Be careful: how do they cheat in service centers? What to do if the service center where you returned your equipment has closed? - TVNZ

The relationship between service centers and clients is far from a simple “bring it in for repair and take it back.” Most often, problems arise during the delivery and registration of equipment under warranty. Sometimes they are associated with well-known tricks and tricks that customers try to use to get free repairs.

The client most often takes the faulty equipment to where he bought it - to the store or to the supplier. But if trade organization there is no own authorized service center, it would be more correct to immediately send the device to the manufacturer's service center - the store will still do the same thing, only it may take longer. Gaining time is especially important for small companies who independently maintain their fleet of computer and office equipment and often do not have sufficient replacement funds for the duration of repairs.

The functionality of the device and the elimination of manufacturing defects are guaranteed by the manufacturer, and not by the store, supplier company or authorized service center. Regarding warranty repairs, trade organizations and service centers are guided by instructions received from the vendor or main service provider.

Double standards

Typically, the warranty period for technical products ranges from 6 months to 3 years, depending on the type of device and the specific manufacturer. Interestingly, the period rarely depends on the reliability, technical complexity and size of the device. For example, on system unit A computer may have only a year of warranty, but a small navigator may have two. Often this turns out to be a marketing ploy by the manufacturer to attract buyers.

The warranty period rarely depends on the reliability, technical complexity and size of the device

Already at the stage of establishing the warranty period, various tricks begin. Trade organizations can “play” with them, providing themselves with more favorable working conditions. For example, a product may have a 2-year warranty, but the seller advertises only 1 year. This can be a problem for small shops and points of sale that do not want to deal with customer service.

Why is this happening? Employees of service centers know that there are two warranty periods: one - from the date of sale - is established for the buyer, the second - from the date of production - for the trade organization. Due to the fact that devices go a rather long way from the factory to the cash register (transportation, customs clearance, warehousing), the second warranty period is longer. For example, with a warranty of 3 years from the date of sale, the maximum warranty period from the date of manufacture will be 3 years 6 months.

As soon as the established period from the date of production expires, the manufacturer declines responsibility for warranty repairs. And, if according to the coupon there is a guarantee, but in reality it has expired, this only means that the product has not been sold for too long. Claims should no longer be made to the manufacturer or service center, but to the store. Therefore, when purchasing, you also need to pay attention to the date of manufacture of the device.

To insure against such cases, stores independently reduce warranty periods for some types of goods. Especially the discrepancy in warranty periods concerns computer components.

How to hand over goods correctly

There is a common belief that service centers try their best to refuse customers warranty repairs. This is usually not the case. Although an authorized service center does not charge money for warranty repairs, it is paid for this work by the manufacturer or central service provider. That is, even from warranty repairs the service center makes money. Therefore, it makes no sense for him to evade repairs or “kick off” the client for various reasons.

However, there are certain rules for accepting equipment and warranty conditions. Accordingly, service center employees have certain instructions for accepting warranty equipment. To recognize a breakdown as a “warranty event”, both certain documents and compliance of the state of the equipment with certain criteria are required. And here situations may arise when the service center is released from warranty repair obligations.

The client must have a receipt or delivery note with the date of sale of the goods and a completed warranty card. However, according to the law, the absence of a warranty card is not a reason for denial of warranty. In theory, the main thing for a service center is to identify the product. Its employees can do this by serial number and find out whether a product with this number was produced at all, when it was manufactured and whether the warranty period has expired. Many companies do this.

An additional advantage of checking by serial number is the ability to filter out “gray” devices. The service center will not repair free of charge goods that were imported unofficially and, accordingly, do not have a warranty. Sometimes information is received that, for example, among scanners of a certain brand, only 10% of all those sold by retail were officially supplied. Accordingly, only a small part of all goods sold is subject to warranty service, and this model is given special attention during inspection. Most of the equipment will be refused warranty repair with the wording: “Due to the absence of this serial number in the database of devices officially supplied to Russia.”

If the serial number is missing or unreadable, the service center has the right not to carry out warranty repairs. However, many believe that the guarantee is carried out primarily by receipt and is counted from the date of sale. This opinion is supported by large shopping centers who carry out streaming trading without filling out a warranty card in each case. They usually tell their clients the phrase: “Guarantee on receipt.” Yes, the store can accept faulty equipment with a sales document. In fact, what often happens is that his employees refer a client with a faulty device to a service center in order to save themselves from unnecessary hassle. And the client comes to the service center with a completely empty warranty card, which creates the risk of being denied free repairs.

Attempts to outwit

Sometimes the manufacturers of some devices themselves instruct trade organizations to accept the product for warranty against a sales receipt. This is convenient for end customers, but creates the ground for fraudulent activities. Some consumers try to return a device with an expired warranty using a different, more recent receipt. For example, it happens that clients use consoles to organize gaming salons. Since they have several similar products, they can take advantage of the fact that the serial number is not indicated on the receipt and try to return the old attachment with a new receipt.

Although disassembly and assembly can be carried out by the customer carefully, without traces of tampering, service engineers are still able to detect tampering

In this case, the countdown of the warranty period from the date of production, as mentioned above, comes into force. The expiration date is checked by the serial number. As a result, the client may be refused repair of the old product.

There are also attempts at self-repair or unsuccessful assembly of a product from two similar devices. And after these actions, people return the non-working item under warranty. Although disassembly and assembly can be carried out by the customer carefully, without any traces of tampering, service engineers are still able to detect tampering. For example, an ordinary consumer does not know all the degrees of protection and methods for checking them, which are indicated in the recommendations of vendors, issued with the mark “confidential for service centers.”

A defense against consumer fraud may be to have another serial number that must match the number on the outside of the device. Or it could be a sticker that changes color when heated or wetted with water when you try to carefully remove it and then stick it in place. Or special type a seal that does not look like a sticker - they do not pay attention to it during disassembly and are simply removed or displaced. Then the technical report indicates the reason for the refusal of warranty service.

Defective consumables

A typical example of how customers try to deceive the service center is the delivery of goods damaged by low-quality consumables. Many companies, especially among SMBs, save on consumables for printing equipment and buy “compatible” or continuous ink supply systems, despite the vendor’s warnings.

Warranty cards usually say something like: “The warranty is void if damage to the device is caused by the use of non-standard or low-quality consumables.” Consumers know this and, before sending it in for repair, change the cartridges or ink tanks back to the original ones, hoping that the trick will not be discovered.

Indeed, if the malfunction is not directly related to the use of non-original consumables, the service may not pay attention to this and accept the equipment under warranty. For example, the scanner unit of a multifunction device cannot possibly break due to the cartridge. But if the print head of an inkjet printer is faulty, then the service center can conduct an examination and determine whether the client used the “correct” consumable.

Complex devices

Some products, such as system units, consist of several replaceable parts. The warranty applies to the entire device, and only those components that were originally in it are subject to replacement. In principle, you can open the system unit case to install additional components (for example, add HDD). However, existing parts cannot be removed or changed - this will void the warranty. For control, special stickers are pasted at the points of attachment or connection of components, which are damaged when the part is removed.

In addition to stickers, there may also be a sticker with the logo of the assembly company and the warranty period. And finally, the warranty card or the attached invoice usually specifies the complete set of the system unit, indicating the models. And if the client does not provide these documents, then the seller can take his own copy from the database and find all the necessary data. Therefore, the substitution trick usually doesn’t work. True, few people go to such tricks on purpose. Usually the situation occurs due to the client's ignorance. For example, if in a company, before installing a computer on workplace The IT department replaced something in the system unit.

Quite often, laptops with flooded keyboards come in for repair. Of course, before handing over to the service center, the laptop is thoroughly cleaned and wiped down to hide the incriminating fact. However, some of the liquid still gets inside the device, onto the electronic board or other parts. Therefore, during disassembly, traces are found in the form of streaks or sticky deposits, depending on the type of liquid spilled. If service engineers find it difficult to determine whether a claim is covered under warranty or not, they can take photographs, describe the problem, and request a solution from the service provider or manufacturer's representative office.

Fear of substitution

Many users are afraid that during repairs, some components will be removed from the device and other, older parts will be installed. And instead of a faulty component, they will install an obsolete or used spare part. But this can be easily verified, since the owner knows the composition of his computer and, as we said, there is even a written list of components of the system unit.

A separate issue is the installation by the service center of a non-similar spare part. Since the line of components is updated within a year or a year and a half, something is discontinued, another part with the same old characteristics can be supplied: a Hitachi hard drive instead of a Samsung one, etc.

It is important that neither the regional service center, nor especially the service provider and manufacturer are interested in deceiving the owner of warranty equipment. On the contrary, the entire warranty equipment repair process is designed to ensure quick repair and exclude the possibility of any fraud. Therefore, if some unpleasant moments happen on the part of the service center, then this is almost always a human factor, a violation of instructions by a specific employee.

When replacing components, for example, the numbers of the old and new parts are rewritten in a laptop. This data is included in the repair report, and the faulty parts are sent to the manufacturer. Sometimes after repairing equipment, representatives of the vendor check the quality of the work. Because repair reports include customers' contact information, they may receive calls asking if they are happy with the results and what exactly was done. And, if any discrepancy is discovered, appropriate sanctions may be applied to the service center.

Most often, disputes between equipment owners and service centers occur due to software failures. Although the warranty cards always state that incorrect operation of the software is not a warranty case. Since the manufacturer is only responsible for the warranty for the hardware, especially since third-party software is usually used.

The reasoning is simple: since I bought the device complete with this software, which means everything must be repaired under warranty. This is not true, but often service centers meet customers halfway and restore the operation of programs. And, since this is part of normal practice, the manufacturer can even pay the service center for such actions at a low rate.

Some users urgently demand that the service center provide them with a similar device during repairs, citing the Law on the Protection of Consumer Rights. However, in this regard, at the beginning of the 90s, a decision was made by the Supreme Court, which states that Articles 20 and 21 of the law apply only to remunerative relations. In other words, you can only obtain equipment for use during warranty repairs from the organization where the device was purchased. And the service center is a third-party organization and is not obliged to provide a replacement.

Behavior rules

Let us briefly summarize the above so that the repair takes place without conflict situations and in a reasonable time.

When purchasing, you must request a completed warranty card. The store may close, the customer may move, and one of the requirements at the service center is to have a completed warranty card.

In the event of a malfunction, it is better to immediately contact an authorized service center without wasting time with a sales organization. The store will still send the equipment for service, but directly it will be much faster.

During operation, it is important not to overwrite the serial number of the device. If the number is not readable, the service center may refuse warranty service.

Taking good care of your equipment will help you avoid problems. And if third-party factors or the client himself are to blame for the malfunction, then warranty repairs are not performed.

Any equipment fails sooner or later. You are considered lucky if the warranty period has not yet expired. But in practice, service centers are in no hurry to repair equipment even under warranty. Why this happens and what to do with failed equipment, read on.

In the early 90s, the first copies of foreign technology began to arrive on our market. At that time, there were not so many service workshops ready to undertake repairs of the same Sony. And if the equipment failed, then, as a rule, it was either thrown away or left “until better times.” Nowadays, the situation has changed radically - almost every major equipment store has its own service workshops. In addition, the brands themselves are trying to expand the network of their own authorized services. In theory, there should be no problems with warranty repairs of equipment. However, it is not. Very often, consumers complain that services increasingly do not recognize the case as a warranty and offer to fix the breakdown for money. In honest execution warranty obligations Only you and I are interested in repairs. Let's figure out why this happens and what to do in cases where the service refuses warranty repairs.

Why

Let's say the player you recently purchased is broken. The warranty period has not yet expired. According to the Law “On the Protection of Consumer Rights”, you can demand free repairs, exchange of goods for a similar one, or a refund. As a rule, when you contact the seller with a request to exchange the product or return the money, he will send you to the service center to repair the broken item (although he does not have the right to force repairs, more on that later). Actually, this desire of the seller is understandable - if he exchanges the goods for you or returns the money, then he himself will have to deal with the manufacturer and seek a refund for the defective item. In this way, stores are trying to get rid of these “butts” with the supplier.

As a rule, manufacturers and suppliers of equipment (they are called vendors) do not have their own services. Opening a service is expensive and not profitable, so suppliers enter into contracts with existing service workshops. This process is called authorization. Remember how often you heard the phrase “authorized service”? This means that the manufacturer has entered into an agreement with this service, thereby officially confirming that this service can repair the goods of this manufacturer and bears full responsibility for this.

According to the agreement with the manufacturer, the device under warranty must be repaired by an authorized service center at its own expense. All parts are also purchased by the service at its own expense. And the manufacturer, for example, once a month compensates the service for all costs for spare parts and pays for repair services. But this does not always happen - as soon as the manufacturer suspects that the case was not covered by warranty, the workshop will not receive a penny for this repair. Samsung especially often practices this - it carefully checks all cases, and in case of any “inconsistencies” it does not pay for repairs. This is due to their three-year warranty commitment. On average, the manufacturer does not pay for up to 5% of all repairs. For some items up to 10%.

This is the first reason why services do not want to undertake warranty repairs of equipment - there is a possibility that they will not be paid for this repair and they will remain at a loss.

The second reason is that repairing under warranty is simply not profitable for the service. After all, according to the agreement concluded with the manufacturer, he must provide a substantial discount to the supplier when paying for warranty repairs. For some groups of goods, this discount can reach 75% of the cost of repairs. Agree, it is not very profitable for the service to receive only 25% of the cost of repairs from the manufacturer. And taking into account the fact that the average profitability of a service workshop is about 3%, a business based only on warranty repairs becomes practically unprofitable.

For these two reasons, workshops are trying their best to prove to you that your case is not covered under warranty and repairs are only possible at your expense. This is understandable. In this case, they will receive real money for repairs and spare parts, and will not wait for the manufacturer to pay them this money (whether they will pay them at all and how much is another question).

As a rule, the prices for such repairs can be compared with the cost of the product itself. This is due to the fact that workshops, through such non-warranty cases, compensate for their costs associated with warranty repairs (discounts to the manufacturer, refusal to pay for repairs, etc.) by increasing the price tag two to three times. Another reason for such high prices for non-warranty and post-warranty repairs is that expensive prices for spare parts supplied by the manufacturer. A TV in a store costs half as much as all the parts taken together that make up the TV. The manufacturer’s idea is clear - there is no need to repair, you need to buy a new one.

What to do

It is better not to get involved with warranty repairs. For the reasons described above, it is not profitable for the service to do such repairs, so they will try by hook or by crook to prove that the case is not covered under warranty.

If something happens to your, for example, TV during the warranty period and it is not your fault, then, in accordance with Article 18 of the Law “On the Protection of Consumer Rights” (LCP), you have the right to demand from the seller:
- replacing the product with a product of the same brand;
- replacing the product with a product of a different brand with an additional payment;
- reducing the price of goods;
- free product repair;
- refund.

If the seller refuses to return your money or exchange the product for another, and sends you to a service workshop for repairs (and you don’t want to repair, you need money), then know that this is completely illegal. You need to write a written complaint, stating your requirements and referring to Article 18 of the Law “On Protection of Consumer Rights”. Be sure to sign the second copy from the seller. If he does not accept the application, send it by registered mail with a list of attachments and return receipt. Within 10 days, the seller is obliged to independently conduct an examination and find out what happened to the product. After this period, he must either return the money to you or justify his refusal. Remember that for each day of delay you have the right to a penalty in the amount of 1% of the cost of the goods for each day of delay (Article 22 and 23 of the PZPP).

If the seller has not responded to your complaint, then contact the local branch of Rospotrebnadzor or directly to the court. The store will be punished for non-compliance with the Law “On Protection of Consumer Rights” and will be obliged to fulfill your requirements. But, as a rule, the case does not go to court - the store returns the money.

Most citizens fear that during the examination of the product, the seller may intentionally cause damage, thereby turning your case into a non-warranty case. In this case, they should not return your money or replace the product - the damage was allegedly caused by you.

To alleviate these concerns, we recommend that you independently examine the product by contacting an independent service workshop (the workshop is a party not interested in your dispute). If the examination shows that you are not to blame for the damage, the seller will be obliged to pay all your costs for the examination. A free examination can be carried out at an authorized service. When handing over the device, it is necessary to write on the receipt that you refuse repairs and want an inspection to be carried out and the cause of the malfunction determined. The authorized service has no right to refuse such a request. Please note that the timing of such verification is not established by law and is determined by an agreement between you and the service.

But what to do if you are still planning to return the device to service for warranty repair?

Before handing over the device, be sure to check that all abrasions and scratches are recorded on the receipt (so that later it doesn’t “suddenly” turn out that there was a crack in the case and the case was not covered under warranty). Demand that all visible damage be included on the receipt, rather than simply stating “used.” In this case, it will be difficult to fabricate evidence that the case is not covered by warranty.

Be aware that if the receipt does not indicate the time frame for the repair, then according to the Law “On the Protection of Consumer Rights” the repair must be carried out immediately (Article 20, clause 1 of the Law on Protection of Consumer Rights). You can write an additional statement indicating the period within which the repairs must be made, for example 7 days.

If the repair is not completed within the specified period, then you have the right to refuse the repair, pick up the device and demand money from the seller. Or, do not take the device back from repair, but demand payment of a penalty in the amount of 1% of the cost of the goods per day (Article 23 of the Labor Code). At the same time, the lack of spare parts is not a basis for extending the period and does not relieve one from liability for violating the repair period (Article 20, clause 1 of the Labor Code).

It is also important to know that the general warranty period of the product is extended by the period during which it was under repair (Article 20, clause 3 of the Law on Protection).

And finally, you can demand that the workshop provide you with a similar product for use during the repair period (Article 20, clause 2 of the Labor Code). The application must be completed in writing and given to a workshop employee against signature.

All the recommendations given in the article are valid only if the device breaks down on its own, without anyone’s help (if you dropped the phone and it stopped working, then this is no longer a warranty case, and you will have to pay for repairs)

Source: http://impravo.ru/instruction/187-garantijnye-obyazatelstva.html

It would seem, what difficulties may arise when submitting equipment for warranty repair? I brought it to the store, gave it to me, and picked it up after repair. In fact, everything is not so simple and there are nuances, ignoring which can result in a headache for the buyer. Today we will talk about how to properly hand over phones and household appliances for repair.

What is warranty repair?

One of the options that the Law “On the Protection of Consumer Rights” offers in the event of defects in a product is the immediate elimination of defects in the product free of charge. In other words, warranty repairs. The law implies that these repairs must be free of charge to the consumer. That is, you do not have to pay either for the repair work itself or for all the necessary spare parts and components.

Store or SC?

Few people know that a request for free warranty repairs can be submitted not only to an authorized service center, but also to the store itself. In practice, some stores may be disingenuous and redirect customers to the service center. By law, the choice between a store and a service center is up to the buyer.

If you are faced with a choice of whom to entrust warranty repairs to your equipment, pay attention to the following nuances:

• territorial location - go to the website of the manufacturer of your brand household appliances. In the “Support” section, look for a list of authorized service centers in your city. If you can’t find them, and it’s too expensive to travel to another city, contact the store;
• availability of replacement stock - check before submitting for repairs whether they can provide you with a product for the duration of the repair and what kind;
• how delivery of large-sized goods is ensured and whether it is possible for a specialist to come to your home.

If both the store and the service center are equally accessible, we recommend that you return the product for repairs through the store. In this case, the store will be responsible for all damage to your equipment and all delays. In the case of direct delivery to the service center, if the repair deadlines are not met, the store may refer to the fact that it did not send you to this service center and cannot bear full responsibility for its actions. Service centers, in turn, often refer to the fact that, under an agreement with the manufacturer, they do not refund money for the product or exchange for a new one if the repair deadlines are not met. Both can be challenged in judicial procedure, but it’s better to protect yourself from such controversial issues in advance.

Warranty repair periods

According to the law, the store or service center must eliminate the defects you claim about the product. immediately, that is, in the minimum period objectively necessary to eliminate them, taking into account the commonly used method. The wording is not very successful and not sufficiently defined, but in any case, according to the law, the period of warranty repairs cannot be more than 45 days. This period is counted from the day the goods are submitted for repair (the day of delivery itself is not counted; the first day of the period will be the day following it). Within 45 days, the store and service center are obliged not only to find the cause of the breakdown, but also to ensure the supply of the necessary spare parts and repair work. In addition, it is during this period that the store and service center must notify you of the completion of the repair.

If the required 45 days have expired, and you still have not seen your equipment and have not been notified by the store that the goods are ready after repair, we recommend writing. Firstly, in it you can make another demand (instead of repair), for example, a refund or exchange for a new product (including a more expensive one or a cheaper one with a recalculation of the price). Secondly, for each day of delay you can demand.

We hand over for repairs

The delivery of equipment for warranty repair must be documented. The store or service center is required to issue you a receipt or certificate of acceptance of the product for repair. This act must indicate:

• name of the host organization or individual entrepreneur, contact addresses and telephone numbers - that is, a store or service center;
• your full name, address, contact phone number;
• product name, model, brand, serial number or IMEI;
• description of the appearance of the goods (it is better to specify the presence of damage, scratches, abrasions in detail);
• complete set of goods - headphones, headset, Charger, box, protective film, etc. Indicate everything you are transferring. By the way, if the original packaging of the product has not been preserved, the store and service center still do not have the right to refuse to accept the product for repair;
• the purpose of receiving the goods is warranty repair or quality control (if you do not require repairs, we recommend that you specifically specify this in the in writing. Indicate that you are asking for a refund or exchange of goods);
• the real date of delivery of the goods to the store or service center - it is from this that all repair periods will be counted;
• defects that you ask to check or eliminate (indicate in as much detail as possible all your complaints about the quality of the product, so that during the repair the store or service center checks them all).

When handing over the goods, you will also be asked for a cash receipt or sales receipt for the purchase of equipment and a warranty card. Please keep in mind that it is best to keep the originals of these documents with you if possible. If a store or service center absolutely requires originals, be sure to make copies of the receipt and warranty card for yourself: you may need them in court if the repair situation is not resolved voluntarily.

Please also keep in mind that by law, delivery of large items weighing more than 5 kg to and from warranty repairs must take place by and at the expense of the store (service center). If you are forced to take the refrigerator for repairs yourself, be sure to keep receipts for payment for delivery services and loaders. These amounts are your losses and must be reimbursed by the store or service center.

Even if your defect is not confirmed, the store or service center does not have the right to demand reimbursement from you for the costs of delivering the goods and paying for the “master’s visit.”

Not all buyers know that during warranty repairs they can ask for the so-called “replacement fund”. It's free. To receive goods from the replacement fund, it is enough to write a free-form application addressed to the director of the store or a service center with a request to provide free replacement goods for use during the repair period. You must be provided with a product with the same basic consumer properties as your equipment within 3 days from the date of submission of the application.

Of course, the law does not oblige stores and service centers to provide replacement plasma, iPads or expensive touch phones during repairs. Therefore, a store or service center can provide a simple cellular telephone or a regular TV. However, the absence of a replacement fund is a violation of consumer rights. If you are refused permission to use the goods during repairs, you can complain about the actions of the store or service center to Rospotrebnadzor and ask for a penalty in the amount of 1% of the cost of the goods for each day of delay in providing the replacement fund ().

Remember also that there is list of goods for which stores and service centers have the right not to provide replacement funds(Resolution of the Government of the Russian Federation No. 55 of January 19, 1998):

• cars, motorcycles and other types of motor vehicles, trailers and numbered units for them, except for goods intended for use by disabled people, pleasure craft and watercraft;
• furniture;
• electrical household appliances used as toiletries and for medical purposes (electric shavers, electric hair dryers, electric hair curlers, medical electric reflectors, electric heating pads, electric bandages, electric blankets, electric blankets, electric hair dryer brushes, electric hair curlers, electric toothbrushes, electric hair clippers and other devices having contact with the mucous membrane and skin);
• electrical household appliances used for heat treatment of products and cooking (household microwave ovens, electric ovens, toasters, electric boilers, electric kettles, electric heaters and other goods);
• civilian weapons, main parts of civilian and service firearms.

Getting out of repair

If your repair was completed in a timely manner, when returning the product from repair, be sure to check the following points:

• check on the spot appearance goods, completeness. If scratches or dents appear on the case that were not specified upon delivery, or if any of the components are lost, immediately notify the receiver about this. It is also advisable to immediately submit a written application for the elimination of such damage or the issuance of replacement components instead of lost ones;
• ask for the original purchase receipts and warranty card to be returned to you;
• ask for a work acceptance certificate, which should indicate the actual period of time the product was under repair, identified deficiencies and a list of repair work performed (including replaced spare parts).

Be sure to keep all warranty repair certificates or keep copies of them if the originals are required by the store or service center. By law, the warranty period is extended while the product is being repaired (i.e. from the moment it is delivered until it is returned to you). In case of controversial situations, it is with these acts that you will be able to prove the period for which the warranty period of your equipment has been extended. In addition, for technically complex products, in order to demand a refund for the purchase, sometimes you need to prove that this particular problem has already been fixed once under warranty, or that several repairs within 1 year have taken more than 30 days. Warranty repair certificates will also help you with this.

Or maybe you can do without repairs?

In some cases, the buyer can indeed refuse warranty repairs and immediately demand a refund. If your product does not belong to, then if any manufacturing defect occurs, you can ask for your money back or demand an exchange for a new product. Some stores mislead customers and report that they can only offer the customer repairs. In this case, we recommend that the buyer write a claim to the store for a refund or exchange of goods, because the right to choose the demand that is presented to the store belongs to the consumer. The store has no right to impose warranty repairs instead of other options.

Any equipment you buy may fail at some point. Even if its warranty period has not expired, special centers are still willing to repair it. Why this happens and what you need to do in this case, read below.

Let's say you recently bought a tape recorder and it broke down. It's still out of warranty. According to the Law “On Protection of Consumer Rights” you can demand free repairs, exchange of goods or a refund of your money. If you ask the seller about this, he will usually refer you to a service center to fix the broken item. If the seller exchanges or returns your money, then he himself will talk to the manufacturer and ask him to return your money for the defective product, which is why stores want to save themselves from these disputes with the supplier.

Manufacturers and suppliers of equipment do not have their own services. Opening a service is very expensive and not profitable, which is why an agreement is concluded with an existing service center. This concept is called service authorization. This word means that it is this center that repairs the products of this manufacturer and is fully responsible for this.

If a product under warranty is being repaired by authorized services, then they must repair and purchase parts for it at their own expense. The manufacturer must sometimes compensate the service for all its costs. But this does not happen often; if the manufacturer suspects that this case is not covered by warranty, then the service cannot receive compensation for this repair. This happens especially often with Samsung; it thoroughly checks all existing cases, and if there are no matches, then it does not pay for repairs.

This is the first reason why services do not undertake to repair warranty equipment., since there is a possibility that no one will pay them for this repair, then they will be at a loss.

Secondly, It is simply not profitable for services to repair equipment under warranty, since according to the existing contract, they must provide some kind of discount to the supplier on time to pay for the repair of equipment that is being repaired. This discount is equal to 75%. Agree, it is not profitable for the service to receive only a quarter of the cost of the entire repair when repairing warranty equipment. And if you take into account that the profitability of such workshops is on average only 3%, then running a business on repairing warranty equipment alone is unprofitable.

It is for these reasons that service workshops prefer to prove by all means that your particular case is not covered by warranty, then its repair will be at your expense. This is understandable, because the service will receive cash for spare parts and repairs of equipment, and it will not wait for the manufacturer to pay for this repair.

Repair prices are usually equal to the cost of the product. This is because services, thanks to these non-warranty cases, compensate for the costs of warranty repairs. There is also a reason for high prices - expensive spare parts that are supplied to them by the manufacturer.

What to do in such cases.

It is better not to get involved in repairing warranty equipment at all, since service centers will still prove that the case is not under warranty. If something goes wrong with your equipment, which is under warranty, and you have nothing to do with it, then Article 18 of the PPA states that you can require:

Replacement of goods with a similar brand;
- to another brand;
- reduce the price of the product;
- repair the product free of charge;
- return the money.

If the seller does not do this, but simply sends you to a specialized service to repair the equipment, then this is illegal. In this case, you must set out your claims in writing. It is necessary to sign the second copy, which remains with the seller. If he does not want to accept the application, then send it by mail with a notification and include an inventory in it. Within 10 days, he must independently examine the product and find out the cause of the problem. At the end of the period, he is obliged to return your money or simply justify his refusal. For each day of delay you will receive a penalty of 1% of the cost of the goods you purchased..

If the seller ignored your application, then you need to contact Rospotrebnadzor or the court. In this case, the store will be punished for non-compliance with the Health Regulations and it will be obliged to comply with all requirements.
Many are afraid that while the examination is being carried out, the seller may intentionally damage the product, and by this action he can turn a warranty case into a non-warranty case. Then he will not return the money and will not exchange the goods, since the damage was allegedly caused by you.

To avoid this, you need to do an examination of the product yourself, for this you need to contact special independent service workshops. If the examination proves your innocence of the damage, then the seller must pay you the costs of this examination. When handing over the equipment, you need to indicate in the receipt your refusal to repair and that you want to carry out an inspection and determine the cause of the breakdown.

If you nevertheless decide to return faulty equipment under warranty to a service center for repair, what should you do?

Before handing it in, check whether all damage is indicated on the receipt, no matter what happens, so that your equipment does not accidentally develop non-warranty problems, scuffs or scratches. When buying equipment, demand that all visible damage be included in the receipt, and not just write “used”.

If the repair period is not indicated on the receipt, then it will have to be done in a short time. The warranty period of your product is also extended for the period the product is under repair.

You can also demand from specialists. services a similar product for you while yours is under repair. To do this, you need to declare this in writing and the workshop employee must put his signature on your application.

06.12.2012, Thu, 15:12, Moscow time

The relationship between service centers and clients is far from a simple “bring it in for repair and take it back.” Most often, problems arise during the delivery and registration of equipment under warranty. Sometimes they are associated with well-known tricks and tricks that customers try to use to get free repairs.

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The client most often takes the faulty equipment to where it was purchased - to the store or to the supplier. But if a trade organization does not have its own authorized service center, it would be more correct to immediately send the device to the manufacturer’s service center - the store will still do the same thing, only it may take longer. Gaining time is especially important for small companies that independently maintain their fleet of computer and office equipment and often do not have sufficient replacement funds during repairs.

The functionality of the device and the elimination of manufacturing defects are guaranteed by the manufacturer, and not by the store, supplier company or authorized service center. Regarding warranty repairs, trade organizations and service centers are guided by instructions received from the vendor or main service provider.

Double standards

Typically, the warranty period for technical products ranges from 6 months to 3 years, depending on the type of device and the specific manufacturer. Interestingly, the period rarely depends on the reliability, technical complexity and size of the device. For example, a computer system unit may have only a year of warranty, but a small navigator may have two. Often this turns out to be a marketing ploy by the manufacturer to attract buyers.

The warranty period rarely depends on the reliability, technical complexity and size of the device

Already at the stage of establishing the warranty period, various tricks begin. Trade organizations can “play” with them, providing themselves with more favorable working conditions. For example, a product may have a 2-year warranty, but the seller advertises only 1 year. This can be a problem for small shops and points of sale that do not want to deal with customer service.

Why is this happening? Employees of service centers know that there are two warranty periods: one - from the date of sale - is established for the buyer, the second - from the date of production - for the trade organization. Due to the fact that devices go a rather long way from the factory to the cash register (transportation, customs clearance, warehousing), the second warranty period is longer. For example, with a warranty of 3 years from the date of sale, the maximum warranty period from the date of manufacture will be 3 years 6 months.

As soon as the established period from the date of production expires, the manufacturer declines responsibility for warranty repairs. And, if according to the coupon there is a guarantee, but in reality it has expired, this only means that the product has not been sold for too long. Claims should no longer be made to the manufacturer or service center, but to the store. Therefore, when purchasing, you also need to pay attention to the date of manufacture of the device.

To insure against such cases, stores independently reduce warranty periods for some types of goods. Especially the discrepancy in warranty periods concerns computer components.

How to hand over goods correctly

There is a common belief that service centers try their best to deny customers warranty repairs. This is usually not the case. Although an authorized service center does not charge money for warranty repairs, it is paid for this work by the manufacturer or central service provider. That is, even from warranty repairs the service center makes money. Therefore, it makes no sense for him to evade repairs or “kick off” the client for various reasons.

However, there are certain rules for accepting equipment and warranty conditions. Accordingly, service center employees have certain instructions for accepting warranty equipment. To recognize a breakdown as a “warranty event”, both certain documents and compliance of the state of the equipment with certain criteria are required. And here situations may arise when the service center is released from warranty repair obligations.

The client must have a receipt or delivery note with the date of sale of the goods and a completed warranty card. However, according to the law, the absence of a warranty card is not a reason for denial of warranty. In theory, the main thing for a service center is to identify the product. Its employees can do this by serial number and find out whether a product with this number was produced at all, when it was manufactured and whether the warranty period has expired. Many companies do this.