A merchant is selling you an additional warranty on your good? The following tips may be of interest to you.
Obtaining Information About Free Warranties
Before selling you an additional warranty (also known as an "extended warranty"), merchants are required to inform you about the existing free warranties.
You are in a store and a merchant offers to sell you an additional warranty. Before proposing you purchase this warranty, the merchant must:
- inform you of the existence and contents of certain legal warranties by reading the following text to you: "The Act provides a warranty on the goods you purchase or lease: they must be usable for normal use for a reasonable length of time." Merchants must also give you a written notice that only contains certain mandatory information;
- verbally inform you of the existence and length of the warranty offered free of charge by the manufacturer, if applicable. At your request, the merchant must also verbally inform you on how you can find out about all of the terms and conditions of this warranty.
A merchant may offer to sell you an additional warranty online. Before proposing you purchase this warranty, the merchant must:
- inform you of the existence and contents of certain legal warranties. To do so, the merchant is required to send you a written notice. This document must only contain the mandatory information, including an indication that the item must be usable in normal use for a reasonable length of time. The notice must be legible and easy for you to keep and print;
- inform you of the existence and length of the warranty offered free of charge by the manufacturer, if applicable. At your request, the merchant must also inform you on how you can find out about all of the terms and conditions of this warranty. This information must expressly be brought to your attention and be legible.
A merchant may offer to sell you an additional warranty over the phone. Before proposing you purchase this warranty, the merchant must:
- inform you of the existence and contents of certain legal warranties by reading the following text to you: "The Act provides a warranty on the goods you purchase or lease: they must be usable for normal use for a reasonable length of time;"
- verbally inform you of the existence and length of the warranty offered free of charge by the manufacturer, if applicable. At your request, the merchant must also verbally inform you on how you can find out about all of the terms and conditions of this warranty.
If you decide to purchase the additional warranty, the merchant has 15 days following the date of purchase to send you the written notice on legal warranties. The notice may be sent in a format other than paper, but it must be legible and easy for you to keep and print.
A merchant may offer to sell you an additional warranty by mail. Before proposing you purchase this warranty, the merchant must:
- inform you of the existence and contents of certain legal warranties. To do so, the merchant is required to send you a written notice. This document must only contain certain mandatory information, including an indication that the item must be usable in normal use for a reasonable length of time. The notice must be legible and easy for you to keep and print;
- inform you of the existence and length of the warranty offered free of charge by the manufacturer, if applicable. This information must expressly be brought to your attention and be legible. At your request, the merchant must also inform you on how you can find out about all of the terms and conditions of this warranty.
Finding Out the Contents of an Additional Warranty
If you decide to purchase an additional warranty (also known as an "extended warranty"), carefully read the contract to find out:
- what is covered;
- what is not covered, in other words, the exclusions;
- the terms and conditions.
Contents of the document that states the warranty
A contract or any other document that describes an extended warranty 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.
This rule, however, does not apply to "insurance" types of additional warranties. Refer to the page that presents the 2 types of additional warranties for more information.
Last update : June 27, 2023
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The information contained on this page is presented in simple terms to make it easier to understand. It does not replace the texts of the laws and regulations.
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