Before paying for an additional warranty (also known as an "extended warranty"), keep in mind that all goods purchased from a merchant are covered by warranties provided for by law.

Among other things, these legal warranties entitle you to demand that any goods you purchase:

• are usable for the purpose for which they are ordinarily used;
• have reasonable durability, based on the price paid, the terms of the contract and the conditions of use;
• are free of any hidden defects, i.e. significant defects that were present before the sale, but that were not mentioned to you and of which you could not have had any knowledge, despite exercising due caution;
• match their description in the contract, advertisements and statements made by the representative.

Information provided by the merchant

Before suggesting that you purchase an additional warranty, merchants are required to provide you with certain mandatory information about the warranties provided for by law. The page titled Obtaining Information About Free Warranties provides more details on this subject.

Find out about the contents and conditions of the merchant or manufacturer warranty. If there is a document that describes the warranty, ask to be given a copy. Otherwise, have the details written on your invoice or in your contract.

Contents of the document that states the warranty

If the merchant gives you a contract or any other written document that describes the warranty, it must be clearly written and indicate:

• the name and address of the person who grants the warranty;
• a description of the item or service covered by the warranty;
• information as to whether or not the warranty can be assigned;
• the obligations of the person who applies the warranty if the item is defective or the service non-compliant;
• the procedure to have the warranty applied and the name of the person to contact;
• the exact length of the warranty.

Any warranty exclusions must be clearly indicated by the merchant or manufacturer.

The Office de la protection du consommateur recommends that you keep all documents related to a purchase. These may be bills or invoices, receipts, contracts, letters, advertisements, owner's or maintenance manuals etc.

Proof

If, at a later date, you want to have a warranty, such as a legal warranty, applied, you will have to prove the relevant facts in order to enforce your rights. These documents will come in handy.

Photocopies and scanned documents

It is recommended that you scan or photocopy documents printed on thermal paper, such as cash register receipts. Over time, the original printing could become illegible. The merchant, however, is not required to accept a copy.