Broken glass splashbacks

Q: I write in relation to the purchase of glass splashbacks for my kitchen. The glass was ordered some time in February, and in May the representatives of the company from where I purchased the splashback finally installed the last piece.

Before I ordered the glass, I was assured it is very difficult to damage. A couple of weeks after the last installation, the last piece of glass installed cracked. I went to the company's premises to complain and was treated like an insane person. I was accused of hitting the glass with something. After this accusation the conversation deteriorated. After a couple of weeks another glass pane cracked.

Can you advise if I am protected in any way, as I never signed anything that said the company is not liable for the items once these are installed. The only thing I signed was that the goods received were in good condition.

A: Any type of product we purchase should be of satisfactory quality, fit for its purpose and as described or agreed with the trader at the time of sale. Thus the glass splashbacks that you bought must be adequate for the use you ordered them for, free from any defects, and as the seller assured you, "very difficult to damage".

In this case, unless it was you who broke the glass by accident or through mishandling, the law gives you the right to request a remedy for the broken items. The remedy that can be requested in this situation is free-of-charge replacement of the broken splashbacks. If replacement is not possible, you may ask for a refund of part of the price or revocation of the contract, that is, full refund of the money you paid for the splashbacks.

To claim these remedies, it is important that you have proof of purchase, ideally the fiscal receipt, so that you can prove from where and when the splashbacks were bought. The date on the receipt is important because the remedies can only be claimed within a two-year time limit from the date of delivery.

The law also stipulates that you must inform the trader about the lack of conformity in writing within two months from discovery of the defect. If you have not done so already, I advise you to send a letter of complaint to the company by registered mail as soon as possible.

Should the trader refuse to offer you these remedies, you can call the Consumer and Competition Division and lodge a complaint.