Note on the difference between warranty and guarantee

Dear customers,

Recently there have been more enquiries regarding Warranty when purchasing products distributed by IDC Klaassen. As the terms Warranty and Guarantee often can cause confusion, please allow us to clarify…

When purchasing goods, the buyer/consumer automatically receives Warranty for the product purchased. This is a legal obligation of the seller/dealer and is valid throughout Europe. Sometimes this Warranty is incorrectly referred to as Guarantee. However, the two terms have different meanings and legal implications.

Warranty allows a claim to be made against the dealer from which you purchased the product. Example: You live in Germany and purchase a product from a retailer in Great Britain. In the unlikely event the product has a defect after 5 months (which is not caused by incorrect operation) the Warranty applies. You have a Warranty claim only against the dealer, not the manufacturer. In stated example it means you have to send the product back to the dealer in Great Britain to assert your claim of repair or replacement, as the dealer is your contractual partner for your purchase, not the manufacturer.

Guarantee on the other hand is a voluntary contractual service of the manufacturer. When a Guarantee is offered by the manufacturer of the product, it means you can expect services beyond what the Warranty provides. It also normally means you can contact the manufacturer directly in case of any fault with the product. Two conditions must be met for the Guarantee come into effect:

1.) The product represented by IDC Klaassen must have been purchased from a dealer authorised by IDC Klaassen. IDC Klaassen will not provide any services such as advice, service or repairs for products purchased from dealers not authorised by IDC Klaassen. Authorised dealers can be checked on the IDC Klaassen dealer search page.

2.) You must register the product on the IDC Klaassen website idc-klaassen.com under the menu item Product Registration, together with the proof of purchase (to ensure that the purchase date is correct and that the product was purchased from an authorised dealer).

With this registration you will receive a manufacturer’s guarantee of 2 years or even more according to the manufacturer’s specifications. This Guarantee is valid regardless of your warranty claim against the dealer, and your contact person in case of a fault is IDC Klaassen, via your dealer.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at +49(0)231/9860-285 or idc@idc-klaassen.com . We will be happy to assist