Did you have any other proof of purchase such as a Credit Card statement showing the purchase? If so, this can be used to prove or help prove that you did purchase the unit. Under Australian Consumer Law (ACL) a business is entitled to ask for proof of purchase, before they are required to provide repair, refund or replace rights to a consumer
" Returning a faulty product
The right to return a product
Consumers have the right to return a product if they think there’s a problem.
The product does not have to be in its original packaging, but a business is entitled to ask consumers to provide some form of proof of purchase, such as a receipt."
" Businesses can ask for proof of purchase before repairing, replacing or refunding
If a consumer requests a repair, replacement or refund, the business can ask for a receipt or another form of proof of purchase.
Other forms of proof of purchase include a:
- credit or debit card statement
- lay-by agreement
- receipt number or reference number given over the phone or internet
- warranty card with details of the manufacturer or supplier, date and amount of purchase
- serial or production number linked with the purchase on the supplier’s or manufacturer’s database.
The consumer may need to provide more than one of these things.
The law doesn’t give a definition of how much proof is enough – the consumer just needs to reasonably demonstrate that they bought the item.
The consumer can provide original documents, photos or photocopies."
This is why it is imperative for a consumer to either retain the receipt, or have some other suitable proof of purchase, or in the case of receipts that fade to take a photo of the original and store that photo in a safe place (e.g. in a safe back up device, of the digital photo). There are a number of ways to prove the purchase but the business is within their rights to refuse if no proof is tendered in a reasonable time when it is requested.
If you have proof of the purchase in some form that is sufficient, then even after 4 years or so even if warranty has expired, it may still be within your ACL rights to seek repair, a refund, or a replacement of the unit. Warranty does not replace your ACL rights, they are additional to your ACL rights. Most AC businesses quote an expected lifetime for split systems of 10 - 20 years, and the minimum I could find was an expected 7 years. CHOICE have also given some guidance about the expected lifetimes of units and again 4 to 5 years would be within the expected time-frame.
" Heating and ventilation
- Cheaper to replace at 10–15 years
- Life expectancy:
- Budget / entry level: 6 years
- Mid-range: 8 years
- High-end: 12 years
An air conditioner is an expensive appliance to replace and doing so may require a bit of structural work on your house if you need to run new ducting or wiring. Parts may be hard to get for older models though, and after five to 10 years they might just not perform as well as they did when new.
Air conditioners are also energy-intensive appliances, and upgrading to a newer model using the latest R32 refrigerant will lead to a significant reduction in running costs, less noise both inside the house and for your neighbours (a particular pain point with air conditioners), and new features such as Wi-Fi controls.
A broken air conditioner is likely to get expensive no matter whether you opt for repair or replacement so it’s a good idea to get quotes for both options before making a decision.
CHOICE tip: Regularly clean your air conditioner’s filters and keep outdoor units free of obstructions to help your air conditioner work at peak efficiency. Passive climate control, like sealing drafts and installing ceiling insulation, can reduce your dependency on expensive air conditioning."
So, if you have proof you should get formal with them by either emailing them or sending them a letter asking for the required outcome. CHOICE and the ACCC provide templates for writing these requests. If a member of CHOICE they also have a help service that can provide advice of the steps you can take.
For the templates see
ACCC
CHOICE checklist including links to templates
You may also want to avail yourself of free legal advice through Consumer Law centres found throughout Australia and we have a small list on the site that may help you
