‘Read the fine print’: Some lifetime warranties don’t last a lifetime

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TORONTO — If you unwrapped a present with a lifetime warranty this holiday season, you might think it’s the gift that will keep on giving.

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But experts say the meaning of a lifetime warranty varies from product to product and doesn’t always grant the eternal repairs or replacements many imagine.

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“There’s no standards with lifetime warranties,” said Alissa Centivany, an assistant professor at Western University in London, Ont., and co-founder of the Canadian Repair Coalition.

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That means some manufacturers might guarantee their products forever, while others offer a much more limited warranty window where items are protected for a few months or years.

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“A lifetime could be the lifetime of a particular product, which might only be a few years, it could be the lifetime of a particular purchaser or let’s say you’re buying a window for a home, the lifetime of that home,” said Josh Hanet, a Toronto-based partner at law firm Gowling WLG.

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And it’s not just the timelines that can vary. Lifetime warranties can have a whole litany of circumstances under which they won’t apply. For example, some manufacturers will consider a warranty null and void if they detect damage beyond normal wear and tear.

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Others will help with a wider range of troubles but may only offer a repair, instead of a replacement, and may charge a fee either for the warranty itself or for making use of it. Many will also say if you don’t have a receipt or some other proof of purchase, you’re out of luck.

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The wide range of scenarios is why Hanet and Centivany think consumers should think of lifetime warranties as a marketing pitch companies use to lure you into a purchase rather than a foolproof means of protection.

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“It’s about generating goodwill with customers, brand loyalty,” Centivany said. “There was a time when creating high-quality, durable products was kind of a key motivation for some manufacturers or sellers, but that’s more of an exception rather than the rule these days.”

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To figure out what a lifetime warranty really means, read the fine print on the product’s package, in the manual or on the manufacturer’s website.

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If they don’t define what period of time their lifetime warranty covers, don’t be afraid to contact the manufacturer to find out, Centivany said.

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Once you know what your lifetime warranty entails, you can start considering how valuable it really is and if it’s worth purchasing the product or the guarantee.

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Hanet often thinks about how much it will cost to both buy and replace an item.

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He recommended asking yourself “Is this going to be a huge endeavour or can I replace this product without it being a significant burden to me?”

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If you can easily and cheaply replace an item in the unlikely event it fails, he said the lifetime warranty probably isn’t that valuable.