I’m writing this entry because I was reminded this past week that not everyone understands what a 1 year warranty actually means. Most scale systems that we sell come with some type of warranty. It’s usually a 1 year limited warranty. That’s typically what most light industrial scales offer.
What is a 1 Year Limited Warranty?
What exactly does that mean? Well, it basically means that the scale should operate correctly during the twelve months after you purchase the item. Now, most warranties cover what’s called defects in workmanship. In other words, there are some gray areas on what’s covered and what isn’t. In most cases, a little common sense can go a long way when interpreting a limited warranty. If you drop a scale off your roof or out of a car while driving, that isn’t going to be covered under warranty. Other more subtle failures might be covered.
Ultimately, in the vast majority of situations, the scale manufacturer is who determines if something is covered…. not the scale distributor (me) and not the customer (you).
So what is covered? Wear and tear on the keypad causing one of the buttons to not work? The rechargeable battery no longer holds a charge? These are in the gray area. Often the battery is only warrantied for a month or two. The keypad is a possibility. It will probably depend on the scale manufacturer.
Now, where it can get a little dicey is how the warranty is administered. Let’s look at a floor scale for example. Most floor scales have a 1 year warranty. A 4×4 5K floor scale system weighs around 250 lbs. It ships on a pallet by LTL freight. So, the average cost to ship a 4×4 floor scale to various locations across the country is somewhere around $200 or so (and increasing). So, it’s quite expensive to ship out a replacement scale and then ship back the original. Likewise, the average scale company charges to troubleshoot and repair a floor scale are likely going to be at a bare minimum $250 once you factor in a service trip and labor charges. And that number is increasing as well.
So, in our example, the floor scale that’s under warranty may have a defective load cell, but in most cases, the only “warranty” you’re going to get from this floor scale is the load cell cost. In most cases, the scale manufacturer and the scale company are not going to “warranty” the service trip or troubleshooting charges which could be hundreds of dollars.
Maybe a smaller scale such as a price computing scale has an issue… how is that going to work? Many customers will want us to ship them a replacement immediately! Unfortunately, many of the scale manufacturers aren’t going to do that. It will depend on the brand. Usually, you will need to send your scale in to the attention of an RMA # and then it will be evaluated. However, some suppliers will send out a replacement with a UPS return label for the defective scale. It really depends on the supplier.
Another issue that comes up occasionally is the ability to repair an item. Some items simply do not make sense to repair. Once you factor in the repair parts, labor charges, & shipping charges… it does not make sense to repair an item versus the cost of just buying a new item.
Another point I wanted to make involves the scale manufacturers. Some scale suppliers are willing to work with the distributor and/or customer more than others. And, some suppliers want nothing to do with service or warranty and will immediately push it back to us to manage.
And speaking of shipping charges. The costs to ship decent size boxes via UPS or FedEx is getting to be outrageous! So that also factors into all the warranty and return process as well since under most warranty procedures the end user will be responsible for at least one shipment fee.
Shipping Procedures
One other thing to mention is the shipping procedure. If you return a scale to be evaluated, you absolutely must return it in the original box and packing. If for some reason you can’t do that, then you MUST pack the scale securely with bubble wrap or foam peanuts. By securely I mean no open spaces in the box. If you lightly shake the box, you should not hear the scale moving inside.
I can’t tell you how many times I have seen customer’s send scales in to be looked at and there is either – 0 – packing or one thin piece of newspaper! And at that point, you may have started off with a simple issue but now after shipping, you have a destroyed scale (which unfortunately isn’t going to be covered under warranty).
Final Thoughts
Overall the point I want to make with this warranties on electronic scales entry is don’t base your buying decisions entirely on the warranty. While some warranties on scale equipment are good, the warranties are often based on defects in workmanship and often you will still be responsible for any service or labor charges or partially responsible for freight that may be required during the warranty period. If you have questions about a particular product and its warranty feel free to contact us and we can provide that info for you.