The Power of an On-site Warranty

10-01-2024

Article by Graham Lewis, Sales Director at Red Arrow Electrical Ltd.

When it comes to investing in LED lighting products, one factor that significantly influences the decision making process is the warranty offered by manufacturers. Among various warranty options, on-site warranty stands out as a game-changer, instilling confidence in the reliability, performance, and longevity of LED lighting solutions. There is a caveat to this, of the numerous benefits of on-site warranties offered, the devil is in the detail as when you push down into the reality it can be difficult to see what it truly offers and where the limitations are before you really can have peace of mind.

Manufacturers who offer an on-site warranty for their LED lighting products should be confident in the reliability and performance of their offerings. To back this up there must be rigorous testing, quality control measures, and adherence to industry standards during the manufacturing process. The assurance that the manufacturer stands behind their products, supports the installers craft and should be further enhanced by the installations being carried out in accordance with the latest standards.

So let’s consider the detail

Step one – what products are covered? Some companies are better than others at making the information easy to fi nd and transparent. Some indeed are good at giving headline news that there’s an on-site warranty on their products, but if you can actually “drill down” to get to the facts it transpires that a product lot of products are in fact not covered and it’s only on a handful of products. Even then it may be far from clear just what the cover is for each product type, so check carefully or ask before committing.

Step two – what exactly are the conditions of cover? Something to bear in mind is what exactly does the warranty mean, seek clarifi cation on the caveats in place up front such as operating hours, switching cycles etc. Companies that are comfortable with their products should once again have clear, concise and consistent information so that you don’t believe somethings covered when in fact it’s not. For example, Red Arrow has logos next to all of it’s products on it’s new website and catalogue to clearly show the warranties, plus a summary document showing all products and the conditions of both warranty and on-site warranty in one place.

Step three – when exactly does the cover start and when does it end? A two year on-site warranty may sometimes “start” from the moment it’s delivered to the wholesaler, if the has been on the shelf for a year then it’s already lost a year of its warranty period. Not all warranties are the same so it’s important to understand when the warranty is active from and especially with emergency products, how are the batteries affected.

Step four – what if the site issue turns out to not be down to the product itself? It’s always worth bearing in mind that if there is an issue with the installation. Manufacturers may not honour an on-site warranty due to circumstances they cannot control and in which case the usual due diligence in checking the installation before calling the manufacturer out may indeed save time and money. Often the manufacturers can help by talking through the issue via a technical helpline with qualified staff who can help “snag” easily and efficiently over a web link or on a phone call. 

Conclusion

On-site warranty has emerged as a significant advantage in the LED lighting industry, providing installers and users alike with confidence in the products they choose. Above all, the peace of mind it offers make on-site warranty an attractive option for those seeking long-lasting and dependable lighting solutions. Just remember – not all warranties are equal and it’s important to ensure the information at hand is clear and understandable to avoid being disappointed if the warranty you thought you had, doesn’t cover you when you need it to!