I bought a microwave oven in 2013 and it was diagnosed as faulty by Harvey Norman recently. They are still selling the same microwave oven (same model number etc) but the price has gone up. Harvey Norman is refusing to replace with the identical item and have requested I pay the difference.
Is it normal? Is it fair?
Did you buy extended warranty? iirc it comes with a service phone number to use which will sort you out(ie instruct a local chain to replace it on the spot). They are generally excellent from what I hear about peoples experiences(they should be with the profit margins).
If not and it's just a standard 12 month warranty on the product then you are within your rights to request repair/remedy at no cost to you(as a microwave should last more than 2 years..). They can choose to repair it first rather than replace(especially after this long), have they offered you that?
Bought 4 years extended warranty that expires in 2018.
https://www.productcareclaims.com/Online-Claims-Country-Sele…
Or they have a NZ number on the last page of this PDF
https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/hnnz-assets/document…
Might be easier to deal with than someone instore
Most warranty deals etc require you to be put back to the position you were originally. In this case, a working microwave. Be very surprised if that's legal. Price could have just as easily fallen (as would probably be more common for appliances)
Have a nosey around the Consumer Affairs website under Fair Trading Act.