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How Sony, Microsoft, and Other Gadget Makers Violate Federal Warranty Law (vice.com)
Reader citadrianne shares a Motherboard article: There are big "no trespassing" signs affixed to most of our electronics. If you own a gaming console, laptop, or computer, it's likely you've seen one of these warnings in the form of a sticker placed over a screw or a seam: "Warranty void if removed." In addition, big manufacturers such as Sony, Microsoft, and Apple explicitly note or imply in their official agreements that their year-long manufacturer warranties -- which entitle you to a replacement or repair if your device is defective -- are void if consumers attempt to repair their gadgets or take them to a third party repair professional. What almost no one knows is that these stickers and clauses are illegal under a federal law passed in 1975 called the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act . To be clear, federal law says you can open your electronics without voiding the warranty, regardless of what the language of that warranty says.
The manufacturers are not implying your warranty evaporates if you break the seal. It's more that you will never succeed in convincing them that you did not cause the problem at that point.
In a more extreme example, would you want to be a manufacturer and honor a warranty on a (spinning) hard drive with a broken seal?
The Daddy casts sleep on the Baby. The Baby resists!
Shocked, I tell you, shocked. (Maybe I shouldn't have touched the mains.)
Shocked, I tell you, that corporations would try and bypass federal law to avoid losing money. SHOCKED.
I mean, we all know corporations are all sweetness and light, concerned first and foremost with providing quality products to consumers, and not with squeezing every nickel and dime out of them, sending them to mandatory "third party" arbitration that favors them, and generally treating customers as disposable whenever possible.
Boy, I'm glad I don't live in a world like that, where corporations routinely bribe public officials and get away with it, because it's called "lobbying".
Mr. Hu is not a ninja.
This is addressed in the article. All that shit is illegal, too
Whenever car dealers pull this shady shit, get them to write it down on paper (or record it voice).
Then apply your small claims court to the problem and notify the parent manufacturer. There are substantial liabilities for this foolishness.
..don't panic
I bought another car recently, and the finance guy was giving me a line of bull, saying I had to buy their fucking maintenance package or my warranty would be void immediately.
I made that mistake once. And by mistake, I mean that I bought the car after getting a line of bull from the finance guy. Now, if I get a line of bull from the finance person, I don't buy the car from that dealer. I also make sure the sales person knows why they just lost a commission.
My Apple //e had a 90-day warranty. Ninety days. It has worked flawlessly for 30 years. I bet you won't be able to say the same thing about your modern electronics.
I was born w/o any warranty and am still here 53 years later. Everything still works pretty well too. Lucky enough that the case hasn't ever had to be opened.
It must have been something you assimilated. . . .
And you didn't realize that EU citizens are paying for an extended warranty?
Apple's probably one of the best examples as their "EU Tax" is low - take the US model, add AppleCare (to satisfy EU warranty), add in the requisite VAT (20-25%) and convert to Euros, and you come out pretty close to the cost in Europe.
So if you hate 1 year warranties, when the Best Buy cashier asks "DO you want the extended warranty", say "Yes". In Europe, Australia, etc., guess what? You can't say no, you don't want the 2 year warranty, let me save the 10-20%.
Turns out everyone's really been factoring in the extended warranty into the price for Europe.
TINSTAAFL. In North America, they ask if you want the extended warranty. In Europe, Australia and other countries, they answered for you.
Oh, and yes, if you open stuff, it's fine. it's when you try to fix stuff you have problems. Warranty fraud is a huge thing, and you will see people try to claim "No, it wasn't submerged in water" even though it's clearly dripping water all over the counter.
It's a really big problem and as much as everyone would like to see more repairable stuff, the real problem is too many people just are not skilled enough. The good ones will just open it, see they can't fix it and put everything back. Most people bumble through things and make things worse
Even the law says that - if the damage can be traced to the failure, the warranty can be voided. For most devices, opening them and trying to screw around with stuff can be traced as the cause.
The problem is not the 1% of people who go to iFixit and get their replacement parts and tools, it's the 99% who don't and try to "fix" it but make things worse. Because the vast majority of those lack the skill, care, precision, tools, education, etc to not mess anything up. It's why iFixit can get all high and mighty about it, because they don't see the other end of it. Perhaps a stint at a retail customer service desk should help realize that people who use iFixit generally know what they're doing.
Apple's probably one of the best examples as their "EU Tax" is low - take the US model, add AppleCare (to satisfy EU warranty), add in the requisite VAT (20-25%) and convert to Euros, and you come out pretty close to the cost in Europe.
Just on a whim, I visited the various pages. In the US, the base model costs $649. In Germany, the base model, converted to dollars and with VAT removed, it costs $685. Applecare for 2 years adds $129.
It would seem that the european cost with a 2 year warranty is substantially less than the US one.
IOW, you are mistaken.
SJW n. One who posts facts.
Actually, you're mistaken.
http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/extended-warranties/buying-guide.htm
"The median price paid for a plan was $123 for a major appliance and $37 for a small one"
$685 - $649 = $36
2.7% is substantially less?
And you didn't realize that EU citizens are paying for an extended warranty?
Apple's probably one of the best examples as their "EU Tax" is low - take the US model, add AppleCare (to satisfy EU warranty), add in the requisite VAT (20-25%) and convert to Euros, and you come out pretty close to the cost in Europe.
No, in this case you are mistaken. For a few years Apple denied this second year of warranty in Europe and the prices were exactly the same as after they were forced to advertise and honor it. Nothing changed. This is because Apple prices have nothing to do with actual cost.
Now, for other manufacturers it might apply of course.
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I just checked too, and I thought actually putting some numbers down would be informative, rather than just making statements without any backing data. What computer are you talking about that costs $649 baseline (I didn't see anything like that on a quick look on the Apple store).
Germany, Baseline Silver MacBook (Apple.com/de/): €1449
United States, Baseline Silver MacBook (Apple.com): $1299
UK, Baseline Silver Macbook (Apple.com/uk/): £1049 (a lot more flux than normal in this price, due to Brexit and unusually low USD.GBP exchange rates)
Cost of AppleCare = $129 for 3 years. Cost per year then is $43, so two years of warranty would be an added $86.
DE €1449 -> $1600. Minus 19% VAT = $1,344. Plus two years of AppleCare ($86) = $1430
UK £1049 -> $1395. Minus 20% VAT = $1162. Plus two years of AppleCare ($86) = $1248
US $1299. Plus full 3 years of AppleCare ($129) = $1428. Two dollars difference from what what I estimated as the DE price breakdown.
So the German price in Euros seems pretty darn close to me! Did I miss anything?
This is an extremely limited and inaccurate view of the Magnuson–Moss Warranty Act.
First, this details what a FULL warranty is, and does not supersede state laws or the FTC's addressing of antitrusts.
Furthermore, the following law clearly states that they CAN detail the limitations of the warranty. https://www.law.cornell.edu/us...