JV, how old's the TV? Haven't you got six years under the Goods Act?

The Sale of Goods Act doesn't specify how long something should last, just that it be "for a reasonable time" - with all relevant factors taken into account e.g. how much it cost at purchase, the environment it was stored in etc.

What is Soga?

Soga – or to give it its full title The Sale of Goods Act 1979 – is the main law that deals with your rights as a consumer. It states that when a consumer buys goods they are entering into a contract with the retailer. What you buy must meet the following criteria: it must be as described; of satisfactory quality; and fit for purpose.

The first of these rights is self-explanatory. Anything you buy should match the description you were given at the point of sale. So if you buy a 1.6 litre car and the one you actually drive home is a 1.2 litre, the seller has not upheld the contract.

Fit for purpose means that what you buy should be fit both for its everyday purpose and “any specific purpose that you agreed with the seller,” says Which?. So if you asked a retailer for a printer that is compatible with your computer, and the one the shop sold you isn’t, then the law has been breached, even if there’s nothing actually wrong with the printer.

The third element – satisfactory quality - is the trickiest. Most people take this to mean that what you buy shouldn’t fall apart within quite a short period of time. But the law actually states that one aspect of satisfactory quality is that the goods are ‘durable’. And this means that for up to six years after purchase – five years in Scotland – consumers have the right to reasonable durability. In practice, this means that goods should be built to last. So if your £1,000 television breaks after three years, don’t just bemoan the shoddy manufacturing and set off to buy a new one - exercise your consumer rights.

Haven't got time for my usual round of Googling , but found this:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2006/ma ... tocomplain

Q4. I know I can demand my money back within a "reasonable time" but how long is that?

The law does not specify a precise time as it will vary for most sales contracts as all the factors need to be taken into account to be fair to all sides. The pair of everyday shoes may only have a few days before the period expires but a pair of skis, purchased in a Summer Sale, may be allowed a longer period by a court.