Power Washer Company's Warranty Policy Sucks And Blows
Jim bought an industrial-strength Karcher power washer new on eBay a few months ago, didn't open it until recently and found that the pump didn't work.
When he tried to warranty it out through Karcher, he was denied because he bought the washer via eBay. Jim writes:
Karcher, which bills itself as the biggest seller of power washers in the US, is playing games with people who buy their products and then try to get warranty coverage.
I bought a Karcher power washer in late February, unboxed it yesterday and found it is defective (pump doesn't pump). So I called their 'customer care center' to get a replacement unit (they say their warranty is good for one year). They asked the model number, the purchase date, and then, where I bought the unit. I told them it was bought, brand-new, via eBay.
Their response — they don't warranty their products unless they are purchased from an "approved retailer," and they specifically deny all warranty coverage to products bought on eBay.
Aside from this being a dumb policy, there's no way for consumers to know this before the fact, and they don't mention on their website that if you don't buy from an authorized outlet they will deny all warranty coverage. They simply say that you aren't eligible for what they call their 'Rapid Exchange Program'. Nowhere do they disclose that this is their only warranty program, and that the rest of us are left out in the cold.
Disreputable business practice!
Even though months have inexplicably passed since the eBay transaction, it's still worth contacting eBay and the seller to see if he can return or exchange the washer. It's disappointing that Karcher won't stand by its product, though.
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Comments:
Karchner is in the right here - how can they honor warranties from unauthorized sellers on ebay when the people who buy the products don't even open the box??? "Jim" is a moron who needs to realize ebay is more or less a swap meet where you buy whatever you get as-is with no warranty and if your lucky the guy selling it to you is legit.
I've bought plenty of stuff used with a warranty that has been honored by the manufacturer. Usually they are just concerned with the device being within the warranty period.
I haven't had anything new enough to actually HAVE warranty service in a while so I don't know if companies have changed their policy.
Specifically, I bought a Motorola T720 cell phone on Ebay and the earpiece stopped working. They were merely concerned with it being manufactured within one year of that day I had called in, which it was. It took a month to get it repaired and they had to send me a new one because I emailed the CEO of Motorola asking where my phone was, but I did get a replacement.
This is pretty standard, a lot of companies don't warranty purchases through ebay and/or require you to purchase their product through "authorized retailers" to get warranty coverage.
It probably has more to do with price control than anything, because they can have more control over the price at "authorized retailers."
@dragonfire81: A lot of products have "non-transferable" warranties. I bet this is what the case is here.
@dragonfire81: That depends, did you buy it from a retailer using Ebay, or was it actually second hand. In this case, the user bought it new unopened, which should also mean that that warranty card in the box was not filled out, nor the serial number used to register the warranty.
The fact that it was bought on ebay is irrelevant, there are alot of reputable retailers that are starting to use alternative methods of selling goods, ebay, amazon, etc. Hell, the US Federal gov uses ebay to sell off decomissioned (and even sometimes sanitized of data) equipment.
Agree with dragonfire. Jim feels Karcher should include on their website helpful information about purchasing through non-authorized sellers?
WARNING: If Bob on the corner of 49th & Main sells you a Karcher Power Washer, we regret our warranty will not apply.
All over their site, they tell you how to locate a dealer.
Perhaps Jim's power-washer broke when it "fell off a truck".
Cry me a freaking river! Just about everyone knows most warranties arent transferable. you're gripe should be with the person who sold you the defective power washer on ebay, not the company. way to wait 5 months to make sure it works. Ever hear of personal responsibility
this is clearly on the karcher website:
To take advantage of the Rapid Exchange Program, your pressure washer must meet the following criteria:
* It must be a Kärcher electric pressure washer with a model number beginning with K2, K3 or K5 (example: K2.97M, K3.99M, K5.85M).
* It must have been purchased new from an authorized retailer.
Note! Kärcher pressure washers purchased through online auctions, swap/flea markets and other second- and third-party markets are not eligible for the program
* It must have been used exclusively for residential cleaning. Kärcher electric pressure washers used for commercial cleaning are ineligible.
* It must be within the covered warranty period
* It must be accompanied by proof of purchase. Valid forms of proof of purchase include legible copies (fax) of:
o Original sales or gift receipt
o Credit card statement
@jvanbrecht: A lot of reputable retailers ARE selling on Ebay, Amazon, etc. However Karcher don't offer online sales, their products are available only through authorized dealers.
Sort of like the only way to buy a new Ford (and have the warranty honored) is through a Ford dealer. You could buy a car in another country (grey market) and if you could get it into the US, the warranty would not be valid.
@FlyersFan:
Right from the warranty info on their website when you view any of their consumer pressure washing products:
This warranty does not cover:
• Merchandise sold as reconditioned, used, demonstration or floor models.
• Merchandise purchased on eBay and other online auction web sites.
If you didn't give them the serial# earlier in the call, just call back and say you bought it from Home Depot or something. Worth a try.
Only honoring the warranty when purchased via an authorized dealer is pretty common practice. How is the manufacturer to know how this ebay seller obtained the product or how it's been stored, transported, etc? There's no way to even know for sure if the item is new.
I have a feeling this deal sounded too good to be true, and as it turns out it is.
Whether you buy something from ebay or a retailer, you really should test it as soon as possible. This would have been easier to resolve via Ebay/Paypal/Credit Card if the buyer had realized it was defective in February instead of 5+ months later.
Glad I'm not the only one who thinks the company has done nothing wrong. I understand their is an appeal to buying something for cheaper off ebay, but recognize that there are certain risks that accompany that! I agree with FlyersFan, "ever hear of personal responsbility?"
@winstonthorne: So you're suggesting that Jim counter what he terms a "disreputable business practice" by lying and scamming the company for warranty coverage? Classy!
Althought Jim says: "...there's no way for consumers to know this before the fact, and they don't mention on their website that if you don't buy from an authorized outlet they will deny all warranty coverage." Other posters have shown that this information IS available on their website.
So the real title of this post could be "Company abides by their policies, consumer upset".
Jim needs to dispute the product with the seller - the ebay merchant.
@SkokieGuy: A camera analogy would have been better. Nikon, Canon etc do not honor warranties on any grey market items, even when sold by authorized dealers (many of these dealers get stock given to them by the manufacturers for being good sellers. The items are generally meant for the owners, rental equipment, loaners etc, not for resale, the serial numbers associated with these units are blacklisted from warranty except for the original recipient, ie the shop or retailer).
For cars, not so much, as purchasing a car in another country and bringing it into the US is not an easy task, import duties, registration, emisions and inspections. There is no such thing as a grey market car either, they are sold by dealers in other parts of the world, and Ford will honor any warranty remaining on that vehicle, regardless of the country of origin, grey market usually means stolen (assuming new vehicle), or second hand, and there are no warranties on those, second hand cars can have warranties, only if the warranty was transferred by the original owner to the new owner (and I am sure Ford would need to be notified).
@FlyersFan: I would disagree. The warranty on my Nissan van is transferable. The CPO Warranty on my BMW is TRANSFERABLE. The warranty on my Dell laptop is transferable.
Plantronics honored their warranty on a headset I bought from an eBay reseller.
Now the first thing the OP needs to remember is he didn't buy the washer from eBay, but from a retailer. He should have provided them with the Retailers information when talking to them. The fact that he connected with the retailer through eBay is irrelevant.
Generally the only warranties I expect to be non transferable are lifetime warranties, as they have to find someway to limit liability.
Even if the OP bought the machine new, who knows when the seller bought it. It could be out of the warranty period since the seller was the original buyer, not the OP. Caveat emptor.
That's exactly right - it may be that he bought his washer _via_ eBay _from_ an authorized reseller (i.e. Bob's Pressure Washer Hut).
Now the first thing the OP needs to remember is he didn't buy the washer from eBay, but from a retailer.
@AustinTXProgrammer: Did he? I can't find where in the story the OP says who he bought it from. Isn't it possible he bought it from an individual just looking to sell it?
@SkokieGuy: Certainly just as classy as a company that sells durable goods weaseling out of providing support just because you didn't buy it from one of their friends.
Same exact thing happened to me when I bought an iRobot Roomba from eBay. Warranty service completely denied by them because I bought it, new, on eBay.
Another thing to consider is that some ebay sellers list refurbished items as "new." It's a good reason to avoid ebay for anything you are expecting a warranty on.
Again...not that there's anything wrong with this. That's what I would do if I ran iRobot. But it wasn't something I even thought about until I got zinged. Now I know better.
By the way, the title for this post seems a tad harsh and unfair to Karcher, in my opinion, since they really didn't do anything wrong at all.
@Rectilinear Propagation: Fair enough, but my point is still that he didn't buy it FROM eBay, but they were only the marketplace where seller and buyer met and eBay is not a relevant party when talking to the manufacturer.
I also expect my warranties to be transferable, and when I read they aren't I tend to buy something else.
go buy another one at home depot and return yours.
chances are they won't even check the serial numbers.
just in case you can switch them.
I know that some states give additional rights to consumers above and beyond what the manufacture warranty gives. Check with the state Attorney General and see if any of these additional rights will help you.
Also, if you payed for this purchase with your credit card, call up your issuing bank and ask if they can provide you any help on the matter.
which is why you should think carefully about how much you spend on an item off eBay. And also check it as soon as you get it.
I love eBay and I sell on it all the time.. But that doesn't mean I will blindly buy things at retail price ever and then turn around and leave it the box for 5 months...
How did you even leave a review for the product if it didn't work?
@AustinTXProgrammer: I will be nitpicky and note that giving examples of four companies whose warranties are transferable does not go very far in disproving the original point (that most warranties are non-transferable).
Apple's warranties are non-transferable...learned that one the hard way. Damn logic board...
@winstonthorne: From the warranty information on the website:
* It must be accompanied by proof of purchase. Valid forms of proof of purchase include legible copies (fax) of:
o Original sales or gift receipt
o Credit card statement
Your credit card statement is going to say "Paypal" or some such thing, not Home Depot.
It's not likely that this is the problem, but (lol) it did happen to my dad. He bought a K'Archer pressure washer and tried for weeks to get it working with no success. He finally decided to have me try and fix it before throwing it away. I tried and it started right up. There was nothing wrong with it.
Both the unit and my dad's outdoor outlet have ground fault circuitry built in. The outlet was tripped. The K'Archer trips by default when you plug it in or apply power, so you always have to press the reset button after plugging it in. Between having two ground fault circuits and doing some overzealous unplugging my dad never got both reset at the same time.
My dad bought me a Swatch on eBay a few years ago. Neither he nor I knows what happened to it before it was sold on eBay, but it was brand new, sealed and all.
When the battery door jammed, I sent it into Swatch, since they have a lifetime guarantee thing. They wanted to see the receipt, so I sent them a copy of the eBay and PayPal information. After that, no questions asked; they sent me a brand new watch.
Now, if the company's warranty program is designed to replace items that had manufacturer defects, I can understand rejecting this claim. There's no way to know what happened between the factory and the customer's claim. But if this is not the case, there's no reason to require that customers get the items from certain sellers.
So, being in the wholesale business, I get the catalogs in the mail that offer pallets of merchandise that manufacturers have written off. Merchandise includes all kinds of electronics, appliances, exercise equipment, etc. The catalogs say I can just turn around and sell it on E-Bay. I have never ordered from any of these, but I know plenty of other businesses likely get these as well and do sell this defunct merchandise online. I expect that K'Archer has had enough with people returning units that have already been returned to them before and losing even more money on them.
@dragonfire81: I agree. I think they should honor a warranty if and only if, the owner of the product can produce evidence that he bought it from a legitimate channel. Not that eBay is not legitimate, but it is not a recognized distribution channel for most items. If it is sold from a storefront and they can supply a receipt that would allow the company to know that it went from them, to a wholesaler, to a retailer - rather than to a wholesaler, retailer, customer, different customer, fell off a truck, was stolen by vandals, and ended up on eBay.
I don't see what the company did wrong here...
Especially when the company's publically accessible warranty policy specifically excludes "Merchandise purchased on eBay and other online auction web sites":
@winstonthorne: Are you of the impression that the manufacturer does now know what group of serial numbers went to what retailer?
If you say you bought it at Home Depot, and HD does not carry it, or that batch of S/Ns went to Sears in Mexico then they will certainly know you are lying and deny you any service and rightly so.
There should be a Warranty page under Support that lists the features common to all of their warranties including the fact that you have to buy it from an authorized dealer but you can find that information on the individual product pages.
They didn't make it as easy as possible to find but since they do disclose it somewhere I think the OP's out of luck here. It's not very likely that the eBay seller will take it back at this point.
I have no clue on whether letting warranties be transferable or not is the standard so I don't know if this was shady or misleading.
@Tom Castle: That seems to be standard fare here unfortunately. Much more so than don't blame the OP, is blame the company without any due diligence.
Go after the seller not Kracher. If I buy a bunch of Krachers cheap from Big Lots then sell them on Ebay the warranty does not carry through. Warranties (in most cases) are only to the original buyer.
When you buy on Ebay you aren't buying from eBay. You are buying from some guy in his underwear with a internet connection.
@WaywardSoul: My Karcher power washer will just plain not work on GFCI circuits. Both its internal GFCI breaker and my outdoor outlet's built in GFCI breakers trip when it is plugged in. Being a simple man I run an extension cord out the window and run it that way...
@TCama: Actaully there is. Authorized seller will have the warranty information available to review prior to purchase. ( [www.ftc.gov] )
If the product costs more than $15 the warranty must be available to the purchaser before they buy the product. I have never seen this on eBay.
Had it been available it would have shown that the warranty is non-transferrable. Karcher has the warranty as a pdf file on thier site in the section where they do online sales.
The buyer failed to read the warranty before purchasing, he failed to note that it would not transfer from the pervious owner, and yet he felt it wise to purchase. It seems his lack of due diligece - especially when the right to read the warranty prior to purchase is afforded to him by Federal Law- caused his loss. It is unfortunate, but true.
@Rectilinear Propagation: If the eBay seller did not have the warranty available, and did not of course market it 'as is' which many do in boilerplate language pasted into the listing, then the buyer has recourse against the seller for failing to disclose the warranty as requred by law.
We would have to be able to see the listing to make a determination. If it is listed 'as is' the buyer cannot expect to take advantage of any warranty service available.
@The Cheat: When I have gotten warranty service or replacement on hard drives, the manufacturers have generally only asked the serial number, and used that to determine whether or not the device was manufactured within the warranty period. In the event that it comes out as over, only then does the question come up of how, when, and from whom the device was purchased.
This has been the case with, at the least, Quantum (before Seagate bought them) and Western Digital.
I see no reason why manufacturers of other goods couldn't use this approach.
Back on point, though, clearly Karcher is interested in disavowing any knowledge of this buyer's activities. Were I such a jilted customer, I would make it my personal mission to make sure that as many people knew about this policy as I can get the message to. Hence, it seems to me that Jim has made the right move by sending it into the Consumerist, but this is not enough. Find out if any of your local media are interested in doing this as a personal interest story.
@xerotope:
And this is one of the reasons they only honor warranties when you buy from an authorized reseller.
Fortunately I checked before I bought my Aeron chairs, because it would have sucked to lose that 12 year warranty in order to save a few bucks buying on eBay.
@dragonfire81: Many tool companies only honor warranties when you purchase through an authorized reseller. You got it cheaper, you take a risk. Who knows, may be this was a customer return, then the eBay seller got his hands on it. If it was sold on eBay as is, you are SOL. If it was sold as new, you should have tested it right away, but since you didn't, you may be SOL. Contact the seller on eBay, and see what they will do with you. If they are reputable, they will work with you.
If I buy a sealed Xbox 360 from a guy at a flea market, Microsoft isn't going to honor any warranty. Even if it's technically a new item, it's still a secondhand purchase. I don't think the company was in the wrong here.