Legal vs. commercial warranty in phone repairs

When a customer comes back with a phone that's playing up, the first thing they ask is: "is it under warranty?" And that's where the confusion starts. Because there are really two different warranties at play: the one the law forces you to give, and the one you choose to offer on your own. Knowing which is which saves you arguments, complaints and working for free when you shouldn't have to.

1. Two warranties that get confused

Most warranty problems in a repair shop aren't caused by a dishonest customer, but because nobody made clear what was covered. The owner thinks one thing, the customer understands another, and with nothing in writing, whoever shouts loudest wins. The fix starts by clearly separating the two concepts.

• Legal warranty: it's mandatory. Set by consumer law, you can't waive it or shorten it.
• Commercial warranty: it's voluntary. You offer it as an added benefit, on the terms you decide (as long as they don't undercut the legal one).

2. What the legal warranty is

The legal warranty is the minimum protection that consumer law grants the customer when you provide a service or sell a product. In practice, it means you're answerable for the repair you did working as agreed and for the part you fitted being free of defects.

The exact terms depend on the laws of your country and on whether what you deliver is a service (the repair) or a good (a handset or accessory you sold). In the EU, for example, the sale of goods to consumers carries long statutory terms; repair services are governed by liability for the work performed. So it's worth confirming the exact terms for your area and not giving the customer made-up figures.

The key point for you as a shop: you can't exclude the legal warranty with a "no warranty" sign. If the fault is in the part or the work, you're liable. What you can do is clearly define what counts as a defect and what's new damage caused by the customer.

3. What the commercial warranty is

The commercial warranty is the one you offer voluntarily, on top of the legal one, as a selling point. This is where you have freedom: you set the term, what's in, what's out, and on what conditions. A shop that says "6-month warranty on screens" is offering a specific, verifiable commercial warranty.

This warranty is a powerful trust tool. A customer torn between two shops almost always picks the one that backs its work with a clear term. But it has a flip side: if you promise it, you have to honour it. So it should be realistic and sustainable, not a number thrown out that later costs you every time someone returns.

Typical terms in the trade

There's no universal rule, but these are the common commercial terms you'll see in shops:

These are a guide: the point is to set your own term per repair type and apply it consistently. Consistency is what prevents arguments.

4. What each one covers

The line between what a warranty (legal or commercial) covers and what it doesn't is almost always the same: a defect in the part or the work, yes; new damage by the user, no.

• Covers: the fitted part failing due to its own defect.
• Covers: the work performed not functioning as agreed.
• Doesn't cover: drops, knocks, pressure or liquid contact after the repair.
• Doesn't cover: faults in components other than the one you repaired.
• Voids the warranty: the device being opened or tampered with by a third party afterwards.

5. How to state it on the receipt

All this theory is useless unless it's in writing on the document you hand over. The repair receipt or invoice is your best defence, and also the best trust argument for the customer. It should include, at a minimum:

• Repair date and description of the work
• Replaced part and, where relevant, its origin or OEM/compatible status
• The commercial warranty term you offer for that repair
• What it covers and what voids it (new damage, third-party tampering)
• Device IMEI or serial number
• A note that the applicable legal warranty is honoured in any case

With that, when the customer returns four months later, there's no debate: the paper says exactly what was done, when, and until when it's covered.

6. How TekPair handles it

The real day-to-day problem isn't understanding the difference between legal and commercial warranty: it's not losing track of each repair when the customer comes back months later with a crumpled receipt (or none at all). This is where a management tool takes the headache away.

In TekPair, every repair is recorded with its warranty. You set the warranty days that apply to that repair and the system stores them alongside the date, the part and the device IMEI. When the customer returns, you open their record and instantly see whether the repair is still within term, without digging through papers.

• Warranty days per repair, saved in its record
• Handover date and term visible when you check the customer's history
• Part and IMEI tied to that specific repair
• The customer's receipt carries the repair details