FAQs

Commercial Practices

I’ve just bought an article that is defective. Is the retailer obliged to compensate me?

Yes. The law provides a compulsory basic guarantee: the legal guarantee. This guarantee comes with every product you buy; it does not need to be written in the contract and paid for separately to the retailer. It permits you to demand that the quality and durability of the products you buy are proportional to the price you pay for them.

On the other hand, you must observe the conditions of normal use and the provisions laid down in the contract. For example, you buy a sofa for $1500, you take care of it (meaning you don’t jump up on it with both feet) but the springs break after only three years. The retailer (salesman or manufacturer) is obliged to repair it, if not replace it, even if the manufacturer’s guarantee or the one the salesman one gave you when you bought it was for only two years. The legal guarantee will be good for more than two years, considering the price you paid.

Note: You’ll often need to insist to get a retailer to respect a legal guarantee.
Finally, if a retailer refuses to respect a legal guarantee, you can lodge a complaint with the Office de la protection du consommateur (1 888 672-2556).