I’ve got a beef with my wellingtons warranty – are my boots still under guarantee?

Can I ask what the legal position is concerning guarantees? The reason I ask is that in August 2023 I bought some Jileon wellington boots. Over the year since then I have had these boots replaced twice under guarantee, the first time in January 2024 and again last week. Both times the boots started to leak, and there was absolutely no problem from Jileon in getting replacements.

However, when I asked if the latest boots had their own guarantee I was told that it dates from the original date of purchase.

I love these boots but my past experiences indicate they may not last for more than six months. What recourse would I have if these replacements split within a year, or indeed within six months like the previous two pairs?

VP, Oxford

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I am happy to answer your question as this issue is often misunderstood. It might seem counter to what you would expect, but the company is correct in saying that the term of the guarantee or warranty – one year in this case – starts with the first purchase, not when the last replacement was sent out. It means that your wellies are now no longer under warranty.

However, that is not the end of the story from the consumer’s perspective. Buyers of goods and services are still covered by the Consumer Rights Act, which holds the retailer – not the manufacturer – responsible for items that later fail. You may be entitled to some money back if they fail within six years in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and five in Scotland. The legislation did not set out exact remedies, and cases are judged individually.

Generally, if you’d bought a very expensive (say £10,000) television that most reasonable people would expect to last at least six years, and it failed after four, the retailer would be expected to contribute a third of the replacement cost or repair. The courts generally would not make the same order if your TV had cost £79.

I asked Jileon about your wellie experience and it told me it expected its boots to last between three and seven years. A spokesperson says: “Our damage replacement rate is less than 2%, which we believe to be better than industry standard. From our experience, boots do split early for three main reasons: fit, usage and maintenance. If boots don’t fit well, they do get stretched in the wrong places which can cause splits.”

If your latest pair fail, you may want to try a new brand, as the -current ones simply may not suit your feet or usage.

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