Warranty Complaints: Consumers with gripes about denied warranty claims are best advised to file a complaint with their local Attorney General, and not to bother with the federal watchdogs.
Not a day goes by without the arrival of an email in the editor's inbox that tells the story of a consumer whose most recent warranty claim was denied. We suspect they find us by typing a few brand names and the word warranty into a search engine, and out pops a link to Warranty Week.
In one instance, a message came from a gentleman in Australia's Outback who couldn't get any satisfaction from the retailers of a pair of work boots whose soles had separated from the rest of the shoe. We'd once written about that manufacturer's diesel engines, and had no idea they even made shoes, let alone backed them with warranties. Coincidentally, the warranty manager of that company is a longtime subscriber, so it was easy enough to forward him the message. Last we heard, the Outback farmer had a new pair of shoes.
Warranty Week, however, is a publication aimed at the warranty professional, not the consumer. For the most part, we steer clear of consumer protection issues, unless they might somehow be of interest to a warranty professional who needs to know about best (and worst) practices at other companies. When a complaint comes in from a consumer, the first place we send them is to publications such as ConsumerAffairs.com Inc., which are more than happy to publicize and categorize the complaints. The second place we send them is to their local Attorney General's office, which is usually also the in charge of the state's bureau of consumer protection.
In our eternal quest to automate everything, from now on we're going to cut out the middleman in these transactions, and run a list of consumer complaint resources for all 50 U.S. states plus a few outlying territories. From now on, when we get a gripe, they'll get a reply containing a pointer to this page. It won't help that farmer in the Outback, but it may just help reduce our daily email load by a fraction of a percent.
The Art of the Complaint
In any consumer transaction gone bad, the first step should always be to complain to the merchant. The next step depends on numerous factors, but can basically be reduced to:
- escalate within the merchant's company,
- escalate to the manufacturer, importer, or distributor,
- enlist the aid of a TV/print/online consumer advocate,
- complain to the local Better Business Bureau, or
- complain to a relevant government agency.
Those who impatiently jump right to Step 5 quickly discover that there's not much help to be found at the federal level for the individual consumer, but there's lots to be found at the state level. Specifically, most states operate a Department of Consumer Protection or some similarly-named agency, usually within the Office of the Attorney General.
Not all states are created equal, however. Some would do well to insert the words caveat emptor on their state flags amongst all the other Latin, because they seem far too busy to bother trying to resolve a mere individual's complaint. In fact, a few subliminally try to discourage complainants from proceeding by noting that all their personal information will become a public record searchable by anyone, or that their agency will intercede only when a dispute rises to the level of a widely-applicable public policy question. Some require the complainant to make sworn statements or other oaths, and most require at least a signature to get the ball rolling.
But then there are states that allow consumers to rather smoothly initiate a complaint online. None promise anonymity, but most provide some level of privacy (for instance, a few suggest that complainants not include Social Security numbers or financial account numbers). Some complaint forms may require a follow-up by mail, but it's not the least bit intimidating to begin by typing in a few facts and clicking the "Submit" button. In the list that follows, we leave it to you the reader to decide where on this ease of use spectrum your state lands.
In a few states in the list below, the complainant is first required to make a selection based upon their county of residence, the nearest regional office on a pull-down menu, or in at least one case, the location of the offending business. In addition, a few states ask complainants to first read a set of rules or a privacy policy disclosure and then click the "I agree" button before proceeding. The links we've selected bring you as close as possible to the actual complaint form, but in these handful of cases you must first make a menu selection.
Overlapping Duties
For each state, we have selected one or two of the most relevant links. The goal is to streamline the process of filing a warranty-related complaint by a consumer. It's likely that different states handle complaints differently depending upon whether they concern homes, cars, boats, appliances, or consumer electronics. For instance, in some states complaints about the business practices of auto dealers (including extended warranty matters) must first go through the local Department of Motor Vehicles. A few states have Departments of Insurance that oversee extended warranty matters. Other states have separate agencies to handle new and used items, especially in regards to automobiles and lemon laws. And in still others, complaints regarding extended warranties or purchased service contracts are handled differently than are complaints about returns, refunds, repairs, etc.
In most cases, all these consumer protectors ultimately report to the state's Attorney General. In a handful of states, the consumer protection role has been shunted off to the Department of Agriculture or some other non-intuitive destination. In all cases, we hope, agencies will forward a complaint to each other when necessary, either because it falls into two or more jurisdictions or because it was initially filed with the wrong agency. So readers shouldn't worry too much about filing the wrong form with the wrong agency. What would be more worrisome is failing to follow the required procedure, especially by failing to follow up with copies of contracts.
Most states that provide only printable forms do so because they require that all complaints be signed and dated. In most other instances, even states that provide for the online submission of complaints will require the consumer to follow up with a mailing of copies of all relevant documents. So readers should consider the use of one of these links to be merely the beginning of a process, not its end.
As far as we know, there is no other list of state resources for the filing of warranty-related complaints. There are, however, numerous Web sites that have lists of tax-related and insurance-related resources. And there are numerous lists of state Attorneys General, which in most cases would bring you within two or three clicks of a warranty-related complaint form. So we will not list the AGs' postal addresses and phone numbers here. The National Association of Attorneys General maintains a comprehensive directory at http://www.naag.org/ag/full_ag_table.php which we see no need to duplicate.
Alphabetical List
What follows is a simple alphabetical list of states and territories in bold, followed by the URL of each local agency's complaint page. Most of the online complaint forms are in an HTML format, making them readable by virtually any Web browser. Most of the printable complaint forms, however, are in a Portable Document Format that requires the download of additional software for viewing and printing. Readers who need to download this software in order to view PDF files in an Adobe Acrobat format should go to the http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html Web site.
In addition to all of the above state-based resources, there are several worthwhile non-governmental organizations that are willing and able to help. As mentioned, the local television news departments and newspapers frequently employ consumer advocates whose job it is to embarrass local merchants into doing the right thing. Below are a few additional options.
Finally, there are a few federal agencies whose job it is to look out for the interests of consumers. One looks out for instances of fraud or deceptive trade practices. Two look out for unsafe products -- one specifically for motor vehicles and the other for all other manufactured goods. And another looks out for pollutants, especially as they emanate from motor vehicles. The links below may be of some assistance to an individual consumer, but none approach the relevance of the Attorneys General listed above.
No doubt, some of the links in this document are inaccurate, perhaps because a certain state separates responsibilities by product lines and/or industry. Perhaps one agency handles automotive complaints while another handles complaints related to other types of manufactured goods. Perhaps new home builders have their own oversight agency not listed here. Or perhaps complaints related to extended warranties are handled by an insurance regulator while complaints related to basic product warranties are handled elsewhere. It's unlikely that this document has captured all those possible nuances in this first draft.
Expired Web Links
Also, it's likely that by the weekend at least one of these links will no longer work, because some state's Webmaster has decided to move all their pages. Some already make it as difficult as possible to "deep link" to specific pages or forms, because they use frames, session IDs, or incredibly and nonsensically long URLs. If the Dewey Decimal System were run like this, all the world's books would have been misplaced long ago.
Over time, and especially in the months following state elections, new Governors, Attorneys General, and their appointees are likely to make additional changes to specific forms and procedures, and probably some will also overhaul all their Web site addresses. Or perhaps a state that once insisted on print-and-mail forms will add an online submission option. We need your help to keep track of these changes.
Warranty Week readers can help us keep this document as up to date as possible by sending us an email when they notice an error. Readers who discover a link that is inaccurate or no longer working please contact: earnum@warrantyweek.com by email. Readers who know of an additional link, a better link, or one more specific to a given product than those listed here should click here to contact the editor.
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| | This Week’s Warranty Week Headlines |
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American Automobile Association offers extended warranties on used cars.
Philadelphia Inquirer, July 26, 2005 |
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Ohio Attorney General compels Craftmatic Organization Inc. to pay $200,000 civil penalty to settle deceptive warranty charges.
Consumer Affairs, July 26, 2005 |
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Mitsubishi Fuso announces longer warranties on Class 4 through 7 medium-duty trucks.
Lawn & Landscape, July 26, 2005 |
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American Automobile Association offers extended warranties on used cars.
Philadelphia Inquirer, July 26, 2005 |
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Rhodes Furniture in St. Louis closes all five shops and won't honor warranty claims.
KSDK-TV St. Louis, July 26, 2005 |
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| | Warranty Headlines (cont’d) |
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Dubai Department of Economic Development publishes a Consumer Protection Guide to help inform consumers about warranty rights.
Al Bawaba, July 26, 2005 |
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NEC Computers International names Computer Castle as its authorized service partner in Saudi Arabia.
Information & technology Publishing, July 26, 2005 |
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Gehl Co. reports warranty charge of $1.5 million, or 21 cents per share, but anticipates recovering a substantial portion from its suppliers.
Press Release, July 25, 2005 (PDF file) |
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Maytag warranty registration leads police to suspect in murder mystery.
Associated Press, July 25, 2005 |
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GE Energy issues four-year warranty for 66 turbines to be used at massive Erie Shores Wind Farm in southern Ontario.
Renewable Energy Access, July 25, 2005 |
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| | Warranty Headlines (cont’d) |
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New Hampshire Attorney General's Consumer Protection and Antitrust Bureau welcomes calls from consumers concerning builders.
Union Leader, July 24, 2005 |
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J.D. Byrider/Dan Nelson Automotive Group dealership in Rapid City SD accused of not honoring extended warranty claims on policies it sold.
Associated Press, July 23, 2005 |
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New Department of Energy rules require more energy-efficient air conditioners, which cost more but get ten-year warranties.
KSDK-TV, St. Louis, July 22, 2005 |
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Long Island Rail Road blames bad batch of concrete for cracks in rail ties made by Rocla Concrete Tie Inc.; warranted for 25 years, they don't even make it to ten.
Newsday, July 22, 2005 |
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BigByte Corp. re-enters the LCD and plasma panel repair business after exiting it in the 1990s.
Press Release, July 22, 2005 |
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| | Warranty Headlines (cont’d) |
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Toyota recalls 2004 and 2005 Sienna vans after reporting more than 3,000 warranty claims on seat belts.
Louisville Courier-Journal, July 21, 2005 |
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Latest Motor Trader Franchise Barometer survey finds 35% of UK auto dealers believe their staff is not complying with new Financial Services Authority extended warranty rules.
Motor Trader, July 21, 2005 |
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Sennheiser UK increases its standard warranty from one to 10 years on 3000 and 5000 Series wireless microphones.
Lighting & Sound International, July 21, 2005 |
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Western Digital lengthens warranties on Raptor and Caviar RE disk drives to five years; others to three years.
Press Release, July 20, 2005 |
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J.D. Power and Associates 2005 Customer Service Index Study rates Lincoln highest, followed by Cadillac, Saturn and Lexus.
Press Release, July 20, 2005 |
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| | Warranty Headlines (cont’d) |
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Platinum Warranty Corp. to offer a full refund to customers who do not incur any claims on policies with terms greater than 48 months.
Press Release, July 20, 2005 |
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Bowen & Groves adds quality and warranty modules to its enterprise resource planning software package.
Press Release, July 20, 2005 |
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Family discovers the puppy warranty they purchased from the Family Pet Center in King of Prussia PA became worthless when the shop closed.
WCAU-TV Philadelphia, July 20, 2005 |
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Ford's automotive costs increased by $1.4 billion in the first half, with about $300 million coming from warranty.
Bloomberg News, July 19, 2005 |
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Hewlett-Packard to cut 14,500 jobs, primarily in support functions, and will close the Customer Solutions Group.
Press Release, July 19, 2005 |
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| | Warranty Headlines (cont’d) |
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BlueRealm Solutions Inc. and Clarity Customer Management Inc. announce a strategic partnership to join claims processing and customer service applications.
Press Release, July 19, 2005 |
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QLogic Corp. lengthens warranties on host bus adapters sold by its channel partners to five years from three.
Press Release, July 19, 2005 |
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WFS Financial chooses GE Auto Warranty Services as its exclusive provider of vehicle service contracts to its national network of automobile dealers.
Press Release, July 19, 2005 |
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Guidant Corp. recalls 28,000 implanted pacemakers manufactured between 1997 and 2000; makes supplemental warranty program available through year's end.
Press Release, July 18, 2005 |
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Volkswagen Group CEO Wolfgang Bernhard says cutting warranty costs is a top priority.
The Car Connection, July 18, 2005 |
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Sometimes retailer's return policy is better than even the manufacturer's warranty, allowing replacements or refunds up to 90 days.
Philadelphia Inquirer, July 18, 2005 |
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Whirlpool offers $17 a share for Maytag, outbidding Triton Acquisition Holding.
Press Release, July 17, 2005 |
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Toyota, Lexus, Audi, Saab, and Volkswagen cover engine sludge under warranty for up to eight years, but only if motorist can produce oil change records.
Asbury Park Press, July 17, 2005 |
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Audi agrees to fix A4 timing belt problems for free through 105,000 miles.
Boston Globe, July 17, 2005 |
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Synnex makes HP and Lexmark leasing bundles available to VARs that combine multifunction printers, toner and an extended warranty.
CRN, July 15, 2005 |
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Dr. Jeffrey Runge to leave NHTSA in August to take a job as chief medical officer at Homeland Security.
Detroit Free Press, July 15, 2005 |
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IDC publishes report, "Business Imperatives in Automotive Warranty Management."
IDC Manufacturing Insights, July 2005 |
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Dan Nelson Automotive Group and Family Hyundai dealerships close, leaving extended warranties in limbo.
Rapid City (SD) Journal, July 14, 2005 |
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Armor Holdings Products Division to replace up to 156,000 bullet-proof vests made by Second Chance Body Armor under terms of an Oklahoma state court lawsuit settlement.
Press Release, July 13, 2005 |
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City of Muskegon MI will buy two new fire trucks from a single source to streamline warranty management.
Muskegon Chronicle, July 13, 2005 |
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Dell shuts down the Customer Care board in the Dell Community Forum, says consumers should chat with its customer reps instead.
CNET News.com, July 13, 2005 |
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KB Home reaches a $2 million settlement with FTC over mandatory arbitration clauses in home warranties.
Investor's Business Daily, July 12, 2005 |
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Amtrak resumes limited Acela express service after three-month suspension; cracks in brake rotors were covered under warranty but manufacturer had no spare parts.
Delaware News Journal, July 11, 2005 |
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N.E.W. Customer Service Companies to use Corticon Business Rules Management System (BRMS) to enhance their warranty claims processing services.
Press release, July 11, 2005 |
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TurboChef Technologies sells a one-year extended warranty to all Subway sandwich shops; at $350 per oven for 20,000 oven, the deal is worth $7 million.
Press Release, July 11, 1005 |
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To save money, Coachmen Industries reduces staff and combines customer service, parts, and warranty into one unit.
Press Release, July 11, 2005 |
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American Power Conversion's $100 backup power supply is sold with a $50,000 equipment protection policy.
Press Release, July 11, 2005 |
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Gulf Warranties will provide extended warranties for Nissan and Renault vehicles sold by the Al Babtain Nissan dealership.
AME Info, July 9, 2005 |
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Apple-owned retail stores offering $40 discount on $99 iPod replacement batteries if original fails to hold 50% of its factory capacity.
Apple Insider, July 8, 2005 |
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Volvo, Mitsubishi, Mercedes-Benz and Toyota reduce or eleminate free maintenance programs that helped reduce warranty costs.
Wall Street Journal, July 8, 2005 |
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New trash bins in Fond du Lac, WI have serial numbers and 10-year warranties.
Fond du Lac Reporter, July 8, 2005 |
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Proposed Texas tax bill would tax computer and car repairs but would exempt cars still under warranty.
Brownsville Herald, July 8, 2005 |
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ProQuest Business Solutions acquires certain assets and technologies of Active Web Services LLC
Press Release, July 7, 2005 |
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4C Solutions Inc. licenses iWarranty eClaims software to International Truck and Engine Corp.
Press Release, July 7, 2005 |
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O'Neil Product Development Inc. launches three- and five-year extended warranties on printers, featuring next-day replacements.
Press Release, July 7, 2005 (PDF file) |
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Warranty Corp. of America joins Atlanta's Clean Air Campaign to reduce traffic congestion.
Peachtree Corners Weekly, July 7, 2005 |
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Hackers can now duplicate PlayStation Portable games, but Sony Computer Entertainment America says their use will invalidate the unit's warranty.
Reuters, July 6, 2005 |
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Magoo's Automotive Consultants launches a re-designed Web site featuring more detailed information about the firm's services and history.
Press Release, July 6, 2005 |
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Evan Greenberg remains in charge of ACE by keeping a low profile despite having testified that his father blamed him for AIG's auto warranty debacle.
The Standard (Hong Kong), July 6, 2005 |
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Consumer advocate says Stainsafe is to customer service what mad cows are to cheeseburgers.
Orlando Sentinel, July 6, 2005 |
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Buick lengthens warranties on all 2006 models to four years or 50,000 miles.
Associated Press, July 5, 2005 |
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Ford president Jim Padilla wants to increase quality, but time may not be on his side.
Bloomberg News, July 5, 2005 |
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Automotive Service Association schedules two-hour panel discussion on the impact of super warranties for Nov. 2 in Las Vegas.
Press Release, July 5, 2005 |
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Retail clerks at Beijing's new Silk Market use hair dryers to peel off "Warranty Void If Removed" stickers.
ChinaTechNews.com, July 5, 2005 |
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Experts differ on the cost of using OEM vs. compatible ink and toner cartridges in printers.
Inside Bay Area, July, 4, 2005 |
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Toyobo reacts to Dept. of Justice lawsuit naming it as a co-defendant with Second Chance Body Armor over alleged concealment of bullet-proof vest defects.
Press Release, July 2, 2005 |
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Delphi restates earnings, says warranty payments were used to reduce its pension obligations.
USA Today, June 30, 2005 |
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Gateway lengthens warranty on flat panel LCD screens from one year to three.
Press Release, June 30, 2005 |
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Oklahoma Insurance Department suspends the license of Covenant Home Warranty Corp. because it failed to pay claims.
Insurance Journal, June 30, 2005 |
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Refurbished home electronics and computer products are usually covered by a manufacturer's warranty.
New York Times, June 30, 2005 |
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Optus reverses warranty policy, says it will now replace cable modems damaged by lightning strikes and power surges.
Whirlpool News, June 30, 2005 |
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J.D. Power and Associates 2005 Vehicle Dependability Study measures across-the-board gains in three-year-old vehicles.
Press Release, June 29, 2005 |
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Brightstar Corp. awarded a patent for a customized serialization control system that helps track warranty claims for mobile phone handsets.
Press Release, June 29, 2005 |
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Hino Motors Sales USA Inc. to buy new supply chain management system from IDS Enterprise Systems.
Press Release, June 27, 2005 |
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ServiceBench Inc. adds a warranty analytics module to its Service Intelligence offering; future enhancements to include modules for service call, field service and parts.
Press Release, June 27, 2005 |
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Diebold Elections Systems Inc. says demonstrations of how voting machines can be hacked may invalidate the system's extended warranty.
YubaNet.com, June 27, 2005 |
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Griffin Ford of New Canaan launches Web site selling Ford, Lincoln and Mercury extended service contracts.
Press Release, June 27, 2005 |
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Guardsman denies furniture warranty claim because consumer waited too long to report the damage.
Kansas City Star, June 26, 2004 |
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Second Chance employee wrote during a 2001 meeting that he worried their body armor wouldn't live up to its warranty.
WZZM-TV Grand Rapids, June 23, 2005 |
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Pakistan's Federal Railways Minister says 3000-horsepower engines imported from China developed cracks; manufacturer lengthened warranties from 2 to 5 years.
Pakistan Times, June 23, 2005 |
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Ballard Power Systems Inc. sells German subsidiary to DaimlerChrysler and Ford; will continue to do warranty work for fuel cell buses under contract worth $3.6 million.
Press Release, June 23, 2005 |
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A "lemon law" covering farm equipment has been approved by both houses of the New York state Legislature and now goes to the governor.
Poughkeepsie Journal, June 23, 2005 |
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Assurant Solutions to be separated into two businesses: Assurant Specialty Property and Assurant Solutions
Press Release, June 22, 2005 |
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