This crops up all the time Who do I get to repair my Mobile device.
In the UK The law that covers this is called the Sale of Goods Act (as amended). This offers all consumers a basic level of protection provided by the retailer.
But the main point here is that in the first 6 months the retailer has to prove the fault was not present at the time of delivery. But after 6 months that proof moves to you and could involve getting engineers report and cost you.
Before I deal with warranty's There is a lot of confusion around the fact that some believe that all items must have a 2-year warranty according to EU law. This legal advice page explains the issues that have been created comparing the EU position and UK law remember that soga provides a min 6 years http://www.access-legal.co.uk/free-legal-guides/whats-the-difference-between-a-guarantee-and-a-warra....
Manufacturers Warranty
These are provided in addition to the minimum requirements (soga) and lay down the length the Manufacturer covers the item (not the retailer). I will not delve too deeply into individual companies terms and what is covered but will link to them at the end. But a warranty from the manufacturer is for a set period. During this period you the consumer just returns the item for repair under the warranty directly to the manufacturer I.E. you do not have to prove faulty on delivery (unlike soga after 6 months).
Extended warranties
Some Manufacturers will allow you to purchase an additional cover for the phone to extend the time the manufacturer will treat the phone as though it was still in an original period of cover and again offer you cover that exceeded the soga requirements.
So in brief, if you have a faulty handset and want a good level of service to use the manufacturer's warranty as it offers the highest level of protection for the consumer.
Normally Accidental damage and water damage are excluded by soga and warranty but some extended warranties cover these incidents.
Links to some of the warranty's (some you need to read small print)
I hope this will assist you and clear up some of the confusion
O2 official EU Directive 1999/44/EC here
