HOW IMPORTANT IS WARRANTY
By: AP On: 4 January 2019
HOW IMPORTANT IS YOUR WARRANTY
Well let me be clear “WARRANTY IS EVERYTHING”. So how can you know if you are getting a good warranty, well asking for it in writing before you purchase is one good way.
I have found a massive variation in warranty from company to company and it is sad to say but I have seen some real horror stories. Consider this; Have you ever heard of a company going in to administration or bankruptcy, of course it happens every day and if you think that they have a manufactures warranty, think again. Does anyone remember a company called “Kleenmaid”? Well I do as my home is full of their very expensive product, and yes I now have no warranty.
I have seen first hand on a national scale this exact scenario in the fitness industry, too many times over.
So How Can I Protect Myself
Well before you decide to buy your new treadmills check the following; Well as the saying goes “a friend in need is a friend indeed”
- If it is a national product i.e. York Fitness, Healthstream, Vision etc then call their respective warranty service lines and ask what you need to do to claim for warranty. If they answer in the first 10 minutes, you could be on a winner.
- Do an search online for the brand, product and the retailer you intend to use. See what other people are saying about them or the product.
- Ask the retailer/ online retailer “who is responsible for the warranty and what services do they have in place for the supply of parts and labour in your area”.
- Very Important. Is the warranty a back to base or in home warranty? Ask yourself this, if it is back to base how are you going to get a faulty assembled treadmill back to the retailer and how much will that cost?
- Is there a “lemon” or a “no show” clause. These clauses protects you in the case that the machine is continually faulty i.e. 3 strike policy or if the warranty claim is mishandled.
More and more due to the continued greed and incompetent management of the national brands, there are some fantastically committed small operators that have handpicked a range directly from China and Taiwan (in most cases the same factories as the Brand names products) and have backed them self with tonnes of spare parts and a nation contractor network. Dealing with this type of operator gives you the best all round equations. Significantly cheaper pricing, fast delivery and warranty.
