Can anyone recommend a month to month uk mobile phone insurance please? Orange care will not insure me as they do not supply the handset as I bought it sim free.
yeah thats rite orange will not insure a non orange branded phone, ive just got it insurered via my bank account, but be warned they are nothing like orange care, making a claim can take weeks to sort out.
Thanks, need some third party company. No bank, it's harder than I thought
When I was looking for 3rd party insurance, I quickly discovered its not really worth it. Most companies seems to be the same. This one is about £50-60 with £50 excess and offers Loss, Theft, Accidental Damage, etc
Consider these terms and conditions from a well known insurer. Particularly 2(e) and WTF is 4??
Code:
This Certificate does not cover:
1. Mechanical or electrical breakdown, wear and tear or gradual deterioration,
faulty or defective workmanship, corrosion, rust, condensation, dampness, dust or
change in temperature, gradually developing defects, cracks, flaws or fractures,
scratching, chipping, abrasion, change of colour, texture or finish.
2. Theft, loss or damage to the Telephone
a) whilst kept in an unattended motor vehicle unless the vehicle is locked and
all protections are in operation and the Telephone is concealed in a locked
glove box (all vehicles) or the boot of the vehicle (saloon cars), under the rear
parcel shelf (hatchback cars and 4x4 vehicles) or in the spare wheel compartment
(estate cars) so that forced and violent entry into the car is required. A copy of
the repairer’s account for such damage to the vehicle must be supplied with any
claim. Theft or damage from side pockets and any other interior space of the
vehicle other than those specified will not be covered.
b) from any commercially registered vehicle
c) whilst left on any motor vehicle roof, bonnet or boot
d) from any property, place or premises unless such theft or damage has occurred
through forced and violent entry or exit
e) whilst in any form of public transport or public place other than when the
Telephone is taken by actual or threatened force
f) unless accompanied by a Crime Reference number. Lost Property numbers
are not acceptable in support of a Theft claim.
g) Unless reported to the appropriate Police authorities and the Network within
24 hours of the incident
h) The cost of any calls made prior to notifying Your airtime supplier and the
police of the theft or loss of Your Telephone
i) arising from abuse, misuse or neglect
j) Whilst the Telephone is on loan to any third party.
k) Theft of the SIM other than in respect of valid theft claims where your card was
stolen with the Telephone.
l) Any damage to or malfunction of the Telephone caused by or related in any
way to a software virus or any other software malfunction.
m) Theft or accidental damage to any additional equipment or accessories
including but not limited to carrying cases, battery chargers, hands-free mounting
kit cameras, PCIMA cards or external antennae. Unless this occurs as part of
a valid theft claim for the rest of the Telephone
3. The first £25.00 of each successful claim increased to £50.00 of each succesful
3. claim where Your Telephone is 3g enabled.
4. Mysterious disappearance of the Telephone.
5. Any failure due to date-related problems.
6. Routine maintenance adjustment or servicing.
7. The VAT element of any claim if You are registered for VAT
8. Any consequential loss whatsoever.
9. Any legal liability directly or indirectly caused by or contributed to or arising from:
a. ionising radiations or contamination by radioactivity from any nuclear fuel or
from any nuclear waste from the combustion of nuclear fuel.
b. the radioactive, toxic, explosive or other hazardous properties of any explosive
nuclear assembly or nuclear component thereof.
10. Any loss or damage or liability directly or indirectly occasioned by, happening
through or in consequence of war, terrorism, invasion, acts of foreign enemies,
hostilities (whether war be declared or not), civil war, rebellion, revolution, insurrection,
military or usurped power, or confiscation or nationalisation or requisition or destruction
of or damage to property by or under the order of any government or public or local
authority. Unauthorised calls unless associated with a valid theft claim.
11. Any damage directly occasioned by pressure waves caused by aircraft and
other aerial devices travelling at sonic or supersonic speeds.
12. Misuse of equipment following theft - If you have a valid claim for theft of your
equipment the insurer will pay you a maximum of £250 for the cost of any calls made
by another person using your equipment without your permission for a period of
24 hours after the theft/loss
Disclaimer: There may be a policy out there that covers everything but the majority I looked at had terms and conditions similar to this. I am NOT singleing one company out either!
Craig
maybe with ur house insurance? other than that dont think anyone else with insure it.
I spent ages looking around for insuring my TD2 and it was either way too expensive or the t&cs were silly.
In the end, I simply added it as a named item to my house contents insurance with a value of £420 which gives it full protection against loss/accidental damage/theft etc... whether at home or not!
All this cost me was £20 for the entire year, and the excess is minimal.
craiglay said:
When I was looking for 3rd party insurance, I quickly discovered its not really worth it. Most companies seems to be the same. This one is about £50-60 with £50 excess and offers Loss, Theft, Accidental Damage, etc
Consider these terms and conditions from a well known insurer. Particularly 2(e) and WTF is 4??
4. Mysterious disappearance !
Disclaimer: There may be a policy out there that covers everything but the majority I looked at had terms and conditions similar to this. I am NOT singleing one company out either!
Craig
Click to expand...
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Brilliant catch Craig.
what a load of horse manure. One really has to read T&Cs these days.
I still think the best insurance is to have it covered on your home insurance. Just check the policy
I just got a good deal, but locked into 24mths Orange contract, but i bought it from a third party who include insurance, its about £5 a month !!!
Not sure whether to bother, plan was ot cancel after the 1st free month.
The 3rd party is part of Carphone Warehouse, who are good, but as its part I assume its not the same.
citimain or citymain do mine for 5.99 a month. I havent a clue what it covers, I just havent cancelled it yet. Cheers
Related
http://teacherdudebbq.blogspot.com/2010/12/apple-resellers-law-suit-threatens.html
"As I write this Greek users of Twitter are flooding the micro - blogging service with comments and complaints about the Apple reseller in Greece, Systemgraph. According to the newspaper Protothema, a Greek internet user is being sued for 200,000 euros by the company following complaints he made online about how his attempts to get his imac repaired went awry.
In his post blogger Arkoudos wrote that Dimitris Papadimitriadis, a 35 year old doctor problems began when he saw that there were shadows on the screen and returned it (under guarantee) to the authorised service provider, Systemgraph who identified and claimed to have repaired the issue. However, when Papadimitriadis realised that the problem had not been fixed and returned his machine once more to the company his troubles began in earnest.
On the other hand Systemgraph stated in their defence that the customer had been "rude and aggresive" and that the company had offered to repair the screen once more and was under no legal obligation to replace the machine (that being the responsibility of the store that had sold the computer). According to their statement on the AV Club forum the law suit was in response to an "organised attempt to slander and insult" the company via social media sites, blogs and forums.
This case in disturbing on two levels. Most importantly is the idea that any unwanted or disagreeble comment made on the internet can be punished with massive fines or the threat of legal action. As Papadimitriadis puts it on Twitter, "If the blogger/consumer loses (the case), then all we will be able to write in our own name will be recipes". Already freedom of expression and freedom of the press in Greece is in deep crisis with the country's Press Freedom Index ranking dropping over 30 places this year alone making it the lowest placed in the EU.
Also what the case highlights is just how weak consumer protection is in Greece and that buying any big ticket item involves a risk which most other European consumers do not have to factor in. Even when the guarantee is valid some companies are loathed to accept the costs involved with repairing or replacing faulty goods. Of course, the consumer can insist on their rights as Papadimitriadis said he did when he took his case to the consumer ombudsman but this can be a long and often futile affair and even if the courts find in favour of the customer businesses can just chose to ignore the decision.
Whatever the rights or wrongs of the case are the uproar which is currently being generated on the internet via Twitter and blogs shows that consumers do have the power retailers think carefully about how they are preceived online and remind them of the power of negative word of mouth".
That's just a ****ty deal! I don't see how they aren't obligated to fix it if they,
1.Didn't fix it in the first place,
2.It's still under a guarantee.
If they took it in to fix it, but didn't, and I took if I had to take it back again to get it fixed, I would be mad too! Even more when Macs aren't exactly the lowest priced item on the block. If I'm buying a product and a service from you, then actually do your job.
People are taking the Internet too seriously. The company I used to work for let go of me because of a facebook post, just saying that "work ****ing sucked today".
Too bad he couldn't use that first amendment right...
And.. always need to be careful what you post on the intarwebs it seems nowadays - especially if you use facebook and don't set your privacy settings correctly.
Might be dumb but this is the turn of the times. I hope the Doctor wins as he was sharing his experience with support for just the one machine. Apple is getting ridiculous after "Attenagate".
avgjoegeek said:
And.. always need to be careful what you post on the intarwebs it seems nowadays - especially if you use facebook and don't set your privacy settings correctly.
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that idea is just wrong , why the users ? why is it the people who "should" hold their mouths always ? isnt the consumer internet made for the people ?
whys it always the honest tax payer who has to back off , when unlawfulness , and tyranny appears ?
there should be an uprising and boycotts against scum corporations and companies and governments that see people as nothing but cockroaches
too bad ppl have "better" things to do , like watch football on tv , with their mouth shut
Did anyone else get a "special enrollment opportunity" for TEP from Verizon?
Got an email offering me a chance to add TEP outside the warranty period. I'm interested, but frankly I'm suspicious because of the upcoming tiered data--trying to get me into a different plan? Any thoughts? Or am I just paranoid?
tekhna said:
Got an email offering me a chance to add TEP outside the warranty period. I'm interested, but frankly I'm suspicious because of the upcoming tiered data--trying to get me into a different plan? Any thoughts? Or am I just paranoid?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I got that too. I was intrigued when I saw it but $7 more a month is just something I am not interested in.
GreginNH said:
I got that too. I was intrigued when I saw it but $7 more a month is just something I am not interested in.
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Click to collapse
Well, my thought on it was I'm doing two things. I'm paying 7 dollars a month to protect my phone. But I'm also paying 7 dollars a month to perpetually grandfather my data plan. If I break my phone in two years, they send me a new one, either another Thunderbolt, or a comparable model, I don't sign a contract, and I keep my unlimited.
I also did and am seriously thinking about taking them up on the offer
Help a noob out.... TEP??
Sent from my ADR6400L using XDA App
NEVER MIND JUST FIGURED IT OUT
Sent from my ADR6400L using XDA App
I was wondering about that too. It looked like the fine print in the email was saying that basically that extra dollar went to extending you "Verizon Warranty"for an extra year. Your phone insurance isn't affected. They are bundled together at that price.
Tep its worth it....just dont try to teach phone to swim or skydive.....not covered....
Sent from my ADR6400L using XDA App
Got it too. Another $$ grab.
Sent from my ADR6400L using XDA App
Yep. I signed up for it. I declined it when I got my phone and regretted is as I needed to fix my phone a couple months later. It works now but there are still a few problems so I am excited I won't have to spend $300+ on ebay to get a new one.
It's legit, email address was consistent with other Verizon emails I've gotten and web address didn't look sketchy. Plus they only needed your phone number and name so it's not like you gave the website much.
scottthreet32 said:
Tep its worth it....just dont try to teach phone to swim or skydive.....not covered....
Sent from my ADR6400L using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Water damage is listed as covered, unless they do the same thing as Best Buy and say "spills" are covered but not complete submersion.
06ms6 said:
Yep. I signed up for it. I declined it when I got my phone and regretted is as I needed to fix my phone a couple months later. It works now but there are still a few problems so I am excited I won't have to spend $300+ on ebay to get a new one.
It's legit, email address was consistent with other Verizon emails I've gotten and web address didn't look sketchy. Plus they only needed your phone number and name so it's not like you gave the website much.
Water damage is listed as covered, unless they do the same thing as Best Buy and say "spills" are covered but not complete submersion.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Apparently you didn't read the "terms and conditions".
Quote:
IV. WHAT THIS WARRANTY OR SERVICE CONTRACT DOES NOT COVER:
A. Defects or damage resulting from use of the Product in other than its normal and customary manner;
B. Defects or damage from misuse, accident or neglect;
C. Defects or damage from improper testing, operation, maintenance, installation, adjustment or any alteration or modification of any kind;
D. Breakage or damage to antennas unless caused directly by defects in material or workmanship;
E. Products disassembled or repaired in such a manner as to adversely affect performance or prevent adequate inspection and testing to verify any warranty claim;
F. Products with labels removed or illegible serial numbers;
G. Defects or damage due to spills of or immersion in food or liquid;
H. Scratches on all plastic surfaces and externally exposed parts resulting from normal use; and/or
I. Damage resulting from normal wear and tear.
If it's not covered for damage caused by accident, WTF is it covered for???
Dangerous Dave said:
Apparently you didn't read the "terms and conditions".
Quote:
IV. WHAT THIS WARRANTY OR SERVICE CONTRACT DOES NOT COVER:
A. Defects or damage resulting from use of the Product in other than its normal and customary manner;
B. Defects or damage from misuse, accident or neglect;
C. Defects or damage from improper testing, operation, maintenance, installation, adjustment or any alteration or modification of any kind;
D. Breakage or damage to antennas unless caused directly by defects in material or workmanship;
E. Products disassembled or repaired in such a manner as to adversely affect performance or prevent adequate inspection and testing to verify any warranty claim;
F. Products with labels removed or illegible serial numbers;
G. Defects or damage due to spills of or immersion in food or liquid;
H. Scratches on all plastic surfaces and externally exposed parts resulting from normal use; and/or
I. Damage resulting from normal wear and tear.
If it's not covered for damage caused by accident, WTF is it covered for???
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I work for Verizon and am familiar with the TEC program, the terms of the warranty portion of the TEC coverage are exactly as you quoted however the terms of asurion which is the insurance part of the cost are different and do cover all forms of damage submersion skydiving etc. You can find the terms of the insurance at phoneclaim(dot)com/verizon (sorry not able to post links yet). Basically if you have water damage or some other issue that would not be covered under a manufactures warranty we Verizon would make you do a claim which would have a deductible where the warranty would not. Hope this helps to clarify the program a bit.
Asurion will cover water. Had my old Droid go through with a load of laundry, it was replaced with no questions asked after I paid the deductible.
Sent from my ADR6400L using XDA App
Dangerous Dave said:
Apparently you didn't read the "terms and conditions".
Quote:
IV. WHAT THIS WARRANTY OR SERVICE CONTRACT DOES NOT COVER:
A. Defects or damage resulting from use of the Product in other than its normal and customary manner;
B. Defects or damage from misuse, accident or neglect;
C. Defects or damage from improper testing, operation, maintenance, installation, adjustment or any alteration or modification of any kind;
D. Breakage or damage to antennas unless caused directly by defects in material or workmanship;
E. Products disassembled or repaired in such a manner as to adversely affect performance or prevent adequate inspection and testing to verify any warranty claim;
F. Products with labels removed or illegible serial numbers;
G. Defects or damage due to spills of or immersion in food or liquid;
H. Scratches on all plastic surfaces and externally exposed parts resulting from normal use; and/or
I. Damage resulting from normal wear and tear.
If it's not covered for damage caused by accident, WTF is it covered for???
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Those most definitely are not terms for Asurion insurance.
Don't forget that there's also a $99 deductible. So even if you pay your $7/mo, you still need to shell out another $99 when you break your phone.
MY BAD.....tec works 2 ways no skydiving swimming electronics defect...verizon.....no deductible verizon handles when you get was over night if you diag before 12pm.. www.phoneclaim.com/verizon. Skydiving swimming ran over by car anything due to human carnage plus $99.00 best insurance for 7.00 bucks a month.....
Sent from my ADR6400L using XDA App
Just checking in...did anyone who signed up for this get an email confirming enrollment yet? They said it would take a few days but I haven't gotten one.
Not wanting to open a can of worms...but...found this the other day and thought i should post it.
FOR EU COUNTRIES ONLY
Hey guys, stole this post from her.. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1998801 .makes some interesting reading!
[INFO][EU] Rooting and Flashing don't void the warranty
________________________________________
All Android users were or are wondering whether flashing their device will void the warranties of their devices.
This concerns European customers (EU).
In short :
The FSFE (Free Software Foundation Europe), has concluded that rooting and flashing our devices don't void their warranties. Manufacturers can't refuse to repair a device because modifying or changing system software is not a sufficient reason to void the "statutory warranty". The seller has to prove that the defect is caused by user's actions before completelly voiding the warranty. Unless that, the standard 2 years of the warranty is still valid. So the Directive 1999/44/CE dictates1 protects consummers even if they have rooted and flashed their system in order to use custom ROMs.
Quote:
• FSFE Legal team has analysed this issue and the answer, if the consumer bought it inside the EU, is no.
• The consumer does not loose the obligatory 2-year warranty on the device just because the device is flashed.
• "A good test to see if it is the software’s fault is to flash it back with stock firmware/OS and see if the problem persists. If it does, it is not a software-caused problem. If it is not possible to revert it to stock software any more, it is also not a software-caused defect. There are very few hardware defects that are caused by software".
Full article :
Quote:
Directive 1999/44/CE dictates1 that any object meeting certain criteria (incl. telephones, computers, routers etc.) that is sold to a consumer2. inside the European Union, has to carry a warranty from the seller that the device will meet the quality that you would expect for such a device for a period of 2 years.
A telephone is an example of such a device and is an object that comprises many parts, from the case to the screen to the radio, to a mini-computer, to the battery, to the software that runs it. If any of these parts3 stop working in those 2 years, the seller has to fix or replace them. What is more these repairs should not cost the consumer a single cent — the seller has to cover the expenses (Directive 1999/44/CE, §3). If the seller has any expenses for returning it to the manufacturer, this is not your problem as a consumer.
If your device becomes defective in the first 6 months, it is presumed that the defect was there all along, so you should not need to prove anything.
If your device becomes defective after the first 6 months, but before 2 years run out, you are still covered. The difference is only that if the defect arises now, the seller can claim that the defect was caused by some action that was triggered by non-normal use of the device4. But in order to avoid needing to repair or replace your device, the seller has to prove that your action caused5 the defect. It is generally recognised by courts that unless there is a sign of abuse of the device, the defect is there because the device was faulty from the beginning. That is just common sense, after all.
So, we finally come to the question of rooting, flashing and changing the software. Unless the seller can prove that modifying the software, rooting your device or flashing it with some other OS or firmware was the cause for the defect, you are still covered for defects during those 2 years. A good test to see if it is the software’s fault is to flash it back with stock firmware/OS and see if the problem persists. If it does, it is not a software-caused problem. If it is not possible to revert it stock software any more, it is also not a software-caused defect. There are very few hardware defects that are caused by software — e.g. overriding the speaker volume above the safe level could blow the speaker.
Many manufacturers of consumer devices write into their warranties a paragraph that by changing the software or “rooting” your device, you void the warranty. You have to understand that in EU we have a “statutory warranty”, which is compulsory that the seller must offer by law (Directive 1999/44/CE, §7.1) and a “voluntary warranty” which the seller or manufacturer can, but does not need to, offer as an additional service to the consumer. Usually the “voluntary warranty” covers a longer period of time or additional accidents not covered by law6. If though the seller, the manufacturer or anyone else offers a “voluntary warranty”, he is bound to it as well!
So, even if, by any chance your “voluntary warranty” got voided, by European law, you should still have the 2 year “compulsory warranty” as it is described in the Directive and which is the topic of this article.
In case the seller refuses your right to repair or replace the device, you can sue him in a civil litigation and can report the incident to the national authority. In many European countries such action does not even require hiring a lawyer and is most of the time ensured by consumers associations.
The warranty under this Directive is only applicable inside the European Union and only if you bought the device as a consumer.
[1] EU member states must have by now imported the Directive 1999/44/CE into their national laws. So you should quote also your local law on that topic.
[2] A consumer is a natural person who acts for their own private purposes and not as a professional. .
[3] Batteries can be exempt of this and usually hold only 6 months warranty.
[4] E.g. a defect power button could be caused by spreading marmalade in it or hooking it onto a robot that would continuously press the button every second 24/7 — of course that is not normal or intended use.
[5] Note that correlation is not causation — the defect has to be proven to be caused by your action, not just correlate with it.
[6] E.g. if a device manufacturer guarantees the phone is water- and shock-proof or a car manufacturer offers 7 years of warranty against rust.
Source, article
Reference : EUR-Lex
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=CELEX:31999L0044:EN:NOT
This was stated on fsfe.org
Does rooting your device (e.g. an Android phone) and replacing its operating system with something else void your statutory warranty, if you are a consumer?
In short:
No.
Just the fact that you modified or changed the software of your device, is not a sufficient reason to void your statutory warranty. As long as you have bought the device as a consumer in the European Union.
A bit longer:
Directive 1999/44/CE dictates that any object meeting certain criteria (incl. telephones, computers, routers etc.) that is sold to a consumer. inside the European Union, has to carry a warranty from the seller that the device will meet the quality that you would expect for such a device for a period of 2 years.
A telephone is an example of such a device and is an object that comprises many parts, from the case to the screen to the radio, to a mini-computer, to the battery, to the software that runs it. If any of these parts stop working in those 2 years, the seller has to fix or replace them. What is more these repairs should not cost the consumer a single cent — the seller has to cover the expenses (Directive 1999/44/CE, §3). If the seller has any expenses for returning it to the manufacturer, this is not your problem as a consumer.
If your device becomes defective in the first 6 months, it is presumed that the defect was there all along, so you should not need to prove anything.
If your device becomes defective after the first 6 months, but before 2 years run out, you are still covered. The difference is only that if the defect arises now, the seller can claim that the defect was caused by some action that was triggered by non-normal use of the device. But in order to avoid needing to repair or replace your device, the seller has to prove that your action caused the defect. It is generally recognised by courts that unless there is a sign of abuse of the device, the defect is there because the device was faulty from the beginning. That is just common sense, after all.
So, we finally come to the question of rooting, flashing and changing the software. Unless the seller can prove that modifying the software, rooting your device or flashing it with some other OS or firmware was the cause for the defect, you are still covered for defects during those 2 years. A good test to see if it is the software’s fault is to flash it back with stock firmware/OS and see if the problem persists. If it does, it is not a software-caused problem. If it is not possible to revert it stock software any more, it is also not a software-caused defect. There are very few hardware defects that are caused by software — e.g. overriding the speaker volume above the safe level could blow the speaker.
Many manufacturers of consumer devices write into their warranties a paragraph that by changing the software or “rooting” your device, you void the warranty. You have to understand that in EU we have a “statutory warranty”, which is compulsory that the seller must offer by law (Directive 1999/44/CE, §7.1) and a “voluntary warranty” which the seller or manufacturer can, but does not need to, offer as an additional service to the consumer. Usually the “voluntary warranty” covers a longer period of time or additional accidents not covered by law. If though the seller, the manufacturer or anyone else offers a “voluntary warranty”, he is bound to it as well!
So, even if, by any chance your “voluntary warranty” got voided, by European law, you should still have the 2 year “compulsory warranty” as it is described in the Directive and which is the topic of this article.
In case the seller refuses your right to repair or replace the device, you can sue him in a civil litigation and can report the incident to the national authority. In many European countries such action does not even require hiring a lawyer and is most of the time ensured by consumers associations.
The warranty under this Directive is only applicable inside the European Union and only if you bought the device as a consumer.
EU member states must have by now imported the Directive 1999/44/CE into their national laws. So you should quote also your local law on that topic.
A consumer is a natural person who acts for their own private purposes and not as a professional.
Batteries can be exempt of this and usually hold only 6 months warranty.
E.g. a defect power button could be caused by spreading marmalade in it or hooking it onto a robot that would continuously press the button every second 24/7 — of course that is not normal or intended use.
Note that correlation is not causation — the defect has to be proven to be caused by your action, not just correlate with it.
E.g. if a device manufacturer guarantees the phone is water- and shock-proof or a car manufacturer offers 7 years of warranty against rust.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I guess our warranty isn't voided, it's just that phone/tablet manufacturers don't care...
Indeed!
They may even be fully aware of the law and deep down know that rooting doesn't void your warranty. It just so happens that, in order to legally challenge their bad claims of a void warranty, (in most countries) you would have to spend way more in legal fees than what the phone is worth...
Shameful tactics, but it's business nonetheless.
Thank you
Thank you for this information ! I live in europe and before I read this, I didn't root my phone because I need the warranty ! :fingers-crossed:
Good to know. But when I rooted my phone, I didn't think too much about voiding warranty. I just assumed that hardware won't break that easily but I can deal with the software.
This is an opportunity for U.S. citizens to voice their opinion on the warranty practices of device manufactures.
The Federal Trade Commission in the US is looking for empirical research on repair restrictions for electronic devices. Attached is the official submission document. Submissions should be completed by September 16, 2019.
As some may be aware, there is a rising ground swell across the country to better enforce the existing 1975 Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act stating no manufacturer is permitted to put repair restrictions on a device it offers a warranty on. What this means to consumers is if a device is opened, then the device is submitted for warranty repair, the fact that the device has been opened is not justification for the warranty repair to be refused. Replacing a screen, battery or any other part with a non-manufacturer's part by law, may not be used to prevent the repair of a different component under the device warranty.
Unfortunately, manufacturers have successfully prevented independent shops and device owners from purchasing OEM parts and manuals. They have created an environment where device owners have to accept a refusal to service under warranty without proving that the fact the device was opened or a third party part caused the specific failure being claimed under the warranty. An example would be a third party replacement screen (broken screens are not typically covered under warranty) is used by a manufacturer to refused repairing a device with a defective charge port.
The FTC or interested in determining the effect on the consumer and on independent repair shops. Quoting from a portion of the attached document:
2. The effect of repair restrictions on the repair market in the United States, and the
impact that manufacturers’ repair restrictions have on small and local businesses
3. The effect repair restrictions have on prices for repairing goods, accessibility and
timeliness of repairs, and the quality of repairs
4. The effect of repair restrictions on consumers’ ability to repair warrantied products or
to have the products repaired by independent repair shops
5. The relationship between repair restrictions and the sale of extended warranties by
manufacturers
6. Manufacturers’ justifications for repair restrictions and the factual basis for such
justifications
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Click to collapse
The original document posting is: Nixing the Fix Call for Empirical Research