A café owner booked a warranty repair on his commercial fridge.
The repair fixed one problem and quietly created another.
When the supplier refused to take responsibility, ezylegal stepped in. The matter settled before it went to court, and our client recovered $10,000.
At a glance
- Problem: A warranty repair left a café’s commercial fridge impossible to take apart and clean, and the supplier blamed the owner.
- Claim against: The supplier responsible for the warranty repair.
- Legal basis: The Australian Consumer Law guarantee that services are provided with due care and skill.
- Result: $10,000 recovered in a settlement before court.
A repair nobody could see
The fridge kept tripping the power at the café, so the owner booked a service call through the supplier’s warranty process. A technician came out and did the repair while the owner wasn’t there.
Months later, the team pulled the fridge apart for its routine deep clean. That’s when they found the damage. Parts had been refitted badly, so the fridge couldn’t be properly taken apart and put back together.
For a café, that’s not a cosmetic issue. Food safety rules mean equipment has to be cleaned properly, and a fridge you can’t clean is a fridge you can’t use.
”You should have noticed it sooner”
The owner reported the damage straight away. The supplier pushed back: the fault should have been obvious, it had been months since the repair, and the café must have caused it.
But the damage was hidden inside the unit. You could only see it once the fridge was taken apart, which is exactly when the owner found it.
Does a warranty repair have to be done properly?
Yes. Under the Australian Consumer Law, services must be provided with due care and skill. That includes repairs done under a warranty. If a technician’s work damages your equipment, the business that sent them can be responsible for fixing it.
ezylegal sent the supplier a formal letter of demand. It set out the timeline, the evidence of the faulty repair, and the business’s obligations, and asked for the fridge to be replaced with the same model.
The outcome
The supplier agreed to a settlement before the matter went to court, and our client recovered $10,000.
If you’re facing something similar
If a repair or service has left your equipment worse off:
- report the damage to the business in writing as soon as you find it
- take clear photos of the faulty work before anything is touched
- keep the warranty lodgement, the service booking and every email
- write down when and how you found the problem
“It’s been too long” isn’t the end of the argument if the damage was hidden. A contract lawyer can tell you where you stand.