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45 Out of 50 Electronics Companies Illegally Void Warranties After Independent Repair, Sting Operation Finds (vice.com)
U.S. PIRG -- a non-profit that uses grassroots methods to advocate for political change -- found that 90 percent of manufacturers it contacted claimed that a third party repair would void its warranty. "PIRG researched the warranty information of 50 companies in the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM) -- an industry group of notorious for lobbying to protect is repair monopolies -- and found that 45 of them claimed independent repair would void their warranty," Motherboard reports. From the report: PIRG poured over the documentation for 50 companies such as Bissell, Whirlpool, and Panasonic to document their warranty policies. When it couldn't find clear language about warranty and repair, it reached out to the companies via their customer service lines. The overwhelming majority of the companies told PIRG that independent repair would void the warranty.
The 1975 Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act states that no manufacturer who charges more than $5 for a product can put repair restrictions on a product they're offering a warranty on. In May, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission sent warning letters to Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo, HTC, Hyundai, and ASUS for violating the act by threatening to void the warranties of customers who repaired their own devices. Within 30 days, many of the companies had complied and changed the language on their websites around independent repair. It was a step in the right direction, but the PIRGs survey of the AHAM members shows that there's still a lot of work to do.
The 1975 Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act states that no manufacturer who charges more than $5 for a product can put repair restrictions on a product they're offering a warranty on. In May, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission sent warning letters to Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo, HTC, Hyundai, and ASUS for violating the act by threatening to void the warranties of customers who repaired their own devices. Within 30 days, many of the companies had complied and changed the language on their websites around independent repair. It was a step in the right direction, but the PIRGs survey of the AHAM members shows that there's still a lot of work to do.
http://goatse.cx
But Whirlpool, Bissell, and other makers of Home Appliances are not necessarily "Electronics Companies". Sure, they make things with electronics IN them, but a washing machine is more than just a circuit board.
Try asking the following companies about their warranties:
Dell
Toshiba
Samsung
Apple
Intel
Vizio
TCL
JVC
Get back to me when you have the results...
So why is it that the manufacturer has to accept something under warranty that was meddled with? If an appliance breaks and it is under warranty why not use the warranty to fix the appliance?
If on the other hand the owner of the appliance decides to do the repair without involving the manufacturer then why should the manufacturer be on the hook for further providing warranty to that appliance? If somebody got into that appliance and 'repared' it in such a way that caused further damage why should the manufacturer cover that under warranty?
This 1975 Magnuson Moss Warranty Act is yet another infringement on individual liberties and when I say that I do mean it gets into the right of a person or of a company to provide warranty as a good will gesture that basically is just a marketting trick used to outcompete other companies providing a similar product.
MY OTHER COMMENTS
I think someone needs to do there homework. So a manufacturer issuing a Warranty on a product would be obliged to fix, but a manufacturer issuing a Limited Warranty would not. It really depends on which of these two things they are advertising whether or not such restrictions are legal.
Captain Obvious has spoken? Who expected something different when so many companies are busy using virtual bricks and virtual mortar to defend their walled garden? The first revenue stream is the purchase. The second stream is repair. If you doubt this I'd suggest you read up on how American farmers are not allowed to repair their tractors/harvesters/etc. because the manufacturers have managed to pass legislation preventing it. What was a 100K+++ purchase that isn't repairable by the owner is now trickling down to the average joe/jodie.
https://boingboing.net/2018/09/11/tenant-farmers-2.html
Read it and weep.. this is what is coming =P
Peace out.
We have a proud and strong industry of craftsmen (and -women) who employ a large part of our population and students. Nobody here gives a shit about "certified" craftsmen. There is only one certificate. That of passing the government exam, and getting to call yourself a master and teach and employ others. Its standard is high enough, that nobody would consider the company-certified shops higher. They would not be seen as the pros.
So this shit would die at our doorsteps at the very least. Hopefully they try it here soon, so that we can kill it for you guys. :)
Which leaves one to wonder, which companies didn't comply?
File under 'M' for 'Manic ranting'
Probably 23 billion for the lawyers, and a $5 coupon for each consumer!
if they want to do then warranty needs to be at least 2 years.
I used to work in the Tech Support Department for a budget gaming system manufacturer called iBuyPower. We were instructed to tell customers that they were out of luck if they broke their systems when installing their parts that we sent them (if they opted for self-repair). The warranty excluded physical damage, and used that excuse alot. The company provided no instructions or guides, we offered only basic call by call instructions. After customers broke their system most would opt to send the systems back to us and the billing department would charge them (with an generous mark up) on replacement parts and return shipping. Ive seen some systems (costing $700) get charged $300 for parts and shipping. It was a racket. Oh I could tell you stories. Truth be told i'm glad i moved on and up in the world.
Thanks Steve Jobs for making phones throw away items when the battery gets shot or when an update slows it down. Sure it legally is under warranty but time to buy a new one if you want a good charge and is not slow as a dog
http://saveie6.com/
my parents bought me a Panasonic video camera when in on holiday the USA. It broke after a few months. Panasonic in the UK refused to fix it claiming that they were different than Panasonic USA. The reason is that they charge different amounts in different regions and work hard to preserve that. Multinationals exploit global price differences to their advantage and prevent the consumer from doing likewise.
I will never buy anything from Panasonic in the future -- I'll reward honourable companies (if I can find any).
The complete list of tested companies can be found in this PDF (page 22);
https://uspirg.org/sites/pirg/...
As usual the list is missing from tfa.
On a long enough timeline, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero.
"The 1975 Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act states that no manufacturer who charges more than $5 for a product can put repair restrictions on a product they're offering a warranty on."
It says no such thing. It basically says that warranty terms must be spelled out clearly, and a warranty can't be conditioned on use of name brand parts or service unless they're provided free under warranty.
The PIRG report deliberately misleads:
...but the Act actually says:
...they very deliberately skipped the part about stuff provided without charge under the warranty in order to mislead.
Yes, a manufacturer can tell you who you must get work done by, but only if that work is covered for free by the warranty. They can also say you can't use 3rd party replacement parts, if parts are provided free under the warranty. You don't have to use the manufacturer's oil filters on your car, unless they provide them free during the warranty.
They can also "void" the warranty if the product is modified, which is perfectly reasonable. If you add a turbo to your car's engine and it blows up, the manufacturer shouldn't have to cover it under warranty.
The MMWA is rather short. It's not a hard read. People should do so instead of thinking the bullshit in the summary/article is anything close to accurate.
"National Security is the chief cause of national insecurity." - Celine's First Law
Where I live, warranties are 5 years by law - for products generally meant to last that long. 2 years otherwise. Not really a problem for corporations - they set prices so that profits covers the expected amount of returns. Trying to peddle real cheap shit is a great way to go bankrupt tho.
I purchased a new, in original box, never opened Neato Botvac D5 Connected robot vacuum from a very reputable seller on eBay. After a month, the device stopped working. Neato tech support determined there was a circuitry problem and that the device should be replaced under warranty. Unfortunately, they would not honor that warranty because I had purchased it from an unauthorized reseller. Even though I had the original box, all the accessories, they acknowledged it was brand new and the serial numbers from the box and device matched, they would not honor the warranty because of where I had purchased it. Luckily, the seller accepted the return of the device and issued me a refund. But, he shouldn't have needed to do so. Can Neato legally get away with that?
I wonder what they poured.
Nice external link.
https://motherboard.vice.com/e... ?utm_source=reddit.com
Ha ha ha. That's a new one for me.
'Poured over'. Ha, ha! Illiterate gobshites.
http://www.acetonestudio.com
It's a shame that this law doesn't apply to agricultural equipment... Farmers continue to be bound by monopolistic right to repair restrictions that limit them from doing all but the most basic maintenance on their equipment.