How to ... get money back on faulty goods without having a
warranty  Phillip Inman says the law's on our side when seeking
a repair (or refund) even after the first 12 months  Why buy an
extended warranty when the Sale of Goods Act makes it clear that
items such as televisions, fridges, washing machines and MP3
players should last a reasonable time?  The guidelines say the
word "reasonable" should mean anything up to six years (oddly,
it's five in Scotland) in the case of a washing machine or
fridge, and longer than the one-year guarantee that comes with
most MP3 players. And a survey of manufacturers by Which? showed
them all saying their goods should last five years or more (see
table below).  Yet warranties remain popular, if only because
they appear to cut out most of the argument over how a machine
came to break down or how long something should last. We all
know that the definition of "reasonable" is open for debate, and
we may not have the time or inclination to haggle with a shop or
manufacturer over