Sounds like service. Is often just a shift in costs.
You buy a device. It breaks down. You contact the dealer – in the store or the online shop. And then comes the classic:
“Please contact the manufacturer directly. It’s faster that way.”
Maybe. But not necessarily. And above all: It shifts the risk from the wrong place to you.
1 | The crucial point: Your contract is with the dealer
Your contractual partner is the seller. That’s where your statutory warranty rights lie: subsequent performance (repair or replacement) – and if that doesn’t work, later also rescission/reduction. In short: The dealer owes you a defect-free item. Not the manufacturer.
2 | Warranty vs. Guarantee: two different worlds, two different sets of rules
Warranty is law. Guarantee is voluntary – with conditions based on manufacturer logic.
The “guarantee processing” can ultimately mean:
- Shipping and organizational effort on your part,
- long waiting times (including hotline hopping),
- in the end, a “refurbished” replacement device – depending on the guarantee text,
- and discussions as soon as it doesn’t run smoothly.
That’s not automatically “worse.” But: It’s not your strongest leverage.
3 | The manufacturer’s queue has three typical pitfalls
1) The dealer says later: “We didn’t have a chance.”
For money back or reduction, you regularly need a clean warranty trail: Notification of defect to the dealer, subsequent performance, deadline. Anyone who handles everything past the dealer via the manufacturer provides the dealer with unnecessary arguments.
2) Burden of proof becomes more inconvenient over time.
In consumer purchases, the first 12 months are important. The later the dispute, the more discussion about “was it already like that upon delivery?”
3) Time is running. Deadlines are running with it.
Warranty typically expires after two years from delivery. Anyone who “parks” in the manufacturer’s system for months is wasting time.
4 | How to react correctly (without studying law)
Write to the dealer briefly and clearly. No novels – just the right trigger.
Subject: “Defect – Assertion of Warranty”
Text (ready to copy):
“My purchase contract is with you. I am asserting my warranty rights and request subsequent performance (repair or replacement). Please let me know within (e.g., 14) days how you will organize the handling (shipping/collection/delivery).”
Practical:
1) Document the defect (photo/video, date).
2) Inform the dealer in writing (email is sufficient).
3) Set a deadline (e.g., 14 days for organization/start of subsequent performance).
4) Do not send the device “somewhere” without the dealer taking over the process or confirming it in writing.
5 | Three special cases you should know
- Online purchase and freshly purchased: Also check the revocation – that is often the fastest exit.
- Private purchase (classifieds): Warranty may be effectively excluded. Then other levers help.
- Purchased directly from the manufacturer: Then the manufacturer is your seller – then the reference fits, of course.
6 | Conclusion
If a dealer sends you to the manufacturer, it is rarely pure concern. Insist on warranty from the seller. That’s not “cumbersome.” That is the legally clean way – and usually the faster one, as soon as the dealer realizes that you are serious.
Key takeaway: Anyone who is sent to the manufacturer does not automatically lose rights – but often time and negotiating position.
