So take something like the microphone. At 14 months it stops working. PC World would laugh at me. I had the phone for 14 months and didn't come in to complain about my non working microphone. So clearly it was working they would say and do nothing. And legally can do nothing almost everywhere (only like Poland and the Czech Repub have no proof required laws).
Well, they are (most likely deliberately) misunderstanding something. The fault is not "microphone doesn't work". The fault is "microphone was built with a fault which meant it didn't last the five years it should last, but broke after 14 months". And _that_ fault was present from day one, you just didn't notice it for fourteen months. For proof, you can actually make an appointment with Apple and they can look at it and give you their expert opinion. Since they are not happy if PC World treats people with Apple hardware badly, they are very unlikely to stonewall you.
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That webpage is not from the Belgian apple site, but from the UK or european version.
The belgian pages are only in dutch or french, and as far as i can see, only mention the 1 year apple warranty.
It's harder to find (Netherlands is fine). Still, there is a link to a page that starts with
Alle producten gekocht van Apple, inclusief niet-Apple producten, vallen onder de wettelijke garantie van 2 jaar van de verkoper tot levering van een goed dat met de overeenkomst in overeenstemming is, bepaald bij de artikelen 1649bis tot 1649octies van het Burgerlijk Wetboek, en de wettelijke waarborg voor verborgen gebreken, bepaald bij de artikelen 1641 tot 1649 van het Burgerlijk Wetboek.
"All products purchased from Apple, including non-Apple products, fall under the (xxx) warranty of two years by the seller that delivery of a good is in agreement with the purchase agreement... " or something like that.
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I do not understand why there is a statutorily mandated warranty period, and especially one that is 2 years long. I understand statutory default warranties, but I cannot see why a seller would not be able to expressly waive that statutory period as long as it is clear to the consumer. Most products in the United States are under warranty because competition incentivizes suppliers to provide a warranty, not because the government mandates it.
Because it is unfair to consumers. Because it discourages consumers from purchasing in the first place if they have to fear that warranty was removed without them noticing. Because it encourages sellers to use any tricks they can to hide such a waiver, which means honest sellers are at a disadvantage. It's much better for everyone, including honest businesses, if everyone has to play by the same and open rules. It may be worse for dishonest business, but I don't care about them.
You see, if I go into a store I know what I'm getting. I don't have to watch out for hidden signs that reduce my rights. I go just by the quality and the price of the product, which should be the essential things. I don't have to calculate "how much cheaper should this Mac be at a shop that gives 90 days warranty, compared to a shop that gives 3 years warranty".