Will Calibration Void My Warranties?

Written by the ISF Forum Library Community
Friday, 18 May 2007

[ Q ] I read online that having my HDTV calibrated will void my factory and extended warranty. Is there a risk that calibration will damage my TV, and if so, who is going to pay for it to be repaired if something goes wrong and the warranty isn't valid?

[ A ] Calibration that is performed with care by a professionally trained technician will not damage your HDTV. In addition to producing accurate images, calibration will extend the life of your display, as it reduces phosphor wear for CRT and plasma displays and may also result in reduced power consumption.

Although we hear the "voided warranty" threat from time to time, experience shows it's either a "scare tactic" or a matter of unintentional misinformation.

In fact, in the US the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act prevents this sort of pre-emptive voiding of a warranty. Gary Hailey of the Washington D.C. law firm Venable Baetjer Howard & Civiletti has written about Magnuson-Moss in Response Magazine, and when contacted by the ISF Forum, Mr. Hailey directed us to two sections of Magnuson-Moss that would be relevant to this sort of action:

16 CFR 700.10 says "a warrantor cannot...avoid liability under a written warranty where a defect is unrelated to the use by a consumer of 'unauthorized' articles or service."

16 CFR 700.10 also says "This does not preclude a warrantor from expressly excluding liability for defects or damage caused by such 'unauthorized' articles or service; nor does it preclude the warrantor from denying liability where the warrantor can demonstrate that the defect or damage was so caused."

In both clauses above, the manufacturer, distributor, retailer or third-party warrantor is required to demonstrate a cause-and-effect relationship between a consumer action (in this case, the act of having an HDTV calibrated) and a subsequent component or system failure. Voiding your warranty without establishing that connection would be illegal under Magnuson-Moss.

Of course, Magnuson-Moss only applies in the US, but similar consumer protections are in place in many other countries around the world. You should check your local laws to determine whether similar consumer protections are provided where you reside.

In the unlikely event that a calibrator's actions causes damage to your television, the calibrator would be responsible. Reputable calibrators carry liability insurance and it is a good idea to ask about this before you hire a calibrator.

Contributions to this FAQ article were made by the following ISF Forum calibrators:
Clearly Resolved, Precision Video

100,00% of 8 voters found this FAQ useful, I found this FAQ

useful

not useful

< Prev		Next >