The meaning of a warranty

Posted on January 1st, 2009 at 9:38 am by admin

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In March I bought a $1000 frontload Kenmore washer from Sears. Two weeks later, I called service because it was loud and walked across our basement floor. They told me there was a problem with the balance of the drum and replaced it.

The replacement was quieter. But by late fall, it was getting louder and more active. I called service at the beginning of December. Three sets of technicians came out, each with a different conclusion about what was wrong with the machine.

My family spent Christmas without a washer.

The latest technician said they should just replace the drum. So Sears has triumphantly told me they are coming over soon to replace the drum.

Sounds good? Think again.

The 12-month warranty runs out in another 5 months. If the washer is falling apart after just 7 months of normal use, then there is something wrong.

And it’s not just a drum.

I have demanded a replacement.

And was told that Sears does not do replacements on any appliance after the first 90 days.

And the one-year warranty?

It’s just for repairs.

Just for repairs? Yes, correct. It’s not a guarantee. It’s just a one-year service contract.

Needless to say, I am in battle royal with Sears.

Here’s what the store manager told me:

1. Appliances can be replaced only during the first 90 days. If an appliance falls apart completely on day 91, Sears will just do repairs, unless a technician says it cannot be repaired or rebuilt.

2. The technician has to be a full-time Sears technician. You can’t get an independent assessment from an unbiased technician. Of course, it is in Sears’ interest to employ technicians who prevent replacements and tinker with appliances to get them to work.

3. Repairs during the one-year warranty period are not guaranteed. You have up to four service calls during the warranty period. After that, you pay. If the repairs fall apart after the one year is up, it is your problem.

4. The store manager then said that I should have bought the extended warranty. Then she added that now I was going to need one. She added (helpfully) that there was still time to buy one.

I’ve reported this all to the Better Business Bureau, and we’ll see where that goes.

But let’s look at the meaning and subtext of the conversation I had with the store manager.

“You should have bought the extended warranty… and now you’re going to need one.”

We could look at this cynically and say that salespeople never miss an opportunity to pitch their extended warranties. We could also look at is as bullying or blackmail.

But the meaning of this sentence goes further. In effect, the manager said that Sears was not being irresponsible for selling me a washer that was defective — I was irresponsible for having failed to buy the extended warranty.

She switched the responsibility issue around completely. The customer is responsible for the purchase of a defective appliance, not the store.

What is a one-year warranty anyway?

It is supposed to be the customer’s guarantee of a fully working product at the time of purchase. If an appliance has a manufacturing defect, that defect will show up within the first year. So a one-year warranty is usually enough to ensure that the product was in good order when sold.

But Sears warranty is apparently not that.

Their one-year warranty is just a service contract. It has nothing to do with guaranteeing a fully working product at the time of purchase. If they have to use duct tape and bandaids to get the appliance to work, they can do that. All they have to do is stretch the working life of the defective machine past the 12-month mark, and then they have no further responsibility for it.

Sears’ warranty sounds like a guarantee of a good product, but it is not.

Sears has dumbed-down the concept without changing the name.

A subtle change. But the meaning behind it  is deep.

Sears built its reputation on its warranties. You used to be able to count on a Sears warranty. Someone says “Sears,” you think “warranty.”

But Wal-mart has had a powerful impact on all retailers. Sears has had to change. It’s been trying to find ways to keep their prices lower, pleading with customers not to make returns.

For example, there are new handling fees when you place a catalogue order. Catalogues are supposed to have low prices because of low inventory and staffing costs. But big-box stores with low-wage staff have pushed prices even lower than catalogues.

So Sears is quietly adding fees to keep prices lower. The irony seems to be lost on them.

In effect, Sears has become another Wal-mart.

Sure, it has more selection and some higher-end products. But in the end, the value of the Sears name is only the consumer’s memory of its past.

And that will not last long.