The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has issued final orders against three companies involved in warranty issues and regulatory fractions.
The final orders were against motorcycle manufacturer Harley-Davidson Motor Company Group, grill maker Weber-Stephen Products, and the manufacturer of Westinghouse outdoor power equipment, MWE Investments, for illegally restricting customers’ right to repair their purchased products.
Related: Harley-Davidson Faces Antitrust Suit Over Right-To-Repair
The cases were originally announced by the FTC in June. The companies told their customers that warranties would be void if customers used independent repairers or third-party parts, in violation of the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act and the FTC Act.
You can’t sell a product and tell customers that if they fix the item outside of an authorized repair shop the warranty will be voided.
In addition, in the case of Harley-Davidson, they allegedly failed to properly disclose all warranty terms in a single document, and instead directed consumers to visit a local dealership to fully understand the warranty.
