Possible Warranty Changes Incoming
You’ve been seeing this warning on products for most of your life: “warranty void if removed.” Usually, it comes in the form of a sticker, warning you against cracking open a given product to initiate third-party repairs. Well, the FTC has declared this practice illegal.
So far, there’s been reports of six different companies getting these letters. Sony, Microsoft, HTC, Hyundai, Nintendo and ASUS have all gotten letters requesting changes to their official warranty policies in the face of potential legal action. From the FTC website:
Unless warrantors provide the parts or services for free or receive a waiver from the FTC, such statements generally are prohibited by the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, a law that governs consumer product warranties. Similarly, such statements may be deceptive under the FTC Act.
The letters were sent out April 9th, giving the aforementioned companies 30 days to make changes to their warranty policies. Assuming they actually respond, we could be seeing some alterations to established warranty rules in the near future. You probably still shouldn’t go cracking open your hardware all willy-nilly, but at least you might be able to let a third-party professional do the same.