Good you buy must be of "acceptable quality"
If you buy consumer goods from a New Zealand business, you are protected by law. The Consumer Guarantees Act says that those goods must be of “acceptable quality” under the law. But what does this actually mean?
Basically it means that anything you buy from a business should do what you would expect it to, and last a reasonable length of time.
Under the Consumer Guarantees Act (CGA) a product is of acceptable quality if it:
is fit for its normal purpose (eg a vacuum cleaner should clean the floor well),
is in good working order (eg a vacuum cleaner should work reliably),
has an acceptable finish and appearance (eg a new vacuum cleaner should not have dents or scratches),
has no minor defects (eg a vacuum cleaner hose should be securely attached not loose),
is safe to use (eg a vacuum cleaner should not overheat) and
is durable (eg a vacuum cleaner should last a reasonable amount of time before breaking down).
If you arrange for the business to deliver the product to you, they are responsible for ensuring that it arrives in good working order.
You do need to take into consideration the age and price of the item. For example, you would not expect a very cheap item to last as long as a more expensive version; and you might expect to see some wear and tear on a secondhand item but not on a brand new one.
Another thing to remember is that if the business points out any faults with an item before you buy it, you can’t claim for those faults later.
If the goods are not of acceptable quality, you can go back to the business as soon as you find a problem with it and they have to do something to put it right. Keep a record of problems you have had with it, such as when it has inexplicably stopped working, and receipts for any repairs you’ve had to get done to it.
Depending on what the problem is, the business must:
repair it at no cost to you, or
replace the item or give you a refund if it can’t easily be fixed.
The business can’t simply refer you to the manufacturer, require you to return the item in its original packaging, or offer you store credit instead of a refund. Don’t be put off if the warranty has expired - if you reasonably expect something to last several years, then you can go back to the business if there’s a problem with it.
If the product is faulty and caused damage to your property, you may be entitled to compensation for that.
If you do strike any problems getting the problem fixed just give your local CAB a call or visit.
For more information, visit our Consumer Guarantees Act and Fair Trading Act page or the Consumer Protection page on faulty products.
$50 garden centre vouchers!
Our winners this week have won $50 to spend at a local garden centre.
Congratulations to:
Cassie Arauzo from Cockle Bay
Elizabeth Williams from Hillcrest
Luke Shamy from Hornby
Mitchell Hopping from Wallacetown
Get in touch with our helpdesk team here if you're on this list! If you're not a winner, check back next week just in case.
Kalle
"Sports and travelling run in the family, and that's kind of what's led me to come to New Zealand."
"I grew up in a small town in Finland. My dad was involved with sports all his life, he was a shot putter, discus thrower, powerlifter, we traveled quite a bit when I was a kid. He never mentioned much of the rugby days. He just said he broke both of his shin bones playing rugby, so he said, ‘never play the sport, It's crazy.’
I started playing when I was 18. I played my first cap for the Finnish national team in 2014, we won the Finnish championship with my club. Rugby is not a big thing in Finland.
I moved here to play rugby in 2017. The club that wanted me to come over was Methven Rugby Club. They got me here and they were like, ‘what do you do for work? I’d just finished chef school in Finland. ‘We'll get you a job at Mount Hutt as a chef, you can do that while you play rugby with us.’ I said, ‘Perfect. Yeah, I'm in’.
I've always loved food. My mum was an amazing cook, and still is. When I was studying tourism I worked in some hotels in Finland, and I saw how the chef's worked. I just loved the kitchen vibe and I was like, Yeah, that’d be something I'd love to do.
I've had more of a culinary journey In New Zealand than in Finland. I started at Mount Hutt, after that I worked at The Dubliner in Methven. I worked as a senior pizza chef at Sal’s for maybe six months then worked as chef de partie at Cellar Door. At Eliza's Manor, I worked myself up to a junior sous chef. Then the opportunity came to work my first head chef job at Moon Under Water.
We're privileged to have a busy atmosphere, we can try new things and get a bit creative. There are no TV’s, just come here with your family or with your mates, play board games, to socialise.
I really want to drive the local food and ingredients through the menu. We don't mind spending more for quality ingredients as long as it's supporting New Zealand businesses. We just love to use local. And it's pub food, but I feel like it's elevated.
I play club rugby here for the Christchurch Football Club, the oldest club in New Zealand and I still play regularly for the Finnish national team, whenever they can fly me over to play."
- Kalle
View more stories, or nominate someone: @humansofchch
www.humansofchch.org......
Poll: Is it okay to grocery shop in your PJs?
I'm sure you've seen it while doing your weekly shop... In fact, it may have even been you.
What do you think about people heading to the supermarket in their pyjamas?
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14.4% It's fine!
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75% It's questionable
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10.6% Other - I'll share below
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