Q: Is it a myth that one has to keep the box and packaging of an appliance when purchasing an item in order not to void the warranty?

A: The products consumers purchase may be protected by two types of guarantee.

There is the two-year legal guarantee consumers are automatically entitled to whenever they purchase a product.

This gives the right to a free remedy if the product purchased results defective or does not conform to the contract of sale.

To claim a remedy under the legal guarantee, consumers only need to provide proof of purchase and hence do not need to keep the product’s packaging.

If the product purchased is also covered by a commercial guarantee, which is a voluntary guarantee given to consumers when they purchase certain types of products, and in the guarantee’s documents there is a condition that requires consumers to keep the packaging, if the packaging is not bulky, the consumer should avoid throwing it away.

If, however, the packaging is no longer available when the product results defective, the seller cannot deny a remedy to the consumer just because they did not keep the packaging.