Warranty, do they need to sign ?

[CraiGDaniel]

I have a form that the customer signs before any work is done - to state they understand the realities of computer repair etc and that i am not responsible for data loss or damage to hardware, however i will do my best to rectify any issues and recover data.


That i feel covers me for a lot of things, along with my professional indemnity insurance and public liability.

My question is... i offer a 30 day warranty on all service (not parts!, manuf warranty on new parts.) do i need to get the customer to sign anything, declaring they understand my warranty and what it covers, or is verbal good enough?

My website states i offer a 30 day warranty, but i have no added any information as to what that covers yet. If i fully explain my warranty on my website, and tell customers i cover them for 30 days and to check my website for details - am i covered in most cases ?

 

[Kitten Kong]

You may have a manufacturers warranty on new parts, but that means diddly squat.

If you sell something in the course of your business to your client, you are the sole contact. You cannot tell your client, sorry you have to deal direct with the manufacturer.

It is called the sale of goods act. If something goes wrong it is up to you to foot the bill and get it replaced, swapped etc.

Which is why you must have a decent gross % on top of the cost of parts.

 

[CraiGDaniel]

Hi Cadis, don't think i typed out my question too well.

I ofcourse don't expect the customer to deal with the manufacturer for any warranty issues - i'll be the middleman for that.

My question is as i offer a 30 day warranty on all labour i do, for example if i remove a virus and that same virus re appears in a couple of days i will have to fix it.

My worry is how am i covered if for example, i do a virus removal and it comes back next week with a completely different virus, obviously i need to charge again.

What if the customer kicks up a stink and says it's my fault and tries to sue me or something similar. Should i have them sign a warranty disclaimer before any work is carried out ?

 

[Kitten Kong]

Instead of having it wrote on your work order, include it within your terms and conditions on your website.

If it is worded correctly along the lines of if the same virus appears within our warranty period, we will remove it as part of our guarentee. However if another virus appears, we will class this as a new job.

I really can't see a client wanting to sue you for charging for another virus removal.

 

[CraiGDaniel]

Yeah i mean i understand most of what im thinking couldn't happen, however it wont hurt to have these things in place right? Might aswell get it all done off the bat to cover me as best possible.

So anything i include in my websites T&C's the customer is bound to? What about customers that came through WOM or other forms of advertising offline ? Can they still be bound to my T&C's on the website?

 

[Kitten Kong]

Of course they can. You simply refer to your t&c's on your website.

What you could even do, is to print them off on the reverse of your workorder, or even print a copy of them, and attach them to each invoice/work order/quote you give.

You could even have a check box on your work order, which states along the lines of, I the client have read and agree to Rapid Response's terms and conditions. As long as this box is ticked, and initialled, then I personally can't see any problem.

 

[CraiGDaniel]

Appreciate it.

What if i was to include in my "Realities of computer repair" form the customer signs before i do any work a section that says by signing this form you also agree to the terms of service on our website at .....

That would be all legally sound etc, and i have something then to show the customer should they argue something that's not my fault?

 

[Mr.Mike]

Appreciate it.

What if i was to include in my "Realities of computer repair" form the customer signs before i do any work a section that says by signing this form you also agree to the terms of service on our website at .....

That would be all legally sound etc, and i have something then to show the customer should they argue something that's not my fault?

If I may jump in here...

I think adding that last bit is unnecessary so long as your T&C's exactly match online and on paper.

 

[colonydata]

It is called the sale of goods act. If something goes wrong it is up to you to foot the bill and get it replaced, swapped etc.

i dont think we have anything like that in the US(Not in Georgia anyway, but that is exactly the reason i do not sale parts.

 

[Kitten Kong]

i dont think we have anything like that in the US(Not in Georgia anyway, but that is exactly the reason i do not sale parts.

It's a really good act to have a look through. (If there is such a thing). It covers both sellers and buyers legal rights.

A lot of sellers think they can get away with referring their clients to the manu, when something should go wrong. Unfortunately not a great deal of buyers know their legal rights.

Something like this, should not stop you from selling parts though. It's part and parcel of running any business, not just a pc repair one.

 

[bitbytes]

Thank you, got good info.

 

[CraiGDaniel]

If I may jump in here...

I think adding that last bit is unnecessary so long as your T&C's exactly match online and on paper.

Thanks for the input.

I'm doing my best to go completely paperless - i have them sign the realities form on my tablet which is them uploaded to my server and emailed to them.

The idea is i would like the customer to sign just one form, which states they understand about hardware failures, data loss & warranties. For one form this would end up a few pages, so is it perfectly acceptable to include a link to a reference for detailed terms on my website?

I would also carry in my toolbag a piece of paper with all my terms etc on it- just incase they cant get on the website or want to see it in print.

 

[Mr.Mike]

I'm doing my best to go completely paperless - i have them sign the realities form on my tablet which is them uploaded to my server and emailed to them.

That is exactly what I'm doing with my iPad now. So much easier.

The idea is i would like the customer to sign just one form, which states they understand about hardware failures, data loss & warranties. For one form this would end up a few pages, so is it perfectly acceptable to include a link to a reference for detailed terms on my website?

I include every last bit of my terms & conditions in my e-forms. Without them, it would be a bit tricky. If you don't include the actual wording of your detailed terms within the e-document they are signing, then have they been fully informed? I don't think so.

I would also carry in my toolbag a piece of paper with all my terms etc on it- just incase they cant get on the website or want to see it in print.

Carrying those in your toolbag is fine, but they can't put their name to it, so, you haven't fully informed the client in the signed document. If I were considering hiring you for work, I would at first be impressed with using the e-signature on your pad, but if I asked to look closely at the document I'm signing and couldn't find the "fine print" then I would see a red flag and at least hesitate if not actually walk away. Sure, most people don't bother with details, much less care what they sign. However, ask yourself this: what if they go to your website after signing and actually read the fine print and don't like what they see?

Best to be above-board from the get-go and include it on your tablet and actually offer for them to read the whole thing. If they don't, you've at least done your job of giving them the opportunity. Then if they see something they don't like on your website, they can't say you didn't give them fair opportunity to "let the buyer beware".

My 3 cents.

 

[CraiGDaniel]

Understood.

So in reality i need to have have all the text there for them to read ..if they wish.

How do you handle different forms? Do you compile all your terms into 1 pdf and have them sign just one form?

If i have 2 or 3 forms to sign, it could take me a while to open each one, then input name & date and then get them to sign. That x3 could be lengthy for some customers.

What's your method ?

Thanks again

 

[gazza]

The more information you give a client the more safe they will feel that they are dealing with a professional. Have that info on your website, repair ticket, invoices and quotes.

I warranty my labor for 12 months on hardware repairs only. I do not sell hardware separately, it is only ever used for repairs. So if I install a new HD and it fails with 12 months I rma it to my supplier, replace the new one and the supplier will refund me the money.

For software and virus removals I do not warranty them at all, because the client cannot guarantee me that they are not going to do the same actions that infected their computer in the first instance.

My T&C are outlined on my site, claim ticket and invoices. I get the client to read and sign the claim ticket before they leave the computer for repair and I also initial it as well.

 

[Mr.Mike]

Understood.

So in reality i need to have have all the text there for them to read ..if they wish.

How do you handle different forms? Do you compile all your terms into 1 pdf and have them sign just one form?

If i have 2 or 3 forms to sign, it could take me a while to open each one, then input name & date and then get them to sign. That x3 could be lengthy for some customers.

What's your method ?

Thanks again

It's nice to be of help. Feel free to add to my rep if you like.

As to your question, it would be ideal to have one form, but depending on the client, you should have one form for the business user and one for home users. However, you could three forms in one file, provide blank spaces for the client to initial and sign at end of the document.

What I did was download Bryce's Computer Business Kit (written in msWord) edited them, the saved them as pdf's to my iPad. I edit them to suit each specific client and save them to SugarSync which syncs all my documents at once on my PC, Android Phone and iPad. It's very practical and easy.

While it may not be practical to have a client sign 3 or more forms at once, just get them to sign an engagement form (containing your T&C's). Once engaged, you can have them add a signature later or get their permission to copy their signature to other forms, or just have them sign the remainder once you are seeing them at home or work.