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How warranty claim secures the rights of the manufacturer & consumer?

by  Maryam Hussain

A warranty is a contract between a manufacturer/seller and a consumer w.r.t sale of a product where a manufacturer/seller takes the responsibility to rectify defects or failures of products due to inadequate design, manufacturing, and quality control problems over a certain duration of time after the sale.

The seller is the interfacial person between the consumer and the manufacturer. Most of the time, the seller represents the manufacturer while dealing with the consumer. The seller also represents the consumer for the warranty claimed by the consumer.

Here, a buyer is an end user or consumer, and, the term consumer will be used here.

It has been experienced that upon partial or complete failure of a product, the consumer brings the product to the seller and asks for its warranty claim. Sooner during the conversation a point reaches where the consumer says “It’s covered under warranty”. Conversely, the seller says “It is not covered under warranty”.

The reason for misunderstanding starts when the seller provides extreme confidence to the consumer by saying, “Oh no problem, It’s covered under warranty”. Then, when the seller can’t back up his statement because the repair is actually not covered, the consumer gets upset with the seller.

The warranty helps protects both the manufacturer and consumer in the event of failures within the warranty period. Warranty spells the magic by protecting the manufacturer by limiting the manufacturer’s liability for the product failure and at the same time it acts as a promotional banner for product quality and reliability. For the consumer, it provides confidence with information on the reliability and quality of the product and acts as insurance against the early failure of the product.

Regarding an air conditioner warranty, the consumer is responsible to follow the specified maintenance requirements set forth by the manufacturer. By doing so, the consumer fulfills one’s responsibility to the warranty agreement. The seller is obligated to the consumer to perform any repairs due to a defect from poor workmanship, or a failed part for the time set forth by the terms of the agreement.

To receive warranty service from an air conditioner selling company, the consumer must be able to provide proof of purchase. The receipt should show the name and address of the dealer or retailer from where the consumer purchased the product.

Consumer should verify that the current date is within warranty claim period (usually, companies select 5 years for warranty service) w.r.t. date of purchase of air conditioner.

Consumer should satisfy the air conditioner dealer that the appliance has been operated & maintained in accordance with the instructions attached to or furnished with the product.

Consumer should attach purchase receipt, record, and other important information such as date of purchase, dealer information, and the model and serial number of the purchased appliance at a designated spot on the air conditioner purchase form that came with the appliance.

After the submission of application, the air conditioner sale & service company may repair or replace the product at their discretion to correct defects in the unit in the mechanical or electrical controls and in the sealed refrigeration system including the compressor, evaporator, condenser, dry strainer, and connection tubing, provided that the current date is within the warranty claim period (usually, companies select 5 years for warranty service).

The air conditioner sale & service company claims travel or transportation expenses from customers who reside in remote areas. Nowadays, the air conditioner sale & service company provides an online product registration process to offer additional warranty service if a costumer experiences a problem with an appliance.

When the costumer registers the product, the company has the costumers’ contact data and provides access to manuals and other helpful information about their appliances. In case of an issue, the costumer can do a safety call to the company. When the costumer goes through product registration, the company uses the customer data to inform him/her about future developments such as promotions, new sales & nearby services centers, new products, free troubleshooting instructions call such as to correct the installation of air conditioner, how to use the air conditioner, how to replace house fuses or correct house wiring or reset circuit breakers or clean or replace owner-accessible air filters.

Majority of the air conditioner sale & service companies do not furnish service & repair warranty claims to the buyers in the following cases:

a. when any damage to the air conditioning unit results from accident, alteration, misuse, abuse, fire, floods, an improper installation that is not in accordance with local electrical, HVAC and plumbing codes, or due to the use of products not approved by air conditioner sale & service companies.

b. when the air condition units are operated outside the designated region & got replacement parts or repairs there.

c. When the removal and reinstallation of your air conditioner, when it is installed in an overhead or other inaccessible location, is not in accordance with approved installation instructions.

d. when unauthorized modifications and repairs are made to the appliance, either wholly or partially.

After the acceptability of the warranty claim of the consumer, usually known as the maturity of the warranty claim, the manufacturer determines the method of warranty rectification according to the policy & condition of the product being claimed for rectification. The rectification can be classified according to the degree of restoration which may be defined as the extent of corrective action required to bring the product to its functionality state.

The manufacturer/seller may provide one of the following warranty rectification actions to the consumer whose warranty claim has been accepted:

Replacement:  It is the case of complete failure of an item/system or in the case of a non-repairable item.

Overhauling or perfect repair:  It is being done to restore the product when it has a major failure but is still repairable to bring the product to a state of as good as new condition.

Imperfect maintenance: It restores the product to a state of normal function but it costs lesser than that overhauling.

Minimal repair warranty claim: It makes minor improvements and the condition after maintenance is like an old car which is usually unreliable.

The best way to care for your appliance and protect your warranty is to ensure that your appliance remains a reliable part of your home, follow proper installation instructions (we usually call these standard operating instructions or owner’s manual), and only use your machine for its intended purpose. Always refer to your owner's manual for initial installation and, as well as, for its operation maintenance.

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