Q: I need to buy some goods from the UK and these are being advertised with a 10-year commercial guarantee. I would like to know if this guarantee is valid in Malta?

Before concluding the sale make sure that you are in possession of the terms and conditions of the commercial guarantee so that you can check whether or not you can use the guarantee. If the guarantee is not valid in overseas countries it should be clearly written on the guarantee’s documents.

You should also check with the UK seller if there is a local agent that imports and sells the brand you are buying. If yes, you should request the seller to provide you with an international warranty so that if a problem crops up you may take the defective product to the local agent. In case there is no local agent, it is important you check what procedure you should follow to claim a remedy as per the said guarantee.

Besides the 10-year commercial warranty, your purchase is also covered by a two-year legal guarantee. If during this period the product results defective or does not conform to the contract of sale (since the foreign seller operates within the EU), he is obliged to provide you with a free repair or replacement. If neither of these two remedies are possible, you may cancel the sale and request a refund.