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PRODUCT LIFETIME GUARANTEES AND PRODUCT SAFETY STANDARDS
So how long is a lifetime? It obviously is NOT the lifetime of the consumer purchasing the product. You will quickly find out how long a product's lifetime guarantee is when you try and return it.
Lifetime guarantees typically do not cover normal wear and tear or incidental or consequential damage, in other words, the product would be replaced if it ever failed during normal usage for which the product was meant to be used. For example, a knife may be guaranteed forever under normal usage by an individual but not if it is used in a commercial environment meaning abnormal wear and tear.
Another problem with lifetime guarantees is it may cost as much to send back the product to the manufacturer as it costs to buy a new one of the same brand, make and model. Also beware of the multi-year warranty on the package label that morphs into a 90-day warranty when you read the small print on the warranty inside the package!
What all this means is a product may have a forever, lifetime warranty and be guaranteed to work ONLY until it breaks!
On another note manufacturers are shortening appliance warranties. Appliances that used to be under warranty for 5 to 20 years now may only have a one year warranty unless you purchase an extended warranty which may buy you a few more years.
Appliance manufacturers say they are simplifying warranties when the reality is they may giving consumers less coverage for the same price and no manufacturers are leading the way to cut appliance prices or prices on extended warranties! Shorter warranties seemed to start going into effect in late 2005 and early 2006.
Fortunately, most appliances do not tend to break during the first three years of normal usage so even with less protection you still may not need to purchase an extended warranty on appliances.
Concerning product safety standards consumers believe that if a product meets current standards on safety then the product IS safe. This is not always true. A product deemed safe may suddenly be deemed unsafe if and when consumers report accidents happening during normal usage of a particular product.
Product recalls often happen on products which meet mandatory or voluntary safety standards laid down by the U.S. government and other organizations in charge of protecting and safeguarding consumers. The biggest problem is there are too often cases of widespread non-compliance with existing industry product safety standards by product manufacturers since no organization routinely monitors or requires adherence to product safety standards.
So, what does all this mean when it comes to mandatory and voluntary product safety standards existing today? It may simply mean this practice is an accident waiting to happen!
SUPPLEMENTAL SOURCES: CONSUMER REPORTS MAGAZINE FEBRUARY 2006 AND MARCH 2006
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