Q: About a year ago I bought a hearing aid for €400. A few days ago it stopped working. I immediately took it back to the vendor and informed him about the problem.

The seller told me he is no longer responsible and advised me to send the hearing aid to the factory where it was manufactured, to be fixed. I was also told that I have to pay for the postage and for the repair. I obviously refused this arrangement.

What are my consumer rights in this situation? I am only prepared to pay if after the hearing aid is checked, the factory abroad says the problem is my fault.

A: The Consumer Affairs Act clearly stipulates that when a problem crops up within the first two years of the date of delivery of the product purchased, it is the retailer who is responsible to provide redress, not the manufacturer.

Hence, the company that sold you the hearing aid should take on the responsibility to send the hearing aid back to the factory to check what caused the problem.

If you have nothing to do with the fault, then legally you are entitled either to have the hearing aid repaired or replaced free of charge. You are entitled to a part or full refund if neither repair nor replacement is possible, or if these two remedies are opted for they will cause you a significant inconvenience.

If, however, after the hearing aid is checked, it transpires that you have caused the fault, through, for instance, misuse, then you will have to pay both for the repair and for the transport of the hearing aid.