After The Purchase

Right after you buy, a few simple steps will make any future warranty claim, return, or dispute in North Carolina much easier.

Keep your receipts handy

Save a digital copy and the paper original if you have it. Label it with the date of purchase, item, price, and where you bought it. You will need this for returns, warranty claims, or credit card disputes.

Keep and read contracts and warranties

File the full contract and warranty terms. Highlight any cancellation windows, claim procedures, and deadlines. If a contract was signed off-premises, verify if a short three business day right to cancel applies and note the exact last day to mail or deliver your notice.

Understand warranty basics in North Carolina

North Carolina’s Uniform Commercial Code recognizes implied warranties unless properly disclaimed in writing. Many used items, including vehicles sold “as is,” may have limited warranty rights, but express written warranties still apply if provided. Keep your paperwork and follow the claim steps in the warranty.

Vehicles purchased in North Carolina

• New vehicles: If repeated repairs fail within the first twenty four months or twenty four thousand miles, review North Carolina’s Lemon Law remedies.
• Used vehicles: NC’s Lemon Law does not cover used cars. You may still have rights under any written warranty or service contract and under unfair and deceptive practices law if a dealer misrepresented the vehicle.
• Dealer or repair issues: Document everything and consider complaints to the NCDMV License and Theft Bureau and the NC Attorney General if the business will not fix the problem.

Keep things secure and make backups

Store purchase records in a single folder and back it up to the cloud. Keep screenshots of webpages and offers. Photograph serial numbers and installation dates for big items.

If a dispute develops

Send a concise written demand with a deadline. If you paid by credit card, send a written billing error notice to your issuer within sixty days of the first statement that shows the problem. If the amount is within your county’s small claims limit, court can be a fast and inexpensive option.