Enforce a guarantee · Works anywhere
Enforcing the guarantee on goods that have broken down
Goods break down or do not do what was advertised. This letter dates the purchase, describes the fault, asks for repair or replacement and sets a deadline.
This page gives the shape of a letter, the words that fit and the public references attached to it. It does not tell you what to do about a particular case, and it does not replace the opinion of a qualified professional. The blanks marked in the letter are for you to fill in.
When this letter fits
- Goods you bought break down, or an advertised function does not work.
- The seller points you to the manufacturer, or the manufacturer to the seller, and nobody takes the case on.
- A repair has already been carried out and the same fault comes back.
When it does not fit
- It is a service that was not delivered, not an item: the complaint about a service fits better.
- The goods work but do not suit you: a guarantee does not cover changing your mind.
- The fault comes from an impact or a use the instructions ruled out: this template invokes the guarantee, which presupposes a defect in the goods, and asking for a repair quotation is worded differently.
The letter, in full
The passages that are marked are the blanks to fill in. Paragraphs carrying a condition are written only in the case stated: the workshop does that sorting, or you do it by hand.
your town, the date
Subject: Guarantee: goods concerned bought on date of purchase
Reference: your file number
Dear Sir or Madam,
I bought from you goods concerned, on date of purchase.
If “The delivery date, if it is different” is filled inThese goods were delivered to me on delivery date, if it is different.
If “The goods were bought” is “New”They were bought new.
If “The goods were bought” is “Second-hand or refurbished”They were bought second-hand or refurbished. I am asking you to tell me in writing which guarantee applies to this sale, and for how long.
fault, described in facts
If “What has already been reported or tried” is filled inwhat has already been reported or tried
If “What you are asking for” is “Repair of the goods”I am asking you to repair these goods at no charge to me, and to tell me in writing the date they will be taken in as well as the date they are expected back.
If “What you are asking for” is “Replacement of the goods”I am asking you to replace these goods with identical or equivalent goods at no charge to me, and to tell me in writing the date on which they will be available.
If “What you are asking for” is “A refund”I am asking you to refund these goods, repair and replacement having failed to restore them to working order, and to tell me in writing the date on which that will be done.
I am also asking you to confirm in writing that this request is being dealt with, and to give me a file number.
I should be grateful for a reply before date by which you expect a reply.
This letter is being sent with proof of posting retained, together with a copy of the purchase invoice.
Yours faithfully,
your first name and surname
Enclosures
- A copy of the invoice or the till receipt.
- A copy of the delivery note, if delivery took place on another date.
- Photographs of the fault or of the code displayed, when the fault can be seen.
- Copies of earlier repairs to the same goods.
The questions to answer
- The goods concerned
The make, the model and, if you have it, the serial number. That is what identifies the item beyond argument.
Example: the washing machine, make X, model Y, serial number 8812-B - The date of purchase
The date on the invoice or the receipt, not the delivery date if the two differ. Note both if they differ. - The delivery date, if it is different optional
It is often this date that starts the guarantee period running. Leave empty if both dates are the same. - The goods were bought
- New: The simplest case to establish.
- Second-hand or refurbished: A guarantee often exists too, over a shorter period: the letter then asks which one applies.
- The fault, described in facts
What happens, in what conditions, since when. A symptom that can be reproduced is worth more than an adjective.
Example: Since 2 August the machine stops mid-cycle and displays code E18. It happens every time it is used. - What has already been reported or tried optional
The calls, the visits to the shop, the earlier repairs, with their dates. Leave empty if this is the first report. - What you are asking for
Ask for one thing, and say which: a letter that leaves the choice to the seller gets whatever is cheapest for them.- Repair of the goods: At no charge, with a date for taking them in and a date for returning them.
- Replacement of the goods: To be asked for when the fault has come back after a repair, or when repair is impossible.
- A refund: To be asked for last, when neither repair nor replacement has worked.
- The date by which you expect a reply
Two weeks for the reply. Dealing with the goods themselves may take longer: those are two different periods.
What to ask for, precisely
- Handling at no charge: transport and labour are part of it, and therefore have to be asked for explicitly.
- Two dates, not one: the date the goods are taken in and the date they come back.
- A file number, so that later exchanges attach to it.
- Something in writing saying which guarantee is being applied, above all for second-hand or refurbished goods.
- Replacement goods while yours are out of use, where such a thing exists: it is not always refused, but it is never offered.
The documents to attach
- A copy of the invoice or the till receipt.
- A copy of the delivery note, if delivery took place on another date.
- Photographs of the fault or of the code displayed, when the fault can be seen.
- Copies of earlier repairs to the same goods.
The deadline
Two weeks for the reply. Watch out for another period, that of the guarantee itself: it runs from purchase or delivery, and it depends on the country and on the contract. A written, dated report inside that period is worth more than a phone call, because it can be proved. The country modules give the periods that apply where they have been checked.
After sending
- Note the file number and the date the goods were taken in as soon as they arrive.
- When the goods come back, insist on a document saying what was done: a repair that is not described is no use when the fault returns.
- Keep that document: if the same fault reappears, it is what justifies asking for a replacement rather than a second repair.
The legal grounds
This template belongs to the universal core: it invokes no national law, so it has no legal reference to cite. Its strength lies elsewhere, in how precise the facts, the dates and the request are. If your country has a text that strengthens this step, it lives in a country module, separately and by name.