Section 7: Warranties, guarantee & material defects
(1) Supplier warranty
In which cases can customers exercise their rights under the supplier warranty?
In the event that the supplier delivers defective goods, the customer has the right to claim compensation from the supplier in accordance with the rules of the Hungarian Civil Code.
What rights does the customer have under the supplier warranty?
The customer is entitled to make the following claims:
The customer can request a repair or replacement, provided that their claim is feasible and would not involve disproportionate additional costs for the supplier compared to other remedies. If the customer chooses not to or is unable to ask for a repair or replacement, they can instead ask for a proportionate reduction in the price; or they can request that the defective item be repaired or replaced at the supplier's expense; or, as a last resort, they can withdraw from the contract entirely. The customer cannot, in exercising their rights under the supplier warranty, repair the defect themselves or have it repaired by another person at the company's expense. The customer can switch from one remedy under the supplier warranty to another, but the customer will bear the cost of any switch unless it is justified or the supplier gives grounds for it.
What is the time limit for making claims under the supplier warranty?
The customer must notify the supplier of a defect as soon as they discover it, and no later than two months after the defect is discovered. However, the customer should be aware that they cannot claim for a defect after the end of the two-year limitation period which starts from the date of performance of the contract.
Who can the customer make a claim against?
Customers can make a claim against the supplier.
What are the other conditions for enforcing the customer’s rights?
For a period of one year from the date of delivery, the customer can enforce their rights under the supplier warranty, provided that they can prove that the product or service was provided by the supplier. On expiry of this one-year period from the date of delivery, the burden of proof lies with the customer to show that the defect that they have discovered existed at the time of performance.
(2) Product warranty
In which cases can customers exercise their rights under the product warranty?
In the event of a defect in a product, the customer may choose to exercise their rights under point (1) or make a claim under the product warranty.
What rights does the customer have under the product warranty?
Customers can only ask for a defective product to be repaired or replaced under the product warranty.
When is a product deemed defective?
A product is deemed to be defective if it does not meet the quality requirements in force when it was placed on the market or if it does not have the characteristics described by the manufacturer.
What is the time limit for making a product warranty claim?
The customer has two years from the date that the product was put on the market by the manufacturer in which to make a product warranty claim. After this period, the customer loses this right.
Who can the customer make a product warranty claim against and what other conditions apply?
The customer can only make a product warranty claim against the manufacturer or distributor of the product. The customer must prove that the product is defective in order to make a product warranty claim.
In which cases is the manufacturer (distributor) exempt from its obligations under the product warranty?
The manufacturer (distributor) is only exempt from its obligations under the product warranty if it can prove the existence of the circumstances listed under Section 6:168 (3)(a-c) of Act V of 2013 of the Hungarian Civil Code.
The customer cannot pursue an accessories warranty claim and a product warranty claim for the same defect at the same time. However, if the customer’s product warranty claim is successful, the customer may pursue their accessories warranty claim against the manufacturer for the replaced product or repaired part.
(3) Statutory guarantee
The supplier is obliged to provide a statutory guarantee for defective products in the case of any products specified in Annex 1 of Hungarian Government Decree 151/2003 (IX. 22.) on the provision of a statutory guarantee for certain durable consumer goods.
The rights of the customer under the guarantee and the relevant deadlines are governed by Hungarian Government Decree 19/2014 (IV. 29.) NGM which sets out the procedural regulations for handling warranty and guarantee claims for goods sold under a contract between a consumer and a business.
When is the supplier exempt from its obligations?
The supplier is only released from its obligations under the statutory guarantee if it can prove that the cause of the defect arose after the performance of the contract.
The customer cannot make both a supplier warranty claim and a statutory guarantee claim, or a product warranty claim and a statutory guarantee claim, for the same defect at the same time, since the rights under the statutory guarantee apply irrespective of the rights set out in points (1) and (2).