Warranties

Warranties...Guarantees... and Your Rights

Warranties and guarantees are a manufacturer’s or seller’s promise to stand behind its product or service.

On most major products, warranties must be:

Easy to read and understand.

Available for consumers to look at before they buy the products.

Labeled either “Full” or “Limited.”

A full warranty means:

A defective product will be fixed or replaced free of charge within a reasonable time.

Consumers will not have to do anything unreasonable to get warranty service.

If the product cannot be fixed, the consumer gets the choice of receiving a new product or a full refund.

The warranty is good for anyone who owns the product during the warranty period.

A limited warranty is anything that provides less coverage than a full warranty.

A limited warranty may:

Cover only parts and not labor.

Cover only the initial owner.

Allow charges for handling.

Require you to return the product to the store.

Implied warranties

While a product might not have a written warranty, under state law, consumers are guaranteed certain implied warranties. A “warranty of merchantability” comes automatically with every sale and is the seller’s promise that a product is fit for its ordinary use.

A “warranty of fitness for a particular purpose” is created if a consumer buys a product relying on the seller’s advice that it can be used for a particular purpose.

Beware of merchandise that is labeled “AS IS” or “NO WARRANTY.”

This language is used to cancel all warranties and is also intended to apply to implied warranties.

A few general tips:

Read all warranties before making a purchase.

Make certain any verbal promises by the salesperson are included in the written warranty and signed by the salesperson.

Keep your sales slip, warranty, owner’s manual and, when possible, original box or packing.

Products with full warranties may cost more than those with limited warranties; however, it may be worthwhile to spend the additional money in order to acquire full protection.