U Soe Aung Civil servant

I BOUGHT my first refrigerator five years ago. The retailer explained how to use and maintain it. It was covered by a 12-month warranty, but that was not the main reason why I decided to go ahead with the purchase. I never needed to have the refrigerator repaired while it was under warranty. I believe that most new appliances are unlikely to break down during their first year of operation. One of my friends who is involved in after sales service for electrical appliances advised me to use it with a voltage safeguard. It has been good advice because I have had no problem with it. But I have had problems with a television I bought two years ago which was covered by a 12-month warranty. I bought it from a retailer in downtown Yangon. Even though it needed to be repaired under warranty I took it to a repair shop near where I live in South Dagon township. The cost of taking it back to the downtown retailer would have been more expensive than having it repaired in my neighbourhood. My decision to have it fixed locally was also influenced by a neighbour who needed to have a television repaired under warranty. When he took it back to the shop they declined to repair it free of charge. I think consumers should pay more attention to warranty conditions when they buy appliances.

Ko Myo Win Nyunt Appliance shop employee

MOST retailers sell appliances without a warranty because they want to save on costs. For the few retailers who do offer their own warranty on products, the period of cover ranges from 12 months to three years. For those retailers, their warranty only covers the cost of labour. It doesn’t cover the cost of replacement parts. I manage the computer sales section and we often have customers bring their devices back for repairs. The problem usually involves the hard disk. If a customer encounters a problem with a computer within a month of buying it, we repair it immediately. If repairs are needed after they have owned the computer for more than a month, the customer faces a wait before it can be returned. That’s because we have to send the computer to the manufacturer’s service centre, where there is a waiting list for repairs. Consumers are usually more interested in the price of a product than its quality. In my experience, consumers show little interest in warranties, regardless of whether it accompanies an appliance or is provided by the retailer. Paying more attention to warranties would help to avoid misunderstandings between consumers and retailers.

U Khin Maung Tint Appliance sales manager

I HAVE more than 20 years experience in selling electrical appliances. If a customer is buying a well-known brand imported through normal trade, I always explain the warranty conditions and provide a warranty card. It’s important to do this because it is in the customer’s interest. But in common with most retailers, the business I work for does not provide warranty cards for new appliances imported through border trade. The appliance market is complicated because different retailers make different promises to potential customers. Some give verbal warranties, offering free after sales service and parts replacement for up to three years. If one of our customers needs to have a well-known brand repaired under warranty, we always send it to the manufacturing company’s service centre. They have waiting lists which can mean that the repairs will take up to a month. If a customer doesn’t want to wait I advise them to take the appliance to a recommended repair centre which offers faster service. They are usually satisfied, even though it means they will have to pay for the repairs. Consumers need to be aware when buying appliances because some retailers try to entice them to make purchases by making false promises about after sales service.