Q: Some months ago I bought a mobile phone from a store in the UK.  Lately the mobile phone has started giving me trouble and it is not working well.

I have the receipt and also the international guarantee the seller gave me. The guarantee’s length is two years. In Malta there is a local agent selling the same brand.

I was  wondering if I have the right to go to the local agent with the international warranty and ask to have the mobile phone repaired free of charge as per warranty. Or shall I contact the foreign seller first?

A: You need to first carefully read the terms and conditions written on the international warranty. If the local agent is mentioned in the warranty as responsible for the guarantee, then you can go to the local agent, present the guarantee and request to have the mobile phone repaired or replaced as stipulated in the guarantee.

If when you go to the local agent they refuse to acknowledge the guarantee (despite the fact that the Maltese firm is included in the international warranty as an authorised agent), then you can lodge a complaint with MCCAA.

If on the other hand the local firm is not mentioned in the terms and conditions of the international guarantee, then you will need to address your complaint to the foreign seller and ask for a remedy as per guarantee.

Should you not manage to reach an amicable understanding with the English seller then your next step is to file a complaint with the European Consumer Centre Malta (ECC Malta), which is the local office that deals with cross border complaints.

ECC Malta is part of the European Consumer Centres Network, which aim is to increase consumer confidence in the internal market by providing information on cross-border transactions and assisting consumers who have experienced problems with overseas purchases.