Q: Three years ago, I ordered a kitchen to be fitted in a holiday flat. The kitchen included a number of appliances. Since the flat was out of use for a long time, the appliances that came with the kitchen were never connected. In fact, we’ve asked the seller to connect them at a later stage.

Now, three years after purchasing the appliances, we asked the seller to install the appliances and issue the commercial guarantee. To our surprise, we were told that the guarantee has now expired. What are our legal rights?

A: When we buy certain types of goods, such as appliances, we do not only have a legal protection but are usually also given a commercial guarantee.

The legal protection this has a two-year time limit from the date of delivery. Hence, in your case, since the appliances have been delivered to your flat three years ago, the legal guarantee has now expired. As to the commercial guarantee, this also usually starts to apply with the purchase of the product.

However, in certain cases, consumers make an agreement with the seller to open the commercial guarantee when the products are installed. Such an agreement is ideally done in writing. Furthermore, if there is a time limit by when the appliances should be installed, this should also be stated in the agreement.

In your particular case, to have the right to commence the commercial guarantee after three years, you should have made a specific written agreement with the seller, in which a time limit should have been stipulated.

If you do not have such an agreement, then the appliances purchased are no longer guaranteed, neither legally nor commercially.