How long should a TV, laptop or phone last?

Electronics have the shortest manufacturer warranties and the most expensive failures. A one year warranty on a $2,000 laptop is the manufacturer’s promise, not the limit of your rights.

Under $300

1yr

$300 to $1,499

3yr

$1,500 and over

5yr

I Kept It's estimate of reasonable cover for electronics, by price paid. These are our figures, not the law's: the Act sets no number of years.

01There is no fixed number in the law

Neither the New Zealand Consumer Guarantees Act nor the Australian Consumer Law says how many years electronics must last. Both ask what a reasonable person would expect, given what the product is, what it cost and what you were told when you bought it.

That is why the figures above move with price. They are the starting point I Kept It uses for every item you add, and they are deliberately conservative. A retailer, the Disputes Tribunal or a court may reach a different answer for your product.

02What counts

Televisions
Laptops and desktops
Phones and tablets
Headphones and speakers
Game consoles
Cameras

03What moves the number

Price, more than anything. A flagship phone and a $199 prepaid phone are not expected to last the same time.
Batteries wear. Reduced battery life after years of daily charging is usually wear and tear; a battery that dies in month fourteen usually is not.
Software support. A device that stops receiving updates is not automatically faulty, but one that stops working is.
Accidental damage is never covered. A cracked screen from a drop is yours; a screen that fails on its own is not.

04A worked example

A $1,899 TV. The panel develops a band of dead pixels at 26 months. The manufacturer warranty was 12 months.

At that price I Kept It estimates 5 years of reasonable cover. The manufacturer’s warranty has ended, but the claim against the shop that sold it has not. Put it to the retailer in writing, say it is a claim under the Consumer Guarantees Act, and say what you want: repair, replacement or a refund.

05What you need to make it stick

Proof of purchase, the date, the price, and a short record of what went wrong and when. Most people lose the receipt long before the product fails.

I Kept It keeps that evidence from the moment you buy: snap the receipt and it records the product, price and date, registers the manufacturer warranty, and shows how much of this estimate you have left.