Installing Linux May Void Manufacturer Warranty!

Millionaire

Hi, Just a heads up on a interesting article I found.

Basically last few days I have seen people asking about gettiing a refund of around £50 via the EULA refund agreement, where you can reclaim the cost of Vista/XP if you refuse the agreement on a New PC because maybe you want to use Linux instead.

However it seems that if anything goes wrong with your computer whether Hardware or Software and they realise you installed linux instead of the Windows OS they supplied your warranty may become VOID.

Im not sure on which other Manufacturers apart from HP (biggest seller of pcs currently)have this policy but im just giving a heads up to make sure you confirm with a manufacturers in regards to installing other OS and refusing the Microsfot EULA agreement within Manufacturer Warranty period as in the long run you may be left out of pocket if something goes wrong with the PC.

http://blogs.zdnet.com/hardware/?p=337

Bucky

From what I can make of it, it doesn't actually Void your warranty. The issue is that the helpdesk won't support anything that is not Windows based as all their help scripts have been written with Windows in mind.

In the artical you have posted the helpdesk asked her to reinstall the original software and then they could help her. I know she had a sticky keyboard and this issue has nothing to do with software but you have to be aware that most people who work on helpdesks are not technically minded and only follow whatever they been told to do.

superscaper

"Sorry, we do not honor our hardware warranty when you run Linux"
Sounds to me like voiding warranty. Which in itself is meaningless because you're still covered by the sale of goods act no matter what the seller of the pc says.

raptorman

IIRC, Dell are to start offering their PC's with
Linux pre-installed, so this may well start the ball rolling
for hardware manufacturers to start creating Linux drivers
for their products

Millionaire

superscaper wrote: »

Sounds to me like voiding warranty. Which in itself is meaningless because you're still covered by the sale of goods act no matter what the seller of the pc says.

But if certain alterations are made to the product, in this case the OS that the manufacturer supplies as intended use is rejected and the warranty policy states this, then the Goods Act is of no Use.

superscaper

Millionaire wrote: »

But if certain alterations are made to the product, in this case the OS that the manufacturer supplies as intended use is rejected and the warranty policy states this, then the Goods Act is of no Use.

Not if you can show that the hardware is faulty though and within six months the burden of proof would be on the seller to prove the hardware wasn't faulty.

Millionaire

Bucky wrote: »

From what I can make of it, it doesn't actually Void your warranty. The issue is that the helpdesk won't support anything that is not Windows based as all their help scripts have been written with Windows in mind.

In the artical you have posted the helpdesk asked her to reinstall the original software and then they could help her. I know she had a sticky keyboard and this issue has nothing to do with software but you have to be aware that most people who work on helpdesks are not technically minded and only follow whatever they been told to do.

But it is void in the context im saying it is, You have rejected the EULA agreement you do not thus have windows.

The consumer would have to buy windows or install a valid copy if they have purchased before which was the whole point of rejecting the EULA in the first place to not having to do this.

Millionaire

superscaper wrote: »

Not if you can show that the hardware is faulty though and within six months the burden of proof would be on the seller to prove the hardware wasn't faulty.[/QUO

If that is true(can you show me in the goods act where it states this) at best you have a 6 month warranty and loads of hassle if anything goes wrong after.

The manufacturer can argue that they supply it with windows and need to test the issue with windows OS and not other OS.

By the way im just talking in regards to the EULA Rejection. If you havent got windows and a fault appears, you cannot get warranty support to an extent unless you can load windows up, thus having a valid copy which may mean you havent because you rejected the EULA and deleted the thing, which was the whole point of rejecting it in the first place as you didnt want to use it.

Just a thought to ponder on what hurdles you may need to overcome if a problem arises.

superscaper

Millionaire wrote: »

If that is true(can you show me in the goods act where it states this) at best you have a 6 month warranty and loads of hassle if anything goes wrong after.

I'm just stating the general law in sale of goods act, after six months it is down to you to prove the hardware is faulty but we're not talking about needing expert witnesses here, just enough to convince a magistrate in the small claims court. Best not to confuse the terms warranty and your rights under sale of goods act though which allows you to claim up to six years after purchase and it's down to whatever one considers a reasonable working time to be within that six years for that product. I can't be completely sure in the case of installing another OS on a PC and I'm sure it would mostly come down to individual circumstances and specific small claims but it doesn't matter what you do to the pc if the fault can be shown to be inherent and not caused by the user.

wolfman

Hmmm I guess there's two sides to the argument.

You're buying a package deal, and altering it, so effectively are voiding the warranty and agreement. They can't support something that you've changed.

The other point to argue though, and I think it's quite valid. If something in the hardware broke, would it really be the fault of Linux. One side (either you or the supplier) would have to prove it was/wasn't. In the example of the article, Linux would not have been the reason the keyboard broke. In which case you are entitled to a replacement.

superscaper

wolfman wrote: »

Hmmm I guess there's two sides to the argument.

You're buying a package deal, and altering it, so effectively are voiding the warranty and agreement. They can't support something that you've changed.

The other point to argue though, and I think it's quite valid. If something in the hardware broke, would it really be the fault of Linux. One side (either you or the supplier) would have to prove it was/wasn't. In the example of the article, Linux would not have been the reason the keyboard broke. In which case you are entitled to a replacement.

I completely agree it's down to the seller what kind of support they offer and the circumstances under which they offer it, but if there is a fault that was not caused by your use, ie an inherent fault at time of purchase that meant the product does not conform to requirements for a reasonable time then you are entitled under law to a refund or repair. Under six months and it is down to the seller to dispute it and prove there isn't a fault, after six months it is down to the buyer to show the fault wasn't caused by them. As wolfman says in the case in that article a keyboard hardware fault would quite easily be shown to be an inherent fault and not down to the user.

The sellers' warranty isn't the be all and end all, they still have to conform to the law whether they say their warranty is voided or not.