As sandy says, “warranty” is just a word, a promise - and a promise has only as much worth as the track record of the one giving it (unless an exceptional change occurs in the promise - for either good or bad).
The word “warranty” has as much worth as the one promising the warranty can be trusted to honour it. That means:
• is there any legislation compelling the honouring of a warranty?
• and if so, are there specific circumstances for that legal assurance?
• and can it be legally enforced?
• A warranty needs to be offered under Australian Consumer Legislation.
• It doesn’t apply to unbranded or fake items from China or other countries, or (alternatively) indeed genuine items from overseas where the manufacturers’ conditions of warranty may void warranty if imported by a buyer to Australia (these latter items being known as “grey imports”).
• Australian legislations obviously cannot be enforced when the manufacturer and seller are overseas - especially when it’s a factory in China churning out fakes. If it’s the alternative (parallel/grey import), you’re reliant upon the overseas manufacturer offering any remedy in the absence of being required to under Australian law, and certainly neither the manufacturer nor the seller in such cases can be compelled.
If you need a warranty for an item, buy from an authorised Australian dealer for that item. Make sure they are both an Australian business and an authorised Australian seller supplying for the manufacturer (i.e., supplied from either the manufacturer or the Australian distributor).
Buying electronic or electrical goods from some random seller on eBay (or anywhere) is not a good idea.
You'll have seen the news reports of disastrous and fatal battery-caused fires recently. How many of those do you think are from cheap batteries bought on eBay or similar electronic distribution platforms?* What sort of cover do you think is afforded from insurance where a non approved battery is used? Is it worth saving a few dollars and risking your life and those of your loved ones?
(* Obviously not all of those fires involved fakes or unbranded batteries… Damaged batteries, or batteries used incorrectly, or genuine batteries of a different brand not intended for that particular use are also culprits, and it reinforces how careful people must be as the fake ones are not even remotely to Australian safety standards.)
Manufactured in China under contract to a brand and subject to quality control and warranted to meet Australian standards is an entirely different electric kettle of fish to something that’s churned out as cheaply as possible with the cheapest raw materials in a Chinese factory. It’s the ultimate “buyer beware” scenario.
