The sheet to print
Fails too soon: the sheet to keep
Seven reflexes, in the order they serve, from the breakdown to the redress. Each one carries the text that founds it.
File EU 2019/771
This page is made to be printed: when printing, the whole screen around it disappears.
Law as verified onJuly 29, 2026
- 01
Write to the seller, not the manufacturer
The legal guarantee is held against the seller, the one who sold you the goods. The manufacturer's warranty is a commercial extra: it adds, it replaces nothing.
Page “Commercial guarantee of durability” · Commercial guarantee of durability: the legal guarantee applies independently · europa.eu - 02
Name what you invoke: the legal guarantee of conformity
Two years from delivery, for any lack of conformity that existed at that time. It is the minimum floor everywhere in the Union; your country may provide better.
Article 10(1) · Directive (EU) 2019/771 (sale of goods), Article 10 (Liability of the seller), paragraph 1 · eur-lex.europa.eu - 03
Do not be stopped by the box or by processing fees
The conditions of the text are the defect and the time limit. Repair and replacement are at no cost: a payment demanded before examining your claim has no basis in the official sentence.
Section “Legal guarantee” · Guarantees: the legal guarantee, free repair or replacement · europa.eu - 04
Between one and two years, check your country's burden of proof
The presumption that the defect was there from the start holds for one year everywhere as a minimum, two years in some countries. Neither “it is always on them” nor “it is dead after a year”: the rule gets checked, country by country.
Section “Legal guarantee” · Guarantees: the reversed burden of proof, one year, two in some countries · europa.eu - 05
Choose your remedy, and demand the money if nothing comes
Repair or replacement at your choice, unless impossible or disproportionately costly. Failing conformity within a reasonable time, a proportionate reduction of the price or the termination of the contract.
Article 13(1) and (2) · Directive (EU) 2019/771 (sale of goods), Article 13 (Remedies for lack of conformity), paragraphs 1 and 2 · eur-lex.europa.eu - 06
Know the limit: no termination for a minor defect
Termination of the contract is not owed if the lack of conformity is only minor, and it is for the seller to prove that it is minor. Asking for exactly what is possible makes the whole file credible.
Article 13(5) · Directive (EU) 2019/771 (sale of goods), Article 13 (Remedies for lack of conformity), paragraph 5 · eur-lex.europa.eu - 07
After a refusal, change counterpart
For a purchase in another EU country, the European Consumer Centre in your country can help you obtain a repair or a refund. The seller's written refusal becomes an exhibit in your file.
Section “Where to get help” · Guarantees: where to get help · europa.eu
General information on the European baseline, not legal advice on your case. Independent educational site, unconnected to the institutions of the European Union. The redress links in this file point only to official bodies.
Sources checked on July 29, 2026. · https://depleindroit.odersa.org/en/fiches/le-produit-en-panne-a-18-mois · Content licensed under CC BY 4.0.
What the law owes you
Every right with its amount or its deadline, the extract of the official text it rests on, and its address.
A two-year legal guarantee, on the seller's account
2 years
The seller is liable for any lack of conformity which exists at the time of delivery and becomes apparent within two years of that time. Everywhere in the Union, as a minimum: your country may provide longer periods.
The official text · Article 10(1)
Official Journal of the European Union · EUR-Lex · https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:02019L0771-20260731“1. The seller shall be liable to the consumer for any lack of conformity which exists at the time when the goods were delivered and which becomes apparent within two years of that time.”
Repair or replacement, at no cost
If the goods turn out to be faulty, the seller must repair or replace them at no cost. If that is impossible or too slow, without significant inconvenience to you, you are entitled to a full or partial refund.
The official text · Section “Legal guarantee”
Your Europe · European Union · https://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/consumers/shopping/guarantees/index_en.htm“Under EU rules, if the goods you buy turn out to be faulty or do not look or work as advertised, the seller must repair or replace them at no cost. If this is impossible or the seller cannot do it within a reasonable time and without significant inconvenience to you, you are entitled to a full or partial refund.”
Independent of any commercial guarantee
The legal guarantee is held against the seller and applies independently of any commercial guarantee. A manufacturer's warranty can offer more; it can never exclude or reduce your rights under the minimum 2-year guarantee.
The official text · Page “Commercial guarantee of durability”
Your Europe · European Union · https://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/consumers/shopping/commercial-guarantee-durability/index_en.htm“As a consumer in the EU you also benefit from legal guarantee rights against the seller. The legal guarantee applies independently of any commercial guarantee.”
A presumption of one year as a minimum, to check country by country
1 year
Any defect appearing within 1 year is presumed to have existed at delivery, unless the seller proves otherwise. Some countries extend that period to 2 years. Between one and two years, check your country's rule before writing: the guarantee itself runs either way.
The official text · Section “Legal guarantee”
Your Europe · European Union · https://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/consumers/shopping/guarantees/index_en.htm“If a defect becomes apparent within 1 year of delivery, you don't have to prove it existed at the time of delivery. It is assumed that it did unless the seller can prove otherwise. In some EU countries, this period of “reversed burden of proof” is 2 years.”
The choice of remedies, then the follow-up in money
For conformity, you choose between repair and replacement, unless a remedy is impossible or disproportionately costly. If the seller does not deliver it, or not within a reasonable time, what follows is a proportionate price reduction or the termination of the contract.
The official text · Article 13(4)
Official Journal of the European Union · EUR-Lex · https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:02019L0771-20260731“The consumer shall be entitled to either a proportionate reduction of the price in accordance with Article 15 or the termination of the sales contract in accordance with Article 16 in any of the following cases: (a) the seller has not completed repair or replacement […] (d) the seller has declared, or it is clear from the circumstances, that the seller will not bring the goods into conformity within a reasonable time, or without significant inconvenience for the consumer.”
Professional second-hand is covered too
Second-hand goods bought from a professional seller are covered by the minimum 2-year guarantee. A shorter period is only possible in some countries, never below one year, and only if agreed and made clear at the time of purchase.
The official text · Section “Second-hand goods”
Your Europe · European Union · https://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/consumers/shopping/guarantees/index_en.htm“Second-hand goods that you buy from a professional seller are also covered by the minimum 2-year guarantee. In some EU countries, you can agree with the seller on a guarantee period of less than 2 years. However, it must be no shorter than 1 year. This should be made clear at the time of purchase.”
This site is educational and independent: it is not an official site of the European Union, and this verdict is not legal advice on your case. The deadlines and wordings quoted are copied from the official text or the official page, whose link appears under each right.
File EU 2019/771
The items in this file
Every item has its own page. The situation is played here; what you keep, what you send and what you re-read live next door.