Remember that time where the FTC announced they were cracking down on illegal, predatory warranty conditions? You know, such as those "warranty void if removed" stickers that don't really have any legal base towards their implementation - and eventual refusal of an actual warranty claim? Well, the gong has now sounded, and it will reverberate some 30 times: the amount of days the FTC has given companies to cease and desist on putting those stickers in newly shipped products.
Via a Freedom of Information Act request, Motherboard has received confirmations that the first six companies that have been served by a letter form the FTC are Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo, Hyundai, HTC, and ASUS (the list of companies that didn't get any letter, however, is quasi-infinite). The letters were sent by Lois Greisman, the FTC's associate director of marketing practices, on April 9th, and established a 30-day period for companies to change their official warranty policies, threatening legal action.
"Warranty language that implies to a consumer acting reasonably under the circumstances that warranty coverage requires the consumer to purchase an article or service identified by brand, trade or corporate name is similarly deceptive and prohibited," the FTC letters said.
Reply With Quote
Bookmarks