The washing machine stops draining and you ring the service centre.
Their first question is the date of purchase.
You are fairly sure it was two years ago, or possibly three.
Somewhere in the house there is a bill, and you begin opening drawers.
Why does the bill matter more than the box?
Because the warranty clock almost always starts on the invoice date.
Without that date, nobody can tell whether you are inside the period or outside it.
They will ask for a tax invoice.
A delivery note or a payment screenshot will not do.
An emailed invoice from an online order counts perfectly well.
A printed shop bill counts too.
It must show the date, the model and the serial number.
The carton is nice to have.
The invoice is the thing that decides who pays.
What should I save for each device?
Keep it short and it stays a five-minute job.
The invoice, saved as a PDF.
A photo of the warranty card, both sides.
A photo of the label on the box showing the model and serial number.
The serial number or IMEI typed out as plain text, so you can search for it later.
The order number, if you bought it online.
Any extended plan document, with its own start and end dates.
Then add one line of your own: what it is, where you bought it, and the date.
Where do I keep all this?
One folder in whatever cloud drive you already use, named simply Devices.
Inside it, one folder per device, named the way you speak about it at home.
"Fridge 2025" beats the official model code every time.
Put the year of purchase in the folder name so ages are obvious at a glance.
Keep the same folder open to your spouse or a family member, because emergencies are rarely convenient.
Print nothing except one sheet listing every device, its date and its serial number.
Keep that sheet where the household papers live.
And add each new device on the day it arrives, while the invoice is still in your inbox.
Should I keep the box?
Keep it while the return window is open, without question.
After that, keep it if storage is easy and the device is valuable, because boxes help at resale.
If space is tight, cut out the label panel and file that instead.
Keep the foam only for things you may need to courier.
Things to Remember
- Save the invoice on the day it arrives, not later.
- Keep a Devices folder in your cloud drive, one subfolder per item.
- Photograph the box label showing model and serial number.
- Put the year of purchase in every folder name.
- Keep one printed sheet listing every device, date and serial number.