§ 47-596.9. Warrantor obligations - Approval of claims.  


Latest version.
  • A.  A warrantor has all of the following obligations to each dealer engaged in the sale or lease of products that are covered by a warranty from that warrantor:

    1.  To specify in writing to the dealer the obligations of the dealer, if any, for preparation, delivery, and warranty service on its products;

    2.  To compensate the dealer for warranty service required of the dealer by the warrantor;

    3.  To provide the dealer with a schedule of compensation the warrantor will pay for warranty work and the time allowances of the warrantor for the performance of that work.  All of the following conditions apply to the schedule of compensation required under this paragraph:

    a.reasonable compensation for diagnostic work and warranty labor,

    b.time allowances in the schedule for the diagnosis and performance of warranty labor shall be reasonable for the work to be performed, and

    c.the compensation of a dealer for warranty labor shall be the actual retail labor rates charged by the dealer in the community in which the dealer is doing business;

    4.  To reimburse the dealer for warranty parts at actual wholesale cost, plus a minimum thirty percent (30%) handling charge and any freight costs to return warranty parts to the warrantor; and

    5.  To deny dealer claims for warranty compensation only for cause, including, but not limited to, performance of nonwarranty repairs, material noncompliance with the published policies and procedures of the warrantor, lack of material documentation of claims, fraud, or misrepresentation.

    B.  A warrantor may conduct audits of the records of a dealer that sells or leases its warranted products on a reasonable basis.

    C.  A dealer shall submit warranty claims to a warrantor within sixty (60) days after completing all warranty work on a warranted product.

    D.  A dealer shall notify the warrantor in writing if the dealer is unable to perform material or repetitive warranty repairs as soon as is reasonably possible.

    E.  A warrantor shall approve or disapprove a warranty claim on a warranted product in writing within thirty (30) days after the date the dealer submits the claim, if the claim is submitted in the manner and in the form prescribed by the warrantor.  If a claim that is properly submitted is not specifically disapproved in writing by a warrantor within the thirty-day time period, the claim shall be considered approved by the warrantor and the warrantor shall pay the amount of the claim to the dealer within sixty (60) days after the dealer submitted the claim.

Added by Laws 2011, c. 272, § 11, eff. Jan. 1, 2012.