Defects, and who fixes them

Who stands behind a China-made fit-out when you are the importer, what Elje does about a defect, and where your builder's warranties come in.

Get a landed price How it works

With Elje Assured the factory gets 30 percent to start. The other 70 percent sits with a licensed escrow partner, never with Elje, until an independent inspection passes.

The honest position

When you order direct from a factory, you are the importer. The factory made the goods and has no office in Australia, so there is no local shop or distributor to take a claim to. The Australian Consumer Law can reach overseas businesses on paper, but the ACCC itself says a remedy from one can be hard to get.

Elje does not sell the goods and does not give a warranty on them. What we do is make a defect less likely, catch it before you pay in full, and run the fix when one gets through.

Who handles what

Problem	Who stands behind it	What Elje does
Defect found at inspection	The factory, before the balance is paid	Holds release of the balance until it is fixed and passes
Damaged in transit	The cargo insurance policy	Helps you lodge the claim with the delivery photos
Manufacturing defect after delivery, within 2 years	The factory, then the Elje backstop within its limits, for Assured orders	Runs the claim with the factory and partners
Poor installation	Your builder or installer, under their contract and the home building warranties	Puts you in touch with the factory for parts if needed
Goods your builder imported and supplied	Your builder, as supplier and probably as importer	Runs the claim with the factory for the builder

Owner-supplied goods and your builder

In Queensland the builder's statutory warranty on materials applies to materials the builder supplies. Goods you supply yourself are generally outside it, but how the builder installs them is still the builder's work. New South Wales is similar. Agree in writing with your builder, before you order, who supplies what and who carries what.

Our defect rate

Every delivery and every claim is logged against the factory's scorecard. Once there are enough jobs to mean something, the defect rate is published here, by category. Our targets are under 10% of deliveries with any defect claim in the first months, falling to under 5%.

Questions

Does Elje give a warranty?

No. Elje Assured is a service with a limited 2-year backstop. It adds to your legal rights and does not replace them.

How long do I have to report a defect?

Under Assured, 2 years from delivery. Your builder's statutory warranties run on their own timelines.

Sources