Occasionally, bureaucracy gets it right. But getting the word out is often another matter.
We’ve all seen devices with those “WARRANTY VOID IF REMOVED” stickers. We may be curious about what’s inside that Xbox or Roomba, but breaking the manufacturer’s seal would void the warranty.
Well, it turns out that, in the U.S. at least, those stickers not only have no legal force — but are themselves illegal. Manufacturers, according to a 2018 ruling by the Federal Trade Commission, shall not make warranty coverage contingent on using branded parts or service. Since one of the specific warnings in the press release refers to “the warranty seal,” it is implied that this extends to manufacturer warnings that opening the cover will void the warranty.
So go ahead — do that DIY repair. (It’s better for the manufacturer than RMA’ing it, and better for the environment than throwing it out.)
