Submitted via IRC for SoyCow9228
Those stickers on gadgets that say you'll void your warranty if they're removed? You've probably come to expect them whenever you purchase a new device. The FTC has just made clear, however, that those warranty notices are illegal when it fired off warning letters to six companies that market and sell automobiles, mobile devices and video game consoles in the US. It didn't mention which automakers and tech corporations they are, but since the list includes companies that make video game consoles, Sony and Microsoft could be two of them.
[...] Thomas B. Pahl, Acting Director of the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection, said in a statement:
"Provisions that tie warranty coverage to the use of particular products or services harm both consumers who pay more for them as well as the small businesses who offer competing products and services."
Source: https://www.engadget.com/2018/04/11/ftc-warranty-warning/
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday April 12 2018, @04:18PM
Wow, didn't know that bit. This example is a great bit about why we need to regulate companies to protect consumers to at the very least have a full disclosure pamphlet about the limitations / requirements / privacy violations a product might have. Not to mention a "no leopard fighting" policy for customers looking for such info. Make it immediately available at least through a direct link printed on the packaging.