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Post subject: UK warranty on Fender guitars & amps (& others)
Posted: Mon Oct 31, 2011 4:05 pm
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I don't normally duplicate posts, but I think this is clearer and easier to find in a dedicated post rather than hiddden away in another less obvious one. Hope this is helpful for UK buyers, demonstrates/explains Fender's approach, and encourages greater confidence to buy Fender gear in the UK.

Quote:
Incidentally, I think someone on this forum has mentioned that the Mustangs have a 2 year guarantee in the UK?
Nope - according to Andertons, that's not the case : it's 12 months.


That was me, and whilst Andertons are a good store, they've got it wrong on this occasion. Here's the response I received from Matt Davey of Fender GB on 12/05/2011 when I queried why there were different warranties in each country (eg 5yrs in the US, but only 2 yrs in the UK):

Quote:
Hi Rich,

Ryan has passed you email onto me to address the issues of the differing warranties in various territories.

The main reasons for the difference are down to local consumer laws. In the UK and Ireland all Fender guitars and Amps have a 2 year warranty from Fender GBI. We feel this offers a good level of protection against any manufacturing faults as most will show themselves in the first 6 months after production. This can often mean that a fault becomes apparent before the product reaches the market place. However, should a fault arise within 2 years of the purchase date we will repair or replace the product as necessary.

Under the Sale of Goods and Services Act, a product must be of satisfactory quality and be fit for purpose and the seller has a responsibility for up to 6 years. That means that should a fault arise after the 2 year warranty, you still have options.

Although the Fender warranty is 2 years, we will always endeavour to help customers should products become faulty after this period if wear and tear isn’t an issue.

Kind regards,

Matt Davey | Service Manger
Fender Musical Instruments GBI

T: 01342 331755
E: mdavey@fender.com


The moral is - stores don't always know this type of stuff - e.g. many stores that sell Laney amps don't know that you can get the standard warranty extended from 12 mths to 5 yrs in the UK, by registering online via 'Headstock Distribution', and much depends on who you speak to.

It's also worth noting that some stores are providing free warranties over and above the manufacturers warranty. For example, in the UK, if you buy gear from DV247 you get a free 4 year warranty on most everything!

I run Valvetronix.net and moderate on the Vox forum (my handle elsewhere is 'Voxman' - didn't seem quite right to use that on a Fender forum, so hence I'm 'Rockcat' here, but same avatar!) so I know the importance of checking stuff like this out first before posting. :wink:

I'm really pleased to see a growing trend of manufacturers backing up their products with better warranties than the standard '12 months'. It's not before time - buyers are showing confidence in a manufacturer by spending their hard earned cash on gear and, especially in these difficult economic times, its right that manufacturers should reciprocate that confidence and back their gear.

If a manufacturer doesn't have the confidence to offer more than 12 months on their gear, what does that say about their belief in their product's quality? And why should they then expect consumers to have confidence in buying it?

Customers are now taking greater notice on warranties than ever before, so here's some additional info I've pieced together on the encouraging approach of some other manufacturers, which I hope is of interest:

LANEY
Offer a free extension from 12 months to 5 yrs in the UK if you register the amp on line at Headstock Distribution:
http://www.headstockdistribution.com/lwr/tnc.php

PEAVEY
Provides a 2 year warranty on its guitars and amps in the US and Canada, and UK as standard, but extended by a further 3yrs to give 5ys total warranty if you register the product with the warranty card through the store, within 90 days. Other gear has different periods:
http://www.peavey.com/support/warranty/warrantytext.cfm
http://www.stagebeat.co.uk/index.php?page_id=6001

GIBSON/EPIPHONE
'Fair usage' policy on its lifetime warranty (excluding modifications & normal wear and tear) for all guitars/amps. (Bit vague this one)

MESA BOOGIE
Similar to Fender, 5 yrs US, 2 yrs UK

HUGHES & KETTNER
3 yrs (not sure about regional variations)

MARSHALL
12 mths standard, free extra 2 yrs if you register on line
http://marshallamps.com/support/support_faq.asp

ORANGE
1 yr standard extended free to 2 yrs if you register on line
http://www.orangeamps.com/faq-warranty- ... -products/

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Last edited by Rockcat on Mon Oct 31, 2011 4:26 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Post subject: Re: UK warranty on Fender guitars & amps (& others)
Posted: Mon Oct 31, 2011 4:23 pm
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It quite clearly says 5 year limited transferable warranty with my Mustang II. Just had a look in the box and there is a red card with big letters stating it. I'm in the UK by the way and bought the amp from a main Fender dealer.

I'm a member of your site by the way, got a Vox too ;o)


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Post subject: Re: UK warranty on Fender guitars & amps (& others)
Posted: Mon Oct 31, 2011 4:28 pm
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Interesting Linty - I'll check this out with Fender UK.

Rich :wink:

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Last edited by Rockcat on Mon Oct 31, 2011 4:48 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Post subject: Re: UK warranty on Fender guitars & amps (& others)
Posted: Mon Oct 31, 2011 4:34 pm
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Thanks for the info and doing your homework for us. One of the main reasons I bought my MIV was because of the 5 year warranty. I'm also loving the tones I can get out of this amp, and having a built it tuner and FX loop are definite pluses too.

I had a Vox VT50 that died 4 moths after the 12 month warranty went off. Some of the guys on the Valvetronix forum gave me some things to check out and I had someone look at it, but to no avail. Vox was unwilling to help me out. Though I really liked the tones I got out of it, I'll never buy another Vox amp because of that. I also have an AD30VT that I bought before the VT50. It is still working fine, but it doesn't hold a candle to my MIII or MIV.


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Post subject: Re: UK warranty on Fender guitars & amps (& others)
Posted: Mon Oct 31, 2011 4:56 pm
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Rockcat wrote:
Only in the US Linty - I think the small print might clarify. But if it doesn't let me know & I'll check this out with Fender UK.

Rich :wink:


You are right Rich! I have just read all the small print on the back. Only applies to US and Canada. So why place a card with large lettering on it stating 5 year warranty with a product purchased in the UK when it doesn't apply? I was really impressed by this guarantee at the time of purchase, I feel pretty let down now, especially with the fact that we have to pay a lot more for the products over here than they do in the States!


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Post subject: Re: UK warranty on Fender guitars & amps (& others)
Posted: Tue Nov 01, 2011 5:27 am
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I've just had a chat with Matt Davey at Fender GB suggesting that this is a bit confusing. However, you do get a 2 yr warranty in the UK which is pretty good & if you buy gear from DV247 in the UK they give a 4 yr warranty on most everything, which is brilliant. Remember also about the Sale & Supply of Goods act in the UK where stores are on the hook for faulty gear up to 6 yrs! Always worth quoting this to the store if you have an out of warranty issue on anything you've bought.

Worryingly, Andertons aren't the only ones who think the Fender UK warranty is only 12mths. I've checked with other big boys including DV247, GAK, & Gear4Music ....and none of them knew exactly how the Fender warranty worked, thought it was 12 months (GAK thought there might be an extension) were unaware of the 5yr warranty card (US/Canada) and that some boxes contained a US power lead not UK lead.

Re the 5yr card & lead, Matt responded:

Quote:
Hi Rich,

All the amps are packed in the same location and have all the same POS material including warranty cards etc. As most Fender products are sold in the US this material is mostly for US consumers which is why the US 5 year warranty information is there.
As previously mentioned the cover in the UK is very good when the 2 year warranty and UK consumer law are taken into account.

The IEC leads are packed per part number. What I mean by that is there are different part numbers for mainland European Mustangs and UK Mustangs. We ship all European amps from one location and sometimes there can be a mix up and a Euro IEC amp ships to a UK dealer. This should normally be picked up by the dealer when they inspect the amp before supplying it to a customer.


I've explained to Matt that the 5yr warranty card could cause confusion (as it did with you), and that dealers are getting the warranty wrong. There's no point in giving a 2yr warranty if the dealer tells you its 12 months and you get an unhappy customer with a problem after 20 mths that doesn't realise he's in the warranty period! Even if the owners of the big stores know about the warranty, they have such a turnover of floor staff that its unlikely to filter down & you're odds on to be given (unintentionally) wrong info.

I've suggested to Matt that Fender communicates with UK dealers to confirm the 2 yr warranty on Fender guitars and amps (the limited lifetime label on Fender guitars is another similarly confusing issue, as again that's for US/Canada only) and suggest to stores that the receipt refers to the 2yr warranty and makes it clear that the 5yr 'transferable warranty' card is US/Canada only & is not valid in the UK.

The current Fender GB distributors took over from the previous ones in 2005 and they have 'inherited' certain historic systems/processes. I understand that a number of things are being looked at to help provide UK customers with improved communications/service so we'll have to see what develops.

So, for warranty info on any music gear, check directly with the manufacturer - a lot of info is usually on their websites, but if in doubt - CALL THEM and DON'T rely on what stores/sales folk tell you as it may not be correct.

Rich :wink:

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Post subject: Re: UK warranty on Fender guitars & amps (& others)
Posted: Tue Nov 01, 2011 10:19 am
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Thanks for all your hard work Rich, very much appreciated as always.

I hadn't really given the warranty too much thought until you raised the subject. Except that I had it mind that it was 5 years from seeing the card when I first purchased the amp. I remember thinking at the time Wow that's good. However I'm a bit disappointed now, I've been shouting from the rooftops of how good this amp is and telling friends it had a 5 year warranty too.

It's the first new Fender product I've purchased, my two Strats I purchased 2nd hand. However this supposed 5 years warranty had given me a lot of confidence to purchase more new Fender products in the future. I was feeling very good about Fender but now a touch hard done to. We pay more for the same products over here in the UK and get 3 years less warranty!

As it turns out it now looks like I do need the warranty, luckily I am still well within the first twelve months. As per my other recent thread!


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Post subject: Re: UK warranty on Fender guitars & amps (& others)
Posted: Tue Nov 01, 2011 3:40 pm
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Quote:
We pay more for the same products over here in the UK and get 3 years less warranty!


And the US customers pay more for UK gear eg Laney amps. That's to be expected because of import duties and the additional costs for marketing/distribution overseas.

The reason for the warranty differential was explained - you need to appreciate that the Act I referred to is powerful stuff, and could even yield a better solution in some circumstances than a warranty. :wink:

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Post subject: Re: UK warranty on Fender guitars & amps (& others)
Posted: Tue Nov 01, 2011 4:14 pm
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One year warranty on Fender gear here in Australia, and as far as I know, no special provisions in Australian law that would be of any help if there was a problem after that one year has expired.

Pretty mean stuff from Fender, especially when set alongside the premium that Australians already pay for Fender products : the Mustang III is available here these days at the 'bargain' price of about A$380 and we're supposed to be pleased with Fender's generosity in 'lowering' its Australian prices.


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Post subject: Re: UK warranty on Fender guitars & amps (& others)
Posted: Tue Nov 01, 2011 5:33 pm
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Rockcat wrote:
Quote:
We pay more for the same products over here in the UK and get 3 years less warranty!


And the US customers pay more for UK gear eg Laney amps. That's to be expected because of import duties and the additional costs for marketing/distribution overseas.

The reason for the warranty differential was explained - you need to appreciate that the Act I referred to is powerful stuff, and could even yield a better solution in some circumstances than a warranty. :wink:


To be fair the prices in the US aren't vastly cheaper on the Mustang amps than here. Plus we have got 20% VAT in with the price, I don't know what the tax is in the US if any.

You are right Rich, when you tot it all up the warranty here isn't bad at all, however that card shouldn't be in the box to cause confusion. Maybe I just got a stray one!

Anyhow, I've tried again tonight to get my amp sorted but it's having none of it. So it looks like I'll have to take it back on Thursday morning. If it's got to be sent away I'll have to blow the dust off my VT30 for a while :wink:


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