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Telstra to provide 24 month warranties on handsets

Deal brings Telstra into line with VHA, but Optus still holding out

Telstra will offer 24-month warranties on all handsets except Apple products for customers that purchase 24 month plans. The announcement comes after discussions with the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC).

Under the agreement, handsets purchased by customers as part of a 24-month plan can now be replaced if faulty at any point during the contract.

According to a statement for the ACCC, the announcement was good news for Telstra customers, who it claimed expected handsets to last the duration of the contract.

“Telstra has decided to do what’s right and fair for consumers, and has been negotiating with manufacturers,” ACCC chairman Graeme Samuel said in a statement. “Just because a manufacturer’s warranty period is up, it does not mean that consumers can be hung out to dry…with a faulty product and ongoing service contract.”

The deal comes after Vodafone and Hutchinson Australia (VHA) offered the same free warranty deals to its customers in January. This was thanks to court-enforceable undertakings issued by the ACCC.

The ACCC said Optus was in discussions to provide a similar warranty policy. But in an apparent warning to smartphone giant, Apple, the regulatory body said it was concerned with the iPhone’s warranty issues.

Nominations for the 2012 ARN IT Industry Awards open on Tuesday, June 12.

More about: ACCC, Apple, Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, Optus, Telstra, VHA, Vodafone
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