ECN Forum Forums General Topics of the Trade General Discussion Area Warranty Work

What is everybody's policy on warranty work. If you install 6 wall packs on 2 photocells and 1 of the photocells go out within a year. Do you replace the photocell for free, no charge at all to the customer? Charge for labor only? Would like to know everyones policy

I would think that the warranty is on your work and that the manufacturer has a warranty on their product. Talk to your supplier and see what he has to say about the part. I would just replace the part free of charge and try to get it warrantied after thru my supply house. Also do it in a quick manor to keep the customer happy.

Yup, replace the photcell for free, you keep a happy customer.

If you buy cheap parts, you'll go broke fixing things, make sure you buy quality stuff, that will keep the return trips down.

One of the worst things is buying motion sensor lights from the Box stores. They are just that, cheap. Your supply house will probably have better quality stuff then the Home Improvement warehouses.

I agree completely with Dnkldorf. I always inform customers we only come back to service trouble on the motion sensors we purchase from the parts house. If they want hardware store or box store sensors they are the customers problem after we leave. It works. Very few, if any call backs over twenty years using the high end sensors.
Regarding warranty work I find I have to treat every situation differently. /some are completely free, some labor is charged parts are replaced. Do not get much in the way of warranty work on our installations so it isn't a big headache.
Ron

Our state law requires that contractors guarantee their work for a year. So, replacement of the photocell, at no charge to the customer, is "yes."

Ditto. We'd have to replace it...period.


I frequently replace little things like that which go bad well beyond the required 1 yr. The customer keeps coming back.

We also have a state mandated 1-year warranty period. I don't even think twice. I replace it as quickly as possible and consider it "advertising". The customers keep coming back!

Our stated policy is we warrant our labor and materials we provide for 12 months, customer supplied materials are covered by the maufacturers warranty only.

That said, for a good customer we will warrant our parts and labor for 2 years or more, however we rarely have to do any warranty work. Keep the customer happy has always been my policy.

Advice well taken