Hardware Warranty !?

[Coffee is good :)]

I can't figure out what to do here.
If I were to purchase a piece of hardware for a client and something were to
go wrong with it while under it's own warranty, how should I go about making sure that they are able to exchange the part for a new part?

Scenario:

Bought and replaced a laptop LCD screen. This screen was purchased with my Ebay account and the screen carries a 4 month warranty. If there screen crapped out past my 30 day personal guarantee, then what would I do?

Is there any way to make it so that the customer can do the exchange? For any site including Ebay, Newegg etc.

This would be really bad if it was something like a hard drive with a 5 year warranty What should I do???

 

[ProTech Support]

The problem here is that most of the warranties are directly from the manufacturer. If something were to happen (like your 5 year HD example), you most likely are going to need to produce the original receipt. Now if you charge markup, this may not be the best of ideas to give to your customer...

Usually I just make it where they need to come back to me. It never really caused an issue. I actually find it easier to deal with stuff like that myself, then have the customer ringing me 30 times because they are confused with the process.


Somewhat related story to markup:

I once had a customer order a 22" LCD monitor from me. I ordered it from TigerDirect.com and usually they e-mail me an invoice without sending a paper one with the order. When the monitor came in, the monitor box was inside a bigger TigerDirect box. I took it out of the TD box, but left it in the monitor box. After giving the customer the monitor, I received a call 3 days later. This guy was absolutely ******. I thought something went wrong with the monitor, come to find out, Tiger Direct put an invoice inside the box. He could not believe that I added $5 to the actual cost of the monitor.....

 

[Snazzy PC Repairs]

There's no easy way to have the customer handle this themselves, especially since you probably mark up the price to cover your expenses involved in buying it on their behalf, as part of their repair.

After all, what receipt would you give them? Showing the price you paid for it, rather than the price they ultimately paid you?

What I normally do is handle all warranty issues like this on the customer's behalf. So if something goes wrong, and it's under manufacturer's warranty, they bring it back and I sort it out as part of my service to them.

The thing is, if it's a PC power supply or a laptop LCD screen, or whatever, the reason they came to me in the first place was that they couldn't fix it themselves. So if it fails under warranty, they are not going to know how to remove it and fit a new one anyway.

 

[Coffee is good :)]

The problem here is that most of the warranties are directly from the manufacturer. If something were to happen (like your 5 year HD example), you most likely are going to need to produce the original receipt. Now if you charge markup, this may not be the best of ideas to give to your customer...

Usually I just make it where they need to come back to me. It never really caused an issue. I actually find it easier to deal with stuff like that myself, then have the customer ringing me 30 times because they are confused with the process.

Then would you recommend for me to purchase as many things as I can get from brick and mortar store's? That way I'd have a receipt to give to the customer. I absolutely do not want to be in charge of having to exchange a part years later.

 

[ProTech Support]

Then would you recommend for me to purchase as many things as I can get from brick and mortar store's? That way I'd have a receipt to give to the customer. I absolutely do not want to be in charge of having to exchange a part years later.

Well, as stated above, this really says it all. Honestly, if you are willing to sell the hardware, but not really stand behind it...why sell it at all? A good analogy is a mechanic. Imagine you took your car to the mechanic for a starter, and after a week the starter itself failed. What would you think if the mechanic told you to go see the place he bought it from instead of him? You would be one unhappy camper! Plus, you would end up going to the store, grabbing the starter, and going back to a mechanic anyway to get it installed. Because if you could install it, you would have done it yourself the first time.

To me, you are basically saying to the customer: I want to make the sale, and not deal with you ever again. Bad for business.

There's no easy way to have the customer handle this themselves, especially since you probably mark up the price to cover your expenses involved in buying it on their behalf, as part of their repair.

After all, what receipt would you give them? Showing the price you paid for it, rather than the price they ultimately paid you?

What I normally do is handle all warranty issues like this on the customer's behalf. So if something goes wrong, and it's under manufacturer's warranty, they bring it back and I sort it out as part of my service to them.

The thing is, if it's a PC power supply or a laptop LCD screen, or whatever, the reason they came to me in the first place was that they couldn't fix it themselves. So if it fails under warranty, they are not going to know how to remove it and fit a new one anyway.

 

[3 More Years]

If the purchased is made through us, then we just deal with the warranty on behalf of the customer. It keeps things simple.

 

[Coffee is good :)]

To me, you are basically saying to the customer: I want to make the sale, and not deal with you ever again. Bad for business.

On the contrary, I do warranty hardware repairs/upgrades etc. for 30 days. If a problem occurs from improper installation or repair or if the part goes bad then I will remedy the issue for them. However>>> if the part comes with a long ass warranty (e.g. hard drive AT 5 YEARS) then I absolutely cannot be responsible for it. That's way too long. It's not like I made the part and it's my fault if something goes wrong with it.

So, I stand by hardware for 30 days. My question has been: what do I do if a customer wants me to obtain a part for them and that part comes WITH ITS OWN, LENGTHY >MANUFACTURE/DISTRIBUTER< WARRANTY/ ?????

>>> After my 30 day warranty is up, I would like it to be the customers responsibility to seek a refund/exchange from WHERE THE PART WAS ORDERED. This is EASY if the part was ordered from a BRICK AND MORTAR store (e.g. Staples), but I have no idea how to make it possible when the purchase was MADE ONLINE WITH MY ACCOUNT <<< :/ :/ :/ ughh

 

[14049752]

Usually beyond the 30 days, the stores would have it fall on the manufacturer as well.

In the case of hard drives or power supplies, the part would have a serial number that the manufacturer would use to approximate its time of sale. I don't think there's a single time when I've needed the original sales receipt.

 

[ComputerClinic]

Well, after my 30 day warranty, I will charge the client for my time replacing the part. But I won't charge them for the part because that's still under the manufacturer's warranty. RMA the part and replace it, charging for your time.

 

[Coffee is good :)]

So here's what I could do: ... ?

Hardware repairs/upgrades are guaranteed for 30 days.

• If a problem occurs as the result of improper setup, installation, or upgrade then I will make every attempt to remedy the issue. Also covers hardware failure. <<

--- Anything that happens after 30 days will be treated as a new problem and charged full price...

--- Parts that I order will only be covered by me for 30 days. After that they will have to go to the manufacturer to receive a replacement UNLESS they want me to also service there machine.

>> I would give them any receipts/invoice that I receive from the seller to prove when the product was delivered.

 

[DCGPX]

[QUOTE

--- Parts that I order will only be covered by me for 30 days. After that they will have to go to the manufacturer to receive a replacement UNLESS they want me to also service there machine.

>> I would give them any receipts/invoice that I receive from the seller to prove when the product was delivered.[/QUOTE]

Not sure this is correct, in UK the Point of Sale, ie the Tech, is responsible for any failure of goods sold. We can't say after 30 days 'Go see the manufacturer' as its our responsibility to fix under Sale of Goods Act. Also we are bound by any goods supplied must be fit for purpose for a reasonable time, usually by law upto 3yrs unless used under extreme conditions unless goods are known by design to have a short working life

Besides, personally I'd rather fix and keep reputation AND customer happy if any part I supplied failed, subject to it being used in accordance with manufacturers guideline. Obvious abuse is NOT my problem.

End of day its more what do you want YOUR policy to be to protect YOUR business, everyone will have their own twist on it

 

[Coffee is good :)]

Not sure this is correct, in UK the Point of Sale, ie the Tech, is responsible for any failure of goods sold. We can't say after 30 days 'Go see the manufacturer' as its our responsibility to fix under Sale of Goods Act. Also we are bound by any goods supplied must be fit for purpose for a reasonable time, usually by law upto 3yrs unless used under extreme conditions unless goods are known by design to have a short working life

Besides, personally I'd rather fix and keep reputation AND customer happy if any part I supplied failed, subject to it being used in accordance with manufacturers guideline. Obvious abuse is NOT my problem.

End of day its more what do you want YOUR policy to be to protect YOUR business, everyone will have their own twist on it

It is the manufacturer's duty to replace/refund hardware that is defective. It shouldn't be my duty to replace a piece of hardware that is defective. I didn't make the part, I just buy it on behalf of the customer if they would like me to purchase it for them. I absolutely will not make the promise of taking care of hardware warranties in the event it fails (beyond my 30 day guarantee).

>> Due to the countless computer brands and models, most parts needed to make a repair are considered special order. Parts that are costly will, if you want me to order them for you, require a full deposit prior to ordering them. Parts ordered by me will be marked up by 15% for purchasing it on your behalf. You will receive a receipt to prove that you paid for the part. After 30 days all parts will be subject to their own manufacturer warranty.

I am more than willing to let the customer know what is needed and they can order the parts if they'd like. I'm not operating a store here! I sell service, not services AND goods.

 

[14049752]

I really think you're wording your terms pretty poorly. Not to go over that again, though.


Two things: If you provided a customer an invoice, it'd be proof that they paid for the part anyway, right? I don't see why you need to give them the original receipt.

Second, if you're telling people how much you're marking up the part, they're going to fight with you on pricing no matter what.

 

[datadatau]

Personally, I take care of the issue with the customer and then go back to the manufacture. Usually these are small ticket items that have an issue, and the service goes a long way. It also makes it as hassle free as possible for my customer. I am thinking about the warranty statement on my price sheet though, lots of food for thought.

 

[Coffee is good :)]

If the purchased is made through us, then we just deal with the warranty on behalf of the customer. It keeps things simple.

Scenario: You sell a customer a hard drive that comes with a 5 year manufacturer warranty. 4 years go by and he comes to you expecting you to deal with the exchange of the part. What do you do?

.... After that long the only option is to go directly to the manufacturer for replacement. I believe after 4 years it should be the customer's responsibility. > <br> I don't buy something from Walmart then expect them to exchange/refund it after their 30 day return period is up

Well, after my 30 day warranty, I will charge the client for my time replacing the part. But I won't charge them for the part because that's still under the manufacturer's warranty. RMA the part and replace it, charging for your time.

Sounds like a good alternative.

 

[ProTech Support]

I just don't think you are handling this right. What is the big deal with handling a warranty for them? Honestly, I think you are blowing an opportunity.

Think about it this way. I buy a hard drive from you, and you install it for me. Three years later the hard drive dies. I call you, you handle the warranty, then come to my house and swap the hard drive for me. You charge me your hourly rate, and all is said and done.

Now you just made an hours worth of profit, just for swapping a part.

Now, your way. I buy hard drive from you, you come install it for me. Three years later the hard drive dies. I call you, and you tell me to call the manufacturer and handle it myself. I call the manufacturer, get the new hard drive, but have no clue how to install it. I call the shop down the block rather then you, because honestly you left me out to dry

Now you just lost an hour worth of work, because you don't want to make one phone call.

I am not trying to be an a** about this, I just think it is silly to throw away this kind of business, just to avoid making a phone call.

 

[Coffee is good :)]

I really think you're wording your terms pretty poorly. Not to go over that again, though.


Two things: If you provided a customer an invoice, it'd be proof that they paid for the part anyway, right? I don't see why you need to give them the original receipt.

It'd be proof that they paid ME. That is separate from the invoice from the part seller that I get.

 

[Coffee is good :)]

Now, your way. I buy hard drive from you, you come install it for me. Three years later the hard drive dies. I call you, and you tell me to call the manufacturer and handle it myself. I call the manufacturer, get the new hard drive, but have no clue how to install it. I call the shop down the block rather then you, because honestly you left me out to dry

--- I like what ComputerClinic had to say:

Well, after my 30 day warranty, I will charge the client for my time replacing the part. But I won't charge them for the part because that's still under the manufacturer's warranty. RMA the part and replace it, charging for your time.

I would be willing to help exchange the part if they were going to have me install it otherwise it's pointless for me to do it because they can do it themselves.

 

[14049752]

Ok......

I'm not trying to be an a**, either...but I agree (with some of the above comments). I don't think you're considering any advice you're getting. To be perfectly blunt about it, I think the way you're writing your terms and handling your customer policies are pretty terrible. Like ProTech Support said, why would anyone call you back if that's how you handle it?

Part of running a business (a real business, not some side after-school hobby) is to treat your customers right and to think things through long term. If you're just in this to make a few bucks after school, carry on. If you're serious about laying the foundations of a business and career, think about how you'd be perceived and how YOU would feel if someone expected you to be 'ok' with your terms.

I don't feel like wasting my time, so that's all I'll say on the topic of your terms and policies.

 

[Coffee is good :)]

Ok......

I'm not trying to be an a**, either...but I agree (with some of the above comments). I don't think you're considering any advice you're getting. To be perfectly blunt about it, I think the way you're writing your terms and handling your customer policies are pretty terrible. Like ProTech Support said, why would anyone call you back if that's how you handle it?

Part of running a business (a real business, not some side after-school hobby) is to treat your customers right and to think things through long term. If you're just in this to make a few bucks after school, carry on. If you're serious about laying the foundations of a business and career, think about how you'd be perceived and how YOU would feel if someone expected you to be 'ok' with your terms.

I don't feel like wasting my time, so that's all I'll say on the topic of your terms and policies.

Would you be willing to share you terms and policies? Please