In the last couple months, we’ve got an unexpected surge in warranty claims. It didn’t matter who the manufacturer was: it was across the board. From Dell to Lenovo, Apple, and HP: hard drives, motherboards, and screens all began to fail. It’s par for the norm for hardware, and so it is not unexpected that hardware will fail even if it is brand-new.
The Importance of Knowing Your Warranty
However, a lot of people believe that warranties cover everything needed to replace the machine. But the only thing that warranties truly cover is:
The replacement of the defective hardware.
That’s it. A lot of people believe that service, data restoration, data retrieval, and even the labor to replace that hardware is included. It is not.
The Hidden Costs of Warranty Claims
What is not included with warranties from anybody are:
- Restoring the computer’s data.
- Retrieving the data from a defective device.
- Reinstalling any of the software.
- Bringing the workstation back into a domain.
- Setting up the device with previous settings and profiles.
- Shipping costs.
- Labor costs.
- Loss of income due to a failure of hardware.
- Loss of accounts due to a failure of hardware.
- Or any other possible loss, monetary or otherwise, when it comes to replacement of the hardware.
Understanding the Warranty Claim Process
In making a warranty claim against any manufacturer, they have a certain set of guidelines that you must follow. They are not just going to replace hardware because you say so. It could be an issue with the operating system, peripherals, something has nothing to do with the hardware or some other issue, which they will try to diagnose before sending a replacement part.
Just Claim It Under Warranty
We get a lot of requests of “claim it under warranty, ” and it doesn’t work that way. A prime example is Lenovo asks you to send in the computer and 5 to 7 business days after they receive it, you’ll get it back. Dell, on the other hand, asks you to do basic diagnostics, and luckily, since we are Dell partner, they have no problem sending us the hardware for to be changed out. Manufactures like Seagate, Western Digital, Hewlett-Packard and more require the device to generate an error code before they replace any hardware at all. This is the most common requirement.
In essence, warranties only cover replacement of the hardware, nothing more. Want to learn more about how to best safeguard your hardware investment, especially when looking at new office computers and servers? Contact Triton Technologies to learn how working with a Managed Service Provides means hassle-free computer maintenance and replacement.
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