A warranty tracker for household appliances and electronics
Record the purchase date, the length of cover and where the proof is. A reminder a month before expiry is what turns a guarantee into a repair rather than a replacement.
Warranties fail quietly. Nothing tells you that the cover on your washing machine ran out last Thursday; you find out when the drum bearing goes and somebody asks for a purchase date you can't produce.
Tracking them is a small amount of work with a disproportionate payoff, because appliances have an unhelpful habit of failing in the months either side of their guarantee expiring.
Know what's still covered
Add your appliances to Vekrin and let it tell you before a guarantee runs out.
What to record for each warranty
- The item — Make, model and serial number — the details the claim form will ask for.
- Purchase date — Almost every guarantee period runs from this date.
- Length and type of cover — Manufacturer guarantee, retailer warranty or a paid extended plan.
- Who to contact — Manufacturer, retailer or an administrator — often not who you bought it from.
- Proof of purchase — The receipt or order confirmation, attached to the item record.
- Terms — Registration requirements, exclusions and whether cover is parts-only or parts and labour.
A guarantee is not the whole of your rights
In the UK, the Consumer Rights Act 2015 gives you rights against the retailer that sold you the goods: they must be of satisfactory quality, fit for purpose and as described. Those rights exist whether or not a manufacturer's guarantee applies, and they run for longer than most guarantees do.
A manufacturer's warranty is an additional promise on top of that, with its own terms. In practice it's often the quicker route for a straightforward fault, but if a guarantee has expired and an expensive appliance has failed far earlier than it reasonably should, the retailer is still worth a conversation.
Either way you need the same thing: proof of when and where you bought it. Citizens Advice publishes clear, current guidance on how these rights work.
Setting up a warranty tracker
- Walk the house and list the big appliances
Fridge, washing machine, dishwasher, oven, boiler, television, laptops, power tools. - Find the purchase dates
Receipts, email order confirmations, bank statements. An approximate month beats nothing. - Register the ones that require it
Some extended guarantees only apply if you registered within a set window after purchase. - Set a reminder before each expiry
A month's notice gives you time to book a repair while the item is still covered. - Add new purchases at the point of unpacking
It takes a minute while the box and the receipt are both in front of you.
A month's notice, and what it's worth
An oven starts tripping the circuit occasionally. It's an intermittent fault, easy to live with and easy to put off — and the guarantee has seven weeks left.
A reminder turns that into a covered repair. Without one, the fault gets reported in month twenty-five and the conversation is about a quote instead.
Warranties in Vekrin
Vekrin keeps warranties attached to the items they cover, with the receipt and any documentation alongside. Cover length is calculated into an expiry date, and expiring warranties are surfaced before they lapse rather than after.
The dashboard also flags belongings that have no warranty recorded at all, which is usually where the gaps turn out to be.
- Expiry dates worked out from the purchase date and cover length
- Reminders before cover ends, not after
- Receipts and terms stored with the item
Common questions
- How can I keep track of appliance warranties?
- Record the purchase date, cover length, contact details and proof of purchase against each appliance, then set a reminder ahead of the expiry date. Keeping it with the item record means the claim details are together when you need them.
- What happens if I lose the receipt?
- A bank or card statement entry, an email order confirmation or a retailer's online order history can often establish the purchase date. Manufacturers sometimes accept the serial number and a registration record instead.
- Are extended warranties worth buying?
- It depends on the item and the price. Your rights against the retailer under the Consumer Rights Act already cover goods that fail earlier than they reasonably should, and some paid plans duplicate cover you have through a credit card or home insurance. Read what the plan adds before paying for it.
- Does a warranty transfer if I sell the item?
- Sometimes. Manufacturer guarantees are occasionally transferable with proof of the original purchase date; retailer and paid plans usually are not. The terms will say.
Related reading
Know what's still covered
Add your appliances to Vekrin and let it tell you before a guarantee runs out.