GUARANTEES & WARRANTIES
You can take great satisfaction in your work when a job is done well and you have some happy customers, but running a plumbing business is not always smooth sailing. At times there may be a fault with the work or a part that’s been supplied. It’s important to know your obligations in these circumstances where remediation work is required under warranty or guarantee. Regardless of whether you offer a warranty as part of your terms and conditions, your customers are automatically entitled to: • warranties under South Australia’s building laws, as they also apply to plumbing work • consumer guarantees under the Australian Consumer Law. This means that: • the plumbing work must be done with due care and skill, and must meet accepted trade standards and all legal requirements • all materials you supply must be suitable for the job and of good quality
• the work must be completed within a reasonable time • the work must meet any particular purpose made clear to you by the customer. The statutory warranties under building laws are in place for five years, while the consumer guarantees aren’t capped by a specified timeframe. Consumer guarantees apply for a reasonable period of time, although a range of factors will guide what is ‘reasonable’ – e.g. plumbing work that relates to a very old hot water system. These automatic warranties and consumer guarantees cannot be replaced, limited or removed by any agreement, contract or other warranty you offer to your customers. In addition, any other promises you make to a customer through your own warranties or guarantees must be honoured. For example, some plumbers might offer a 10-year guarantee on parts and plumbing work for drain repairs. If a warranty or guarantee is not met, then the customer is entitled to a remedy. This could include having the work redone, having a part replaced or a refund. Customers may also be entitled to compensation if the plumbing fault has caused damage to their property. Many of the parts you supply will also come with a
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