Knowing how to handle warranty complaints can lead to better results. Consumers should read the fine print, make a formal complaint, and escalate to the Better Business Bureau or State Attorney General if necessary. Lawsuits are a last resort.
The whole point of buying a warranty or buying a product with a good warranty is peace of mind and the assurance that the product will be fixed or repaired if it doesn’t work. However, warranty complaints are not uncommon and it helps to know how to handle them. By knowing what to do early on, consumers can usually ensure better results when they begin to escalate a warranty claim.
Before complaining about a warranty, it’s a good idea to read the fine print. If a company or manufacturer refuses to honor a warranty, they must provide a reason, and consumers must be able to look up that reason in the warranty text. For example, many companies void warranties if consumers open the product and try to repair it themselves, or when substantial modifications are made to the original product. If a warranty inspection suggests it should still be valid, it’s time to escalate.
The first step is a formal complaint to the retailer or manufacturer that refuses to honor the warranty, along with a complaint to the retailer that sold the warranty. Sometimes this is enough, especially if a consumer indicates that he or she will escalate the complaint if the problem is not resolved. Warranty claims can also be made directly to the manufacturer. Many manufacturers are happy to repair or replace broken products as an act of customer relations, and may work with consumers to resolve warranty complaints.
If these measures don’t work, it’s time to take some more aggressive approaches to warranty claims, starting with the Better Business Bureau. Many nations have a Better Business Bureau or consumer advocacy agency that can help resolve various service complaints, and businesses are often happy to work with agencies like these to avoid poor ratings. There may also be specific laws in force, such as automobile lemon laws, that may apply to a warranty claim.
In the United States, the State Attorney General is another good source of resolution, as it can help consumers. Some states even have warranty claims hotlines for their citizens. Similar agencies can also be found in some other regions of the world. Escalating to the national government is also an option, although the government can be slow to respond to individual consumers.
Warranty claims can sometimes be resolved with a lawsuit, but the process is costly and time consuming. This is generally only recommended when multiple people have similar issues, which can be used as the basis for a class action lawsuit.
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