Skip to main content

Consumers don’t have to use genuine parts to maintain a warranty, FTC says

The United States Federal Trade Commission (FTC) called out six technology companies for their deceptive warranty practices, giving each firm 30 days to correct its practices to be in compliance with U.S. laws. We previously reported that the FTC sent letters to six companies warning them that the use of the “warranty void if removed” stickers are illegal, and thanks to recently uncovered letters from Motherboard‘s Freedom of Information Act request, we now know the names of the companies. In addition to the use of deceptive stickers, Asus, HTC, Hyundai, Microsoft, Nintendo, and Sony were also warned that the warranty language on their websites is in violation of U.S. laws.

“This letter places you on notice that violations of the Warranty and FTC Acts may result in legal action,” the letters, dated April 9 and authored by FTC associate director of marketing practices Lois Greisman, read, citing the 1975 Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act as justification.

Restrictions placed on a product requiring it to be used with official accessories — including games, software, and hardware peripherals like power supplies — for the warranty to be honored are illegal. A company cannot, for example, void your warranty if you use a third-party or unlicensed power supply.

In its letter to Microsoft, for example, the FTC called out Microsoft’s warranty language, which states that the company “is not responsible” and that the warranty “does not apply if your Xbox One or accessory is repaired by anyone other than Microsoft.” This, according to the FTC, violates U.S. laws. In Hyundai’s case, the FTC took note of the auto manufacturer’s service clause on its website, which states that “the use of Hyundai Genuine Parts is required to keep your Hyundai manufacturer’s warranties and any extended warranties intact.”

“In addition, claims by a warrantor that create a false impression that a warranty would be void due to the use of unauthorized parts or service may, apart from the Warranty Act, constitute a deceptive practice under Section 5 of the FTC Act,” Greisman wrote.

After reviewing the warranty language on the manufacturers’ websites, the FTC gave these companies 30 days to be in compliance

The FTC’s latest move is consistent with its previous actions, like clarifying the law to state that jailbreaking or rooting phones, tablets, and smart TVs is not only legal, it does not void the entire warranty. These modifications, the agency noted, are protected so as long as they are not the cause of a specific damage that the consumer wants to get repaired under an existing warranty.

Chuong Nguyen
Silicon Valley-based technology reporter and Giants baseball fan who splits his time between Northern California and Southern…
Best gaming laptop deals: Portable gaming rigs from $600
The Alienware x17 R2 Gaming Laptop viewed from the back.

If you're keen to game while on the move, you need a sweet gaming laptop. Regular laptop deals won't cut it as you need something with a dedicated graphics card and maybe even something with some cool gamer looks too. Gaming laptops aren't cheap but that doesn't mean there aren't some great deals around. If you're looking to invest in a cool new gaming laptop, we've picked out the current best deals around right now. We've considered different budgets as well as different requirements so there's something for everyone below. Take a look and see what appeals to you.
Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 -- $600, was $900

Known as one of the best laptop brands for both gaming and business purposes, Lenovo knows how to make a robust system. The Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 packs a lot into its great price tag. It has an AMD Ryzen 5 5600H processor, 8GB of memory and 256GB of SSD storage. More storage space would be nice but if you're fine just having a few games installed at once, this won't slow you down. It also has an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 Ti graphics card which is great for playing the latest games if you don't mind tweaking the detail level. As well as that, there's a 15.6-inch full HD screen, white backlit keyboard and a cool-looking style to the laptop.

Read more
Why is my printer offline? How to solve the most common printer problems
Ccleaner

When you need to print a label to prepare a shipment or output some documents for an important meeting, finding that your normally reliable printer is offline can be incredibly frustrating. Often you print something because it needs to be shipped or taken somewhere. When trouble arises, you're delayed and need a quick solution.

Even the best printers can run into trouble occasionally. Let's look at some common printer problems and how you can get it back online again.
The universal solution

Read more
The best laptops you can buy, tested and rated by experts
dell xps 13 9315 review 06

Our expert laptop reviewers have tested and reviewed more than 500 laptops over the years, searching for the best of the best. But to earn the crown as the best laptop in 2023, it needs to have it all: gorgeous design, killer performance, a productive keyboard, long-lasting battery life, and much more.

Each of the laptops below has been vetted thoroughly by us here at Digital Trends. Whether it's an affordable Chromebook or a top-of-the-line gaming laptop, they've all been subjected to real-world testing, as well as benchmark and battery tests, to collect data to objectively pit them against each other.

Read more