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Advisory - Warranty Disclosures - May 2004
Please Note: As previously required, work orders and repair invoices must still contain the following specific wording in 10-point boldface type:
"A buyer of this product in California has the right to have this product serviced or repaired during the warranty period. The warranty period will be extended for the number of whole days that the product has been out of the buyer's hands for warranty repairs. If a defect exists within the warranty period, the warranty will not expire until the defect has been fixed. The warranty period will also be extended if the warranty repairs have not been performed due to delays caused by circumstances beyond the control of the buyer, or if the warranty repairs did not remedy the defect and the buyer notifies the manufacturer or seller of the failure of the repairs within 60 days after they were completed. If, after a reasonable number of attempts, the defect has not been fixed, the buyer may return this product for a replacement or a refund subject, in either case, to a deduction of a reasonable charge for usage. This time extension does not affect the protections or remedies the buyer has under other laws."
If the required notice is placed on the reverse side of the work order or repair invoice, the face of the work order or repair invoice shall include the following notice in 10-point boldface type:
"Notice to Consumer: Please read important information on back."
MANUFACTURERS, DISTRIBUTORS, RETAILERS AND WARRANTY SERVICE DEALERS
New provisions of the Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act became effective January 1, 2004, regarding disclosure on warranty related documents.
Section 1793.1 of the California Civil Code was amended to include the following provisions:
- Warranty or product registration cards or forms, including electronic online forms, provided by manufacturers, distributors, or retailers must now contain the following:
- Notice to the consumer that the card or form is for product registration
- Notice to the consumer that failure to complete and return the card or form does not diminish his or her warranty rights.
- Warranty or product registration cards cannot be labeled as a warranty registration or warranty confirmation.
A complete copy of the current version of this law can be found in the "Consumer Warranty Protection" chapter of the Civil Code, which starts with section 1790. See the "California Law" section of the California Legislative Counsel's Web site, www.leginfo.ca.gov.
