Recently I considered buying a previously owned Schiit dac only to discover (directly from Schiit) that their product warranties are non-transferable. This was surprising and disappointing as the policy compromises resale and resale value.
Is anyone aware of other audio companies whose warranties are non-transferable?
Many higher end brands will not transfer the warranty. In fact, many will not even cover warranty service if you didn't buy from Authorized Dealer within their territory (US customer buys from Asia for example and new buyer needs unit changed to US voltage), and some will not honor warranty if bought mail order as they require brick and mortar stores (McIntosh Labs was one back in the day).
I think transferable warranties are more the exception than the rule in hifi. And as mcintech stated, it's often a warranty requirement that the item be purchased new from an authorized dealer.
Some, like CODA will offer a 10 year warranty to the original owner, and a 5 year transferable warranty. However, for the most part, very few manufacturers offer a transferable warranty.
It saves the manufacturer money on warranty repairs, but look at the logic.
A piece comes with a four year warrant, from the time of the original purchase. Why should the manufacturer care one lick if a second owner wants warranty repair, if, it is still under the four year window and I can produce the receipt from the original customer????
If I buy a car with a 100,000 mile/four year warranty and I sell the car after two years with 20,000 miles on it. That car is still under warranty.
This not covering the second owner (with proof of purchase from the original customer's purchase) is baffling to me.
Non transferable warranty somewhat encourages purchase of new gear especially from companies that have some history of needing service on occasion. CJ comes to mind from prior experience. Would never buy a used one(or new) after two horrible experiences. I'm sure there are other companies to NOT buy used.
To my knowledge Bryston & PS Audio do offer transfers, not aware of any others. I have purchased a few "gently used" items that are current models, and have made the calculation that the money saved more than offsets the costs of potential service, and so far (knock on wood), that's worked out for me.
I’m sure the practice counts on a certain percentage of original owners selling prior to the end of the warranty. So the effective warranty period to them is something less than the “face value”. It’s a way to entice the original purchase without actually having the risk. The amount they have factored into the price therefore breaks even at some point less than the warranty. I’m in the position of having purchased a sub that is only a couple of months old but didn’t work out for the original owners’ room/system. It seems to have an issue with wireless transmission. As the original owner claims it worked fine for them, I’m now stuck with paying for the repair of what is most likely a manufacturing defect. This would have been more tolerable had I received a steep discount, but since the item was mint, and practically brand new, and no longer available, I paid up.
I had hoped the manufacturer might make a goodwill exception, as I like their product ow and had been looking to add another of their models in a swarm arrangement. Rethinking that now.
Manufacturers are not in the business of selling used goods... so why would they provide warranty for anyone other than the original owner? If you choose to buy used, to save money, then you need to weigh the pros against the unlikely chance you will ever need any warranty work and need to pay out of pocket. Simple
If I buy a car with a 100,000 mile/four year warranty and I sell the car after two years with 20,000 miles on it. That car is still under warranty.
There may be exceptions, but I’m not aware of any vehicle manufacturer that offers a transferable warranty on a new car. It would still be obligated to fulfill NHTSA recall orders, but that’s it.
There are manufacturer CPO programs that include a factory-backed warranty, but that’s different. The cost of the warranty is built into the sale price of the vehicle. The same vehicle, sold on the open market without the CPO designation, will cost less every time.
No manufacturer of new automobiles, SUVS, trucks or other motor vehicles will extend new warrantees to those who purchase used, preowned, or otherwise previously registered and titled vehicles with the exception of a dealer "demo" or on a factory certified used vehicle but that is not a new warrantee that is a warrantee on a used car with often extended mileage as a consequence and result.
I recently had to get service on my Bryston BDP-2. Not only was I at least the third owner, but my unit was slightly outside the warranty window. They fixed it for no charge including return shipping. I've owned a number of Bryston pieces over the years and they have been more reliable than average and Bryston has consistently offered exceptional service and support.
Automobile warranties are only transferrable because DOT rules require automobiles to be tracked by VIN, not by name. It's not out of inherent goodness on the part of auto manufacturers.
Purchased a used set of Hifiman HE1000v2 headphones here on Audiogon 4 months ago in like new condition, about 6 weeks ago the female cable receiver in one ear cup went bad so I contacted their customer service and worked out a replacement set of headphones for $350.00 + $30.00 shipping but could not satisfy the original receipt requested by them, after getting a hold of the seller and forwarding Hifiman his info, they concluded that he had purchased the v1 model and traded up to the v2s in June of 2017 and that they would replace my phones free of charge. I wasn't even thinking warranty when I contacted them but thanks to them I am enjoying a brand new set of HE1000v2s today. Thank you Hifiman.
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