The Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act Explained

It's common to find yourself with more questions than answers after reading a product warranty, and understandably so. After all, who do we listen to when it comes to product guarantee, the retailer or the manufacturer? We at iFLOOR recommend that you listen to the Federal Trade Commission.

This article is designed to answer a couple of the most common concerns that consumers have after reading product warranties. Some of the references in this piece were taken from the FTC's website for guidance on the more technical questions.

The first and most frequently asked: "If I purchase a product online, the manufacturer states that the warranty will be void, is that true?"

This is most certainly not true. Section 108 of the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act addresses this question directly by indicating that: "Generally, tie-in sales provisions are not allowed. Such a provision would require a purchaser of the warranted product to buy an item or service from a particular company to use with the warranted product in order to be eligible to receive a remedy under the warranty."

Essentially, this means that the provision on your warranty which requires you to buy ONLY from a particular company or a type of company (i.e. online store or brick-and-mortar) as a condition to the use of the warranty is not allowed. Whether your point of purchase was from an online store or a retail establishment, the warranty can be used and applied as intended.

The second question asks: "If I don't use the manufacturer's accessories with the flooring itself, doesn't that void the warranty?"

The answer to this question, as well, is a definite NO. Generally speaking, products which are equal to, or are of superior quality, to the item provided or recommended by the manufacturer can be substituted without affecting the warranty.

To have such a provision in the warranty, a manufacturer must secure a waiver of the tie-in sales prohibition in the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act. This waiver can only be provided by the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection, and will be granted only if it is shown satisfactorily to the Agency that the product will not work properly without the specified item.

This explanation provides the reason why you are allowed to substitute premium underlayments for condominiums, which provide higher sound transmission control, than the ones provided by, made and/or recommended by most manufacturers.

So now that you know what the FTC says about warranties, you can simply follow their guidelines rather than worry about what the manufacturer or the retailer says. You can feel free to upgrade your accessories and purchase from any reputable company, knowing all the while that your rights are secure.

For more information on the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act as explained directly by the FTC, you can visit:

http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/buspubs/warranty.htm#Magnuson-Moss.