SoylentNews is people
SoylentNews
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: 3, Interesting) by mobydisk on Thursday April 12 2018, @07:16PM
Back in the late 1990's it was really common for PCs to use these stickers. They were really just to instill fear. One of the most egregious was Packard Bell. They placed a a multi-layered silver such that when you removed the case, the layers split and one half of the sticker would say "Packard" and the other would say "Bell." It was nigh impossible to put the case back on with the sticker such that it lined-up just the way it was before. Of course, upgrading PCs was very common, and even retail stores would do those upgrades when you bought the computer. So there was no way to determine if the sticker was removed by an "authorized" repair shop or not. But this was back in the days where installing Linux voided your warranty because it meant you were a hacker.