Appliance - File

Shelly-Ann Watkiss, a teachers' college student, was a bit surprised, but happily so, when she collected her cellphone, after depositing it for repairs.

There was no charge to her.

"I did not even know that the phone was under a warranty, much less that it lasted for a year. I just thought that if something goes wrong with a cellphone you either buy another one or you or pay to have it repaired," she said.

Many consumers do not think much about warranty, unless it is a major appliance purchase or a motor vehicle. However, as Alex, a sales representative at an electronics store in the Twin Gates Plaza, Constant Spring Road, St. Andrew, explains, it is critical to saving money.

"Many people do not think about warranty, even though we advise them about it. But if something happens and they come back to us within the required period and we replace or repair for free, then they are always surprised and happy," he said.

A warranty covers an item for a specific period of time for manufacturer's faults from the date of purchase. However, it is crucial that the consumer know that if they tamper with the item, then the warranty is void.

And if it is an item that requires installation and that is not done by a technician that the vendor stipulates, then the warranty is void..

Glendon Barrett found out the hard way when he tried to get his prized 27-inch flat screen television repaired before getting in touch with the vendor. He was told that the item had been tampered with and the warranty was therefore void.

"Is just a button wasn't working too good, because to turn it on you had to press the power. Of course it have a remote, but I just wanted everything working right," Barrett said. A screwdriver and a repair technician, actually, a good fried, came into play and the warranty went out the window.

"I never even carry it back in, because I called them and they said once the screws showed signs of tampering the warranty was void," he said. The television would have been repaired or replaced otherwise, but even though things could have been better they could have been much worse. "The remote works fine and I really don't need the power button," Barrett said.

Denton Murdock, who installs equipment from washing machines to air-conditioning units, warns that using an approved technician is the only way to go and the extra expenditure is worth it. "Cheap work is not the best work," he said. "Every man that you see is a certified installation technician for specific equipment has training in putting it in. Every job is different and there are little techniques to installation that if you don't get the training, you don't know. One overtighten screw can cost you big down the line, even if you don't void the warranty," he said.

"It is better you spend for quality work, just like how you spend for quality goods," he said.