Q: A year-and-a-half ago, I purchased a mobile phone from a local seller. A few weeks ago I had a problem with the mobile phone’s charging port.

Basically, the charging port broke and I could not insert the charger into the mobile phone. I took the phone to the shop to have it repaired under guarantee. The seller told me the charging port was not covered by the warranty.

However, they still accepted to repair the phone at no extra charge. When the phone was ready, I collected it and tried to charge it. I immediately realised that the problem was not resolved.

Now the seller wants to charge me for repairs that need to be made and for parts that need to be changed. Is it true that a damaged charging port is not covered by warranty? What are my rights?

A: If the damaged charging port is not a latent defect but a defect that could have been caused by you through some kind of misuse, then legally you are not entitled to a free remedy. If when buying the mobile phone you were also given a commercial guarantee, you should check the terms and conditions of the guarantee and verify whether it is true that the charging port is excluded.

If it is not excluded, then you may ask the seller to honour the guarantee and provide you with free repair. On the other hand, if the charging port is excluded, then you have no other option but to pay for the repair.

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