about a defect must be made no later than two years after the item was delivered. If the item or parts of it are, with normal use, meant to last considerably longer, the deadline for complaining is five years. For updates and digital services (digitale ytelser) which under the agreement are to be supplied continuously over a longer period, the deadline for complaining is nevertheless as long as this period. The deadlines under the first to third sentences do not apply where the seller, through a guarantee (garanti) or other agreement, has assumed responsibility for defects for a longer time, or where there is a defect under § 16 first paragraph letter d.
A complaint about a defect may instead be made to the party who, by agreement with the seller, has undertaken to remedy defects.
If the consumer does not complain in time, the right to invoke the defect is lost. This does not apply if the seller has acted with gross negligence or otherwise contrary to honesty and good faith. The right to invoke the defect may also be lost under the rules on limitation in the Limitation Act (foreldelsesloven).
What does this mean?
Two deadlines to remember:
1. The relative deadline: Tell the seller «within a reasonable time» — at least two months from when you discovered the fault. If you complain within two months, you are safe.
2. The absolute deadline: Two years from delivery (levering) for goods with a short lifespan. Five years for goods meant to last a long time: mobile phone, TV, white goods, car, PC, furniture.
Important: Many shops say «one-year guarantee». That is fine for the first year — but after the guarantee you still have the right to complain about a defect for two or five years. «The guarantee has expired» is not a reason to refuse a complaint about a defect.
Example
Per buys an iPhone. After three and a half years the microphone stops working. The fault occurs on 1 March. Per goes to the shop on 15 April — a month and a half later. Mobile phones have a five-year deadline for complaints. He stayed within the two-month deadline. The shop must deal with the complaint.
Common mistakes
- Believing that «the guarantee has expired» means the deadline for complaints (reklamasjonsfrist) is over — these are two completely different things
- Waiting five months before telling the seller — then you can lose your right even if the item is only one year old
What should you do?
Do not put it off. Send an email to the shop the second you discover the fault — then the deadline is frozen. You can hand in the item in person afterwards.