Buyers beware: Myer has recently changed their return system for (at least) kitchenware and electrical which disregards the laws and disadvantages customers. For example, we bought a stainless steel Esteele frypan RRP $280 recently. Like other consumers who are trying to avoid the traditional non stick pans due to PFAS contamination, we opted for stainless steel. A Myer rep told us to follow the instructions, which we did. Sadly, all the food that we cooked, from fish, to eggs, to potatoes, to vegetables, stuck to the bottom of the pan badly and prevented the food from cooking properly due to the fact that the stuck food meant that it was limiting the frying process to the food that still needed cooking. It was a chore to clean the pan after these exercises. In the end we had to take the pan back because it was unfit for purpose - it didn't do what it was supposed to do. This is one of the basic tenets of Australian condumer law (ACL). Under ACL, the store where you bought a product is meant to honour the guarantee, in this case a lifetime guarantee. When we took the pan back, we were told that we had to complete a form. Myer would then send the pan to Esteele and Esteele would determine whether the guarantee would be honoured. A week later, we received a missed call from Myer - not Esteele. The number they ring on is not connected, but Myer don't tell you this, so we rang the number and it just kept ringing with no answer. After 2 attempts we rang the Myer number and got the automated assistant which is poor and takes a very long time to conect you to a real person. This took half an hour. We found the person who had left a message. They cheerfully advised that the return had been rejected by Esteele due to the fact that no workmanship issues had been found, such as the fact that the handle had not come off. I didn't accept this and asked to speak to a manager. They phoned me back and were curt and repeated what the previous person had said. This young "manager" wasn't applying the basic and straightforward principles of the ACL, because in a nutshell what they are is this: if there is a problem with a product that was not known before purchase, then this something that the store needs to remedy. If the product is not fit for purpose, the store needs to do likewise. This example is ACL 101. Myer can't even handle such a basic case. I asked to speak to a higher manager. They phoned me back and advised that they were the assistant manager of the Myer store that I had phoned. They listened to the issues and said that they would allow a refund as a one off! I accepted the refund, but advised that this was not a one off example - it was a case of basic ACL guarantees. By using Esteele (and other suppliers) to knock back basic ACL consumer guarantee rights, Myer is hiding behind Esteele and Myer shirks their fair go legal obligations to customers. In our case, the pan came with a lifetime warranty. This is known as a voluntary warranty which is made by the manufacturer. The manufacturer does not have to provide this voluntary warranty - they may choose to do so. This is because every purchase that a consumer makes is actually covered by Consumer guarantees in Australia, known as the ACL. These guarantees cannot be changed, replaced, modified, or taken away by a seller or manufacturer. Usually sellers sell products with limited voluntary warranties, for example one or two years. This confuses things for customers because the actual guarantee that a consumer has via the ACL can be far longer than the voluntary warranty. For example, a quality stainless steel saucepan is something that a reasonable consumer would expect to last for many years. The guarantee that you get via the ACL is based on the expectations of a reasonable consumer, in conjunction with the price paid and any other claims made by the seller/manufacturer. In our example, despite the product only being a few weeks old, and despite the fact that it has a voluntary lifetime warranty, (which the seller and manufacturer legally have to observe if they make such a voluntary warranty), we still got the run-around. Having said this, it is important to note that on the Myer website, Myer clearly lists the rights of the consumer under the ACL. However they are not putting this into practice, in our example, without the battle of having to go through their difficult procedures. Importantly, the ACL states that it is illegal for sellers/manufacturers to mislead customers regarding their guarantee rights. Sadly, Myer tried to mislead us. We have been shopping with Myer for about 50 years. They were one of the most approachable and safe retailers out there. Sadly, they are losing their once wonderful, even bonhomous, approach. Lift your game Myer! Any consumers who are concerned about the approach of sellers regarding guarantee rights are welcome to email the ACCC (the national consumer law champion) with concerns. A tip: to cover yourself further, you can use Paypal or equivalents to buy from places like Myer. Paypal are excellent at covering consumer guarantee rights and assist very quickly. The other alternative is VCAT, but you shouldn't have to go to VCAT about such simple matters, nor have to wait a year or two to have your matter heard. Take care consumers.