Warranties

[m102404]

I've been asked a couple of times why airsoft stuff doesn't come with warranties. To me...it just seems like a huge risky hassel, but after a couple of more in-depth discussions...I'm kind of wondering if it wouldn't be possible.

**NOTE**
I'm not bringing this topic up because I personally want to start doing this as a private business...it came up more from a business discussion with a retailer and some end-customers. Improving service, adding value and distinguishing one self...blah, blah, blah
********

Here are my questions to the general community:
1. What to cover?
Typically warranties exclude wear&tear from regular use. They typically cover deficiencies with parts/assembly. However, for airsoft AEGs/GBBs...the wear and tear is a good bit of why things go south.

Other warranties cover the item for a specific time period or amount of usage. That's typically offered when both the parts and the assembly are held to a given quality level. With out of the box AEGs...that's at least a somewhat predictable starting point, but once it's cracked open...who knows? Once it's used....who knows how much use it actually gets?

2. What would it be worth?
Factoring in #1 above, what would someone pay to have their AEG/GBB warrantied for a given period of time (and how long would that be)? 20-30-50% the cost of the item?

3. Would everything be inclusive in the warranty?
With some warranties, the customer is expected to pay for the shipping costs to get the item to the warrantor...and the warrantor covers the cost back to the customer.

Other times shipping costs both ways are covered by the warrantor, but that typically drives up the cost of the warranty (included into the base price of the item or applied after sale).

Some warranties exclude certain parts (i.e. consumables), focusing the warranty on predictable, reliable components.

4. What would void a warranty (re. airsoft stuff)?
Since there's no way to know how much it gets used...there's no way of monitoring excessive use (i.e. hold down the trigger for a 4000rnd burst or bust).

Would end-user applied "upgrades"/"modifications" void a warranty? If someone swapped their M4 grip...is that the same "cosmetic" upgrade as someone swapping on a different stock? If someone hangs a steel 203 launcher on a plastic M4...does that put undue stress on the body of the rifle?

[The Saint]

A lot of airsoft guns from non-Chinese-cloners come with warranties against manufacturing defect.

On the warranty side, business can get a rough approximation of coverage start based on date of purchase/delivery.

No one covers things like wear through use, or structural damage.

[safx]

Great idea Tyson!

Why don't you get the ball rollin'
by offering a guarantee on your
services that extends beyond
you handing off the gun and
walking away with the cash?

[aZn_triXta07]

Man ... I can see alot of people abusing said 'warranties'

It's going to cost retailers more $$$ and time, having to have people look after such cases and all, howabout the retailers who are sole proprietors? There's only so much they can do and just keeping track of orders and sending them out on time is alot to begin with.

Even for the ones who operate their business on a full-time basis it's alot.

[DonP]

I like the idea but I think it will have some serious challenges.

• Airsofters are a cheap bunch
• Warranties increase costs
• The only reasonable warranty is against DOA
• Any kind of "use / abuse" warranty is asking for trouble due to the nature of how the product gets used (upgrading, wear and tear, etc).

It is one thing for, say, SureFire to offer a lifetime warranty for their hard use products. But they're not selling what are basically plastic toys.

[Con Murder]

I think this would be a great way for the uninformed to screw around. I can see guys who have no experience sending things back, with only a dead battery (or one that isn't fully charged).
You'll get noods saying "It hooks left, and thats a cybergun they should work perfect".

Now if we really wanted to get better service I think our gun docs should have access to better training, tools and parts. I think my upgrades would be about 40% of my guns cost, so about standard for warranty.

[wildcard]

This would exclude AEG/GBB grim reaper like me and poncho

[Moderate]

"We apologize for the defective product, we'll send it back to get a replacement."

2 weeks later...

"Sorry, your replacement was seized."

I personally think that warranties in relation to airsoft is just plain ridiculous. There are too many factors concerning the wear and tear of guns, to be able to offer any kind of serious warranty. I was recently contacted by an unnamed member of ASC for a refund of $300 for a broken gun I sold 6 months ago as is...and I'm not even a retailer.

With the recession in full force these days, the last thing we need is a new warranty being offered by our retailers...there are people out there just ready to scam the system. There is already enough hassle and stress involved with selling airsoft, no point in causing another fiasco that will put more retailers out of business.

[cbcsteve]

Originally Posted by Con Murder

I think this would be a great way for the uninformed to screw around. I can see guys who have no experience sending things back, with only a dead battery (or one that isn't fully charged).
You'll get noobs saying "It hooks left, and thats a cybergun they should work perfect".

That actually does happen, at the Airsoft stores in P-mall and Splendid China tower. I know Peter from his Airsoft shop and I see noobs coming in every once in awhile bringing back things because its broken.

But in actuality it was just a battery or motor that died but they wanted a full refund for a very easy fix. One time a guy came in and said his gun was not working cause the BBs were hooking upwards.... But it was actually just the hopup set way too high.

Paintball Pro-shops seem to have a good system on their warranties

- They don't offer full refunds
- Offer store credit and exchange
- Warranty is for one month only for factory defect but not on wear or use or structual damage
- Warranty for a year in which if anything goes wrong they can take it in and fix it under a reduce cost if you bought the gun from them

[KoolAidMan]

Originally Posted by DonP

[*]Airsofters are a cheap bunch

I don't think airsofter are cheap i think it has more to do with us having to pay double to triple on the actual retail price down south.

if we were to have that pricing and complain then that would be cheap.

[cbcsteve]

Actually Contrary to popular belief Airsofters are still cheap even for the cheaper clear guns people will still try to find benefits out of the warranty system which is what I have seen in my first hand experience at those Airsoft Cleargun shop in Splendid China Tower

But then again my experience in it is a bit skewed since most of the shoppers that come to that shop are Cantonese which in our culture its expected that negotiations of price will occur. Those who have been to PMALL know this, not everything there is set in stone, bring a Cantonese friend with and you may even get a discount.

[Styrak]

The only thing I offer is a test before I ship it out. Sometimes I test fire guns just to see if they will cycle before I sell them.

[Con Murder]

[QUOTE=cbcsteve;1077974] not everything there is set in stone[QUOTE]

I love the open market methods our friendly country gets with the surge of new citizens.

[Amos]

I use to offer a very limited warranty.

If the buyer wished, I would test fire the gun before shipping it... If the gun worked before I shipped it, I would give the buyer a few days from when they received it to test everything out...

Only complaint I ever got was "The gun doesn't shoot" but that's because some one was trying to cycle a 400 FPS G&P with a 8.4 600mah NICD that was charged with a "blue box of death"

But... other types warranties... Not a chance in hell. There's far too much that can go wrong on the user-error side... and it's difficult to determine if the it was user error or not. (using a 10.8V battery and walmart BB's in a high end gun.. ect ect ect)

[Con Murder]

Exactly Amos, I say save your warranty money for the gundoc if shit happens (and it does). I work on my gun and a few friends, they know what I know and thanks to ASC that means proper airsoft upgrades and wonderfull trouble shooting when things jam. But most importantly we know that chinese clones fail along with monkey metal and chinese plastic fantastic!