Archived Copies of Warranty Week

December 2002 to Today

HVAC & Appliance Warranty Report: Warranty costs and expense rates remained fairly stable for the HVAC manufacturers but were much less so for the appliance makers. But the real surprise is how late in the year the effects of the pandemic lockdowns seem to have been felt. Instead of a really bad second quarter, these companies saw a slow decline from one end of the year to the next.
April 22, 2021
Telecom Equipment Warranty Report: Warranty claims, accruals and reserves rose a bit from record low levels in 2018, but the long-term decline in the telecom network hardware industry continues unabated. Several mergers contributed to the recent increases, while some of the largest industry players continue to increase reliability, cut costs, and drive down their warranty expense rates.
May 14, 2020
Computer Warranty Report: Warranty accruals and reserves rose for the first time in years, but the long-term decline in the computer hardware industry continues nevertheless. Apple and HP see only minor changes in their warranty metrics. But some of the top disk drive makers are seeing expenses rise significantly.
April 30, 2020
Midyear Homebuilder Warranty Report: At the midpoint of 2019, the U.S.-based homebuilders are seeing their warranty expenses decline a bit from their late 2018 peaks. It's nothing to worry about, or maybe it is? Last time it happened was late 2006, right before the boom turned to bust.
September 26, 2019
Sixteenth Annual Product Warranty Report: Warranty costs are rising but sales are rising faster, meaning that the percentage of revenue consumed by warranty expenses remains at the low end of a decade-long decline. But can expense rates go even lower, or are we at the bottom now? A look at the totals and averages in 2018.
March 21, 2019
Homebuilding Warranty Report: Warranty expenses are rising but so are new home prices, keeping the average amount of money accrued industry-wide after each closing relatively steady, and allowing the accrual rate as a percentage of revenue to actually decline a bit. But many homebuilders continue to raise and reduce their warranty accruals rather impulsively, and sometimes skip them altogether.
June 28, 2018
Telecom Equipment Warranty Report: As the U.S.-based telephone equipment industry continues to decline and move offshore, the domestic industry's warranty expenses have fallen in step. The exception is Internet and data communications gear, which has come to dominate the entire industry over the past 15 years.
May 24, 2018
Telecom Equipment Warranty Report: As the old guard making landline phone equipment declines, the makers of data communication equipment and smartphones are accounting for an increasing share of the industry's warranty expenses. Still, there's been an overall decline in both the expense totals and the expense rates.
May 22, 2014
Warranty Cost Reduction: Billions of dollars have been saved in the past decade as American manufacturers find ways to reduce their warranty expenses. Now we're naming names and showing the decline in charts that measure warranty expenses as a percentage of product sales.
August 8, 2013
Automotive Warranty Report: As vehicle makers get back to normal and sales rebound, one thing that's not bouncing back is their warranty expense. Key warranty metrics continue to decline, including claims as a percentage of revenue. And once again, the warranty reserve fund balances of the top vehicle makers and their suppliers are growing.
September 22, 2011
Furniture & Appliance Warranties: At the half-year mark, warranty costs are creeping up as sales slowly decline for some well-known brands. But others have seen sales rise and warranty costs fall.
September 25, 2008
Telecom Equipment Warranties: Unlike in other industries, there doesn't seem to be any typical spending rate for warranty claims in the phone, data, wireless, or broadcast equipment sectors. For every high there's a low, and for every upward trend there's a decline.
December 20, 2005
Product Warranty Providers: Gateway holds onto the title of most improved for 2003-2004, but almost three-quarters of the top 50 manufacturers are seeing their warranty claims rates decline year over year.
January 5, 2005