By SEMA Washington, D.C., Staff
The U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation to allow manufacturers to meet warranty and labeling requirements for consumer products by providing warranty information online. The Senate approved the “E-Warranty Act of 2015” (S 1359) last July. The bill will now be sent to President Obama who is expected to sign it into law. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) rules are currently unclear on the manner in which companies must provide warranty information to consumers.
The legislation provides businesses with the option of posting warranty information on their website rather than including it in the instructions that accompany their products. Companies providing online warranty information would still need to alert consumers about how to access their website either on the product, its packaging or in an accompanying manual. They would also be required to provide a phone number or mailing address as another option besides a website for obtaining information.
For additional information, contact Eric Snyder at erics@sema.org.