can warranties be restricted by retailer

[mapmaker]

What is the name of your state?What is the name of your state? DC (well, we aren't really a state...)

There is a certain manufacturer of a certain type of high-end electronics that claims the warranty on their products is void unless you purchased the product from a manufacturer-approved retailer.

The reason they want to do this is that they restrict their "authorized" dealers from selling on the internet, and from advertising prices below MSRP, and they want to, ahem, encourage consumers to buy from these higher-priced retailers.

My question is, is this a hardball-but-legal strategy to keep selling prices high, or is this selective honoring of warranties according to purchase location illegal? Mind you, I'm not referring to second hand or grey market retailers, but simply legitimate retailers who haven't signed a restrictive contract with the manufacturer.

 

[djohnson]

If it's legit then why wouldn't they be covered? Where are they getting the merchandise?

 

[mapmaker]

If it's legit then why wouldn't they be covered?

They aren't covered because the manufacturer says they aren't covered. At least, that's what the manufacturer is claiming. I'm posting here to ask whether or not that's legal under US and/or state warranty laws.

There is nothing shady about these unauthorized retailers. An "authorized dealer" is usually one that has been "endorsed" by a manufacturer, sometimes for a fee sometimes not. In the case of this particular manufacturer, an authorized dealer is one that, among other things, has agreed not to sell the products over the internet and not to advertise below MSRP. Plenty of retailers sell this manufacturer's products without having agreed to these restrictive terms. But the manufacturer claims that they will not honor their warranty on products sold by these retailers.

 

[djohnson]

It's the manufacturerers warranty, they can warranty anything they like. You can't make them cover yours. Obviously it's not authorized dealers that are selling this 'thing'. You get what you pay for. You pay more you get the warranty.

 

[mapmaker]

You can't make them cover yours.

I don't own one of their products. I am shopping around and am trying to get all the facts before making a purchase. Please don't make assumptions that I am trying to get away with something or I am in some other way up to no good. You know the old saying about making assumptions.

Obviously it's not authorized dealers that are selling this 'thing'.

I don't really understand what you're saying here. As I have already explained twice, the same item is sold by multiple retailers - Best Buy, Circuit City, local shops, internet retailers, etc. The manufacturer has a warranty on the product, but claims it will not be honored if you buy it from a retailer that they have put on their "unauthorized retailer" list. This list could and does change at any moment, whenever the manufacturer decides that a retailer has advertised a sale price below MSRP or listed one of their products for sale over the internet.

If you have some information regarding whether or not selectively honoring a warranty based on purchase location is legal, please do share it.

BTW, the 'thing' in question is a home theater video projector. In case you were thinking it was some nefarious device of some sort...