Current Events > Microsoft, Nintendo, and Sony warned by FTC about illegal product warranties

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https://www.theverge.com/2018/5/1/17308042/ftc-illegal-warranty-letters-warning-microsoft-sony-nintendo-asus-htc-hyundai

Six major companies including Microsoft, Nintendo, and Sony have received letters from the US Federal Trade Commission warning that some of their product warranties may be in violation of federal law. HTC, Asus, and Hyundai also received warnings. You can read all six over at Motherboard. The FTC said that it sent warnings to six major companies last month, but it didnt disclose which ones. Now, thanks to a Freedom of Information Act request filed by Motherboard, we know which companies received them. All six companies are in hot water for limiting their warranties in ways that, the FTC believes, may be illegal. The limitations mostly revolve around requiring customers to only use a product with authorized parts or accessories and to only repair a product with authorized parts or services. In some cases, they also include stickers that supposedly void the warranty if removed. The FTC says none of those conditions are allowed.

For instance, the FTC highlights a line from Microsoft that says, Microsoft is not responsible and this warranty does not apply if your Xbox One or accessory is ... repaired by anyone other than Microsoft. Nintendo has a line saying a warranty will be void if it is used with products not sold or licensed by Nintendo. Sony says the PS4s warranty is void if a sticker has been altered, defaced, or removed.
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When I got my PS4 repaired they fucked up the warranty sticker

so if I need to get it replaced in the future and they say no I'ma be tilted
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Do more than warn them

The FTC is overstepping and they know it.

They might be able to enforce things like disturbing tamper evident stickers and screws not voiding warranties. But they can't make companies who build their own products support third party repair jobs.
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Who cares? The irony is, their products dont break!! My American Xbox 360 has died twice from red rings and my current Xbox one x makes weird fan noises and Im afraid will break one day. I have a fat original PS2 thats been played aggressively for 15 years and it still turns on every day! FUCK! Thats Japanese reliability.
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Punctus_Pilot posted...

Do more than warn them

They have 30 days to change it before they get in trouble.
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Frostshock posted...

The FTC is overstepping and they know it.

They might be able to enforce things like disturbing tamper evident stickers and screws not voiding warranties. But they can't make companies who build their own products support third party repair jobs.

It's not a matter of third-party repairs, these companies try to void even using third-party products. Your system breaks and you've been using a non-licensed controller? Not their problem anymore.
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"Sorry sir your warranty is void. You looked at it. That voids the warranty. Bye!"
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Damn FTC supports home brew?
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Zeus posted...

It's not a matter of third-party repairs, these companies try to void even using third-party products. Your system breaks and you've been using a non-licensed controller? Not their problem anymore.

This has never happened.
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Surely that clause refers to third party accessories that damage the product. I guess it's vague enough to say otherwise but how would they prove you used a third party accessory if it didn't do any damage?
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This sounds like a good thing to me.
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it says system OR accessory is repaired by a third party. not a third party accessory.

it means you can't bring your xbox to some mom and pop store and have them fix it without voiding your warranty
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Sony has definitely had those warranty void stickers since the PS2 era

Source: I cut through that bitch when I had to repair my fat PS2 myself when I was 12.

thronedfire2 posted...

it says system OR accessory is repaired by a third party. not a third party accessory.

it means you can't bring your xbox to some mom and pop store and have them fix it without voiding your warranty

Ah fair enough. I guess it's to stop mod chipping.

I can see both sides but if it's still under warranty why would you even take it to a local repairer instead of an authorised one?

You could try repair it yourself but I guess you also risk breaking it more.

I can see both sides of the issue.
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Damn FTC supports home brew?
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