FTC Says Companies Can't Void Warranty for Fixing Your Own Stuff

[Syriel]

A common sense ruling from a govt agency during Trump's reign. And one that is pro-consumer, rather than pro-business.

Who would have thought it possible?

Maybe keeping Trump and company distracted with Stormy will actually allow more govt agencies to do real work.

The Federal Trade Commission recently announced that warning stickers that say people will void their warranties are not only meaningless but also illegal. These types of stickers are common on many electronics — for example, if you try to open an Xbox One X console, you'll find a black sticker over one of the screws; Microsoft has cited the sticker's absence as a reason to reject people's warranty claims in the past. Sony's PlayStation has a sticker that says, "Warranty void if seal damaged."

The agency said it sent letters about the labels to six "major" companies that make game consoles, automobiles and cellular devices. The FTC did not name the companies that received the letters. The agency said that these types of messages are in violation of the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, which prohibits companies from putting repair limits on warranties, and they may also violate rules against false representation.

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The FTC offered a few examples of terms of service claims that violate the law, including:

• The use of [company name] parts is required to keep your … manufacturer's warranties and any extended warranties intact.
• This warranty shall not apply if this product … is used with products not sold or licensed by [company name].
• This warranty does not apply if this product … has had the warranty seal on the [product] altered, defaced, or removed.

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Source:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...ill-void-your-warranty-are-nonsense-ftc-says/

 

[Mattakuevan]

Well this is great news. Glad to see a little sense coming out of Washington.

 

[Beartruck]

...aaaand they've been all fired.

 

[subpar spatula]

"Very sneaky of you guys to hide my M&M mug. Was a great game. Spent the entire day doing it. I love working with you all." - Ajit

"Let's hope he doesn't find out." - FTC

 

[FutureLarking]

So what, I open my console and f*CK it up accidentally and it is still under warranty? I'll be honest, seems a bit daft to make the company pay for user error. In the end it's probably going to drive the upfront cost up.

 

[captmcblack]

This is good, provided it also means that the *idea* that fixing your own stuff violates/terminates the warranty, and not just the stickers/water damage tags/etc that allude to those things.

Would be GREAT to get root/modifications/jailbreaks into that category of things that shouldn't be illegal or warranty-breaking too.

 

[Syriel]

"Very sneaky of you guys to hide my M&M mug. Was a great game. Spent the entire day doing it. I love working with you all." - Ajit

"Let's hope he doesn't find out." - FTC

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FTC and FCC are different orgs. :P

 

[Jiraiya]

Awesome. I've seen this so long I've never bothered to find out if it in fact weren't true.

 

[Deleted member 8860]

So what, I open my console and f*CK it up accidentally and it is still under warranty? I'll be honest, seems a bit daft to make the company pay for user error. In the end it's probably going to drive the upfront cost up.

Click to shrink...

No. That's not how this works. The law was enacted in the 1970s to stop
manufacturers from refusing warranty coverage if, e.g., a car had an oil change at a gas station instead of a dealership and the wheels later fell off for unrelated reasons (manufacturing defects).

Today's clarification extends similar protection to consumer electronics.

In practice, your claim is still going to be rejected if the 3rd party/self-service is even arguably related to the failure.

 

[Syriel]

So what, I open my console and f*CK it up accidentally and it is still under warranty? I'll be honest, seems a bit daft to make the company pay for user error. In the end it's probably going to drive the upfront cost up.

Click to shrink...

If you open something and screw it up, no, you're not covered by warranty. You screwed it up.

But if you, say, replace a broken screen on your phone, or upgrade the hard drive in your console, and the CPU or the RAM goes on the fritz, the manufacturer can't deny you warranty coverage on said failure.

 

[ody]

Finally

 

[Sinfamy]

Will if stop Apple from disabling your device if you change your screen or TouchID button with a 3rd party one?

 

[GaimeGuy]

My gigabyte laptop had one of those stickers on the screw holding one of the fans in place.

Having to void your laptop's warranty to dust the fans and air vents is like having to void your car's warranty for changing the oil or refueling the gas tank

 

[nihilence]

https://www.resetera.com/threads/ft...-for-all-consumer-electronics-above-15.35484/