Didn’t the old household appliances have to be repaired after the production stopped？ Consumer Council： spare parts should be provided within 5 years.

　　The washing machine bought six years ago broke down, but the consumer was delayed after the repair. It turns out that an important reason for the delay is that machine parts have been eliminated. After receiving consumer complaints, the Provincial Consumer Council intervened. Because there were no parts that could not be repaired, the manufacturer finally replaced the washing machine for the customer.

　　Home appliances purchased by citizens are normal for five or six years. However, the iteration of electrical appliances update is too fast, and a model is often discontinued after several years of production, and a new model is introduced. This often leads to the embarrassment that electrical appliances are out of order but there are no parts to repair, which has become a worry for many people.

　　In July this year, the Consumer Council of Guangdong Province received a total of 372 complaints from consumers, among which Internet services, sales services, life and social services ranked in the top three, and household electronic appliances ranked fourth. The Provincial Consumer Council emphasizes that after-sales service is the core competitiveness of electrical appliance manufacturers, and maintenance spare parts should be provided to consumers within 5 years after the products are discontinued.

　　Text/Guangzhou Daily All-Media Reporter Li Dalin Correspondent Yue Xiaoxuan

　　During the extended warranty period, the washing machine broke down and the manufacturer was sued for delaying maintenance.

　　Provincial Consumer Council: Maintenance spare parts should be provided within 5 years after the product is discontinued.

　　According to the Law on the Protection of Consumers’ Rights and Interests, the Law on Product Quality and other relevant regulations, the operator shall undertake the warranty, replacement, return or other responsibilities in strict accordance with state regulations or agreements with consumers, and shall not deliberately delay or unreasonably refuse. The Provincial Consumer Council said that in this case, the consumer purchased the extended warranty service of the washing machine, and the manufacturer was obliged to undertake the three-guarantee responsibility according to the state regulations within the promised time limit.

　　Secondly, according to Article 7 of the Provisions on the Responsibility for Repairing, Replacing and Returning Some Commodities: "Producers shall perform the following obligations … … Ensure to continue to provide spare parts that meet the technical requirements within five years after the product is discontinued … …” In this case, the manufacturer failed to provide relevant evidence that the product involved has been discontinued for five years, so it can be reasonably presumed that the product has not been discontinued or has not been discontinued for five years. Therefore, manufacturers should continue to provide repair spare parts for products, and should also ensure the supply of spare parts within 5 years after the products are discontinued.

　　Thirdly, according to Article 12 of the Provisions on the Responsibility for Repairing, Replacing and Returning Some Commodities: "If the manufacturer fails to supply spare parts within the validity period of the Three Guarantees and it has not been repaired for more than 90 days since the date of repair, the repairer shall indicate in the repair status that the seller will exchange the same model and specifications for the consumer free of charge. Then claim compensation from producers and suppliers according to law or handle it according to the purchase and sale contract. If the repair period exceeds 30 days due to the repairer’s own reasons, he will exchange the same model and specifications for the consumer free of charge, and the expenses will be borne by the repairer. " The manufacturer failed to continuously supply spare parts for the products involved, which caused consumers’ demands for maintenance to be delayed again and again. They should bear the corresponding legal responsibilities and take the initiative to exchange products of the same model and specification for consumers.

　　After-sales service of electrical appliances is the core competitiveness.

　　Although the manufacturer was satisfied with the results after the intervention of the Provincial Consumer Council, the after-sales service personnel had a negative attitude and even suspected of deliberate delay in the early communication with consumers, which deserves the attention and reflection of enterprises and also sounded the alarm for the industry.

　　The Provincial Consumer Council believes that in today’s saturated market and increasingly fierce competition, good after-sales service has become one of the core competitiveness of enterprise industry development, directly affecting the success or failure of enterprise operation and industry development. All relevant enterprises should attach importance to the quality of after-sales service, devote themselves to improving the quality of after-sales service, win the recognition and trust of consumers, and thus obtain the most fundamental support for long-term development.

　　Guangzhou consumer Mr. He bought a Haier washing machine in November 2012, and in July 2015, he bought an extended warranty service for Haier household appliances. The warranty period of the washing machine was extended to January 2019. In May 2018, the washing machine had failures such as dehydration failure and invalid buttons. Mr. He called Haier customer service for repair, and the customer service promised to send someone to check and repair, but there has been no news. Mr. He repeatedly called for reminders, and Haier customer service delayed the handling due to outdated spare parts and equipment, company relocation and other reasons. In desperation, Mr. He complained to the Guangdong Consumer Council and asked Haier to send someone to repair it as soon as possible.

　　After receiving the complaint, the staff of the Provincial Consumer Council immediately contacted Haier and asked Haier to handle it properly as soon as possible according to the purchase bill and extended warranty service card provided by Mr. He. Haier replied that the machine parts had been eliminated and could not provide maintenance service, so it was replaced for customers.