how warranties work
as noted above warranties are promises made by manufacturers or retailers about their products and services these promises can be either explicit or implied warranties provide a guarantee about the condition of goods and services purchased providing an assurance that they are as advertised they are generally only good for a specified period when that period ends the issuing entity is no longer obligated to repair or replace a product previously covered warranties usually have exceptions that limit the conditions in which a manufacturer is obligated to rectify a problem for example many warranties for common household items only cover the product for up to one year from the date of purchase generally they are covered only if the product has problems due to defective parts or workmanship as a result of these limited manufacturer warranties many vendors offer extended warranties extended warranties are essentially insurance policies for products that consumers pay for upfront coverage will usually last for several years above and beyond the manufacturer s warranty and is often more lenient in terms of limited terms and conditions home warranties can provide discounted repair and replacement services for household appliances and systems and the best home warranties offer a range of plans depending on the coverage you want special considerationsthe u s congress passed the magnuson moss warranty act of 1975 to set standards and rules for consumer product warranties to protect consumers from fraud and misrepresentations 1the act stipulates that the terms and conditions of warranties must be fully and clearly disclosed to the buyer before purchase including whether it is a full or limited warranty it also prohibits deceptive practices such as the inclusion of misleading or false terms or requiring the buyer to purchase another product to validate the warranty in addition to what the manufacturer guarantees in an express warranty the uniform commercial code ucc provides additional consumer protection by providing the implied warranty of merchantability this warranty guarantees remedy if the product fails to perform as designed 2warranty terms can vary from free repairs on the defective product to complete replacement the owner may be instructed to bring the product to the nearest authorized repairman the seller or ship it to the manufacturer types of warrantiesthere are two general types of warranties expressed and implied each category has different sub types of warranties with terms conditions and guarantees as its name suggests an express warranty is an expressed guarantee from a seller or manufacturer to a buyer that the purchased product performs according to certain specifications if defects are present the seller agrees to repair or replace the defective product the warranty can be expressed in writing or verbally in advertising on the product or through other means all expressed guarantees are not warranties for example if a retailer claims that its mattresses will give you the best night s sleep ever they are not issuing a guarantee that it will deliver upon that statement it is considered puffery which is a form of exaggerated language used to advertise a product and attract customers it can be reasonably assumed that this claim is based only on the opinion of the person making the statement in an attempt to promote the product an implied warranty which is also called an implied warranty of merchantability is a guarantee that the purchased product functions in the manner designed it need not be expressed to be valid this guarantee is implied unless it is explicitly excluded typical of as is sales implied warranties also apply when sellers present and sell a product fit to fulfill a specific purpose the buyer relies on the seller s expertise to purchase the product any statements made by the seller regarding the product can be considered assurances there are many different warranty subtypes but the most common are extended warranties and special warranty deeds denied warranty claimseven though manufacturers and retailers may offer warranties there are instances where they may not honor these promises we ve outlined a few of these below warranties are meant to guarantee the condition of products and services as they are when they are purchased this means that they typically only apply to products that have not been altered or modified after they were purchased for example car enthusiasts enjoy changing engines or making other enhancements to a vehicle s drivetrain to coax a particular type of performance many modifications can nullify the vehicle s warranty coverage of the modified and affected components because they can affect the vehicle s reliability in ways for which the dealer and manufacturer are not responsible each company has a unique process for addressing warranties even if a product is within the timeframe designated by a warranty the company may require multiple proof points to show that the product failed in normal use if the product failed because of the owner s actions rather than a fault in the design or manufacturing the warranty is not likely to be honored for instance the owner might have placed the product in an extreme environment that was too hot or too cold for its reasonable use warranty vs guaranteethe terms warranty and guarantee are often used interchangeably but there are subtle differences between the two both require sellers to act on certain promises they make to consumers about their offerings however the difference lies in the level of confidence the manufacturer expresses regarding the product s quality and functionality a warranty is a guarantee from a seller that if their product fails to meet certain specifications a remedy is available a warranty describes the conditions in which the seller is liable and what conditions are excluded although the buyer does not pay a separate cost for the warranty the warranty price is included in the product s price a guarantee on the other hand is a promise or assurance from the manufacturer or seller that the product will work as described or meet specific quality standards if it doesn t the manufacturer will fix or replace it guarantees are of no cost to the buyer and can be offered for both products and services foreign companies are subject to the magnuson moss warranty act if their deceptive practices are likely to cause injury within the united states 3resolving warranty disputesunderstandably it is easy to become confused with the coverage a warranty provides because of the language used in it however if you believe a warranty covers an issue here are some steps you can take before a sale sellers must provide written warranties to consumers for products that cost more than 15 5warranty tipsas a consumer there are some things you can do to minimize warranty issues 