Q: Eight months ago, I bought a vacuum cleaner from a local retail outlet, which recently stopped working.

When I went to the seller to lodge a complaint and ask for a remedy, the seller refused to take it back and instead told me to write directly to the foreign manufacturer.

Can the seller refuse responsibility? Is it true that I have to contact the foreign manufacturer to get the vacuum cleaner repaired or replaced?

A: The Consumer Affairs Act specifically stipulates that the trader who sells the product is “liable to provide a remedy to the consumer for any lack of conformity in the goods”. Hence the seller who sold you the vacuum cleaner should provide you with a remedy and cannot brush off this responsibility on the foreign manufacturer.

If the seller keeps refusing to provide you with an adequate remedy, you may file a complaint with the Office for Consumer Affairs.

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