Repair warranty: how long to give and how to avoid disputes

Warranty is something customers rarely ask about at intake and remember first when the device stops working again. That is when it turns out the technician meant one thing, the front desk promised another and the job sheet says nothing at all. This article is about the workshop’s warranty on its own work: how to word it so it protects both the customer and you.

Manufacturer warranty and workshop warranty are different things

Manufacturer warranty applies when the device is still under the brand’s warranty and the manufacturer pays for the repair. If you are an authorised service centre, the brand sets the rules: what is covered, what documents are needed, how to report.

Workshop warranty is your responsibility for work you did yourself: a replaced part, soldering, a set-up. You set its terms, and it is the source of most disputes. Everything below is about it.

One caveat before the practical part. In many countries consumer law gives customers rights for faulty work that your terms cannot shorten or exclude — in the EU and the UK, for example. Your workshop warranty is then a promise on top of those rights, not a replacement for them. What applies where you are is a question for a lawyer; this article is about practice, not law.

What the warranty covers

The most common mistake is giving a warranty "on the device". The customer hears "everything should work for three months", and when something entirely different fails a month later, they consider it a warranty case. Word it narrowly and precisely:

• the warranty covers the work done and the parts fitted, as listed on the certificate;
• other parts of the device are not covered;
• a warranty repair means fixing the same fault, not any fault.

"Charging port replaced; warranty on the port and its soldering — 90 days" protects both sides. "3-month warranty" protects nobody.

How long to give

There is no single rule, but these are the periods shops give most often:

• on labour — one to three months;
• on an original or good-quality part — as long as the supplier gives you, but no longer than you are prepared to cover out of your own pocket;
• on a non-original or used part — less, and the customer should know that before the repair;
• on liquid damage recovery and complex board repairs — often none or a minimal one, because nobody can guarantee the outcome in advance.

A longer warranty is a selling point, but only if you trust your parts. A warranty you keep honouring at your own expense eats into profit faster than discounts do.

What voids the warranty

The list should be written in advance, not invented in the middle of a dispute:

• signs of a drop, impact or pressure;
• signs of liquid or corrosion that were not there at collection;
• the device was opened or repaired elsewhere;
• misuse — for example, a non-original charger when the problem is with power.

Every point must be verifiable: something you can show the customer on the device. "Improper use" with no explanation is not an argument but grounds for a complaint.

How to record the warranty so there is nothing to argue about

On the job sheet at intake — the general terms: how long the warranty on work lasts, what voids it, and that it starts on the day of collection. And the device’s condition: scratches, cracks, traces of moisture. If a crack in the screen was not recorded at intake, you cannot prove a month later that it was there. What else belongs on the job sheet — on the repair intake form page.

On the certificate at collection — what exactly was done, which parts were fitted, the warranty period for this particular repair and the date of collection. The customer signs the certificate and takes their copy. How to put one together — on the certificate of completed repair work page.

A seal or dated mark on a screw or part is a simple way to see later whether the device was opened. It does not replace the note on the certificate, but it backs it up well.

The device came back: what to do

Check first, talk second. Three questions to answer before any conversation about money:

1. Is it the same fault you fixed?
2. Has the warranty period since collection not run out?
3. Are there no signs of anything that voids the warranty?

Inspect the device in front of the customer, just as at the first intake: switch it on, show the fault, look over the case. Book the return on a new job that refers to the first job’s number — then the two repairs are linked, and the device’s condition when it came back is on record. The "you gave it back to me like this" argument ends as soon as both sides are looking at the same record.

If the answer to all three is "yes", the repair is free — no haggling and no hints that the customer is to blame. If not, explain with facts, show it on the device and offer a normal repair. How to say this so the customer does not leave offended — in the article what to say to a customer.

It is worth marking warranty returns separately from ordinary repairs. Then after a month you can see how much work goes into redoing jobs and which technician has the most — and that is no longer about warranty but about quality.

Ready-made wording for your forms

Use this as a starting point and adjust the periods. On the job sheet, in small print at the bottom:

The workshop warranty on work carried out and parts fitted is 90 days from the date the device is collected, unless a different period is stated on the certificate. It covers only the work and parts listed on the certificate. It does not apply if there is mechanical damage, liquid damage, or the device has been opened by third parties. Repairs after liquid damage carry no workshop warranty. This warranty does not affect your statutory rights.

On the certificate, under the list of work:

Charging port replaced. Warranty on the port and its soldering: 90 days, until 14 January. A warranty mark has been placed on the case.

A specific end date works better than "90 days": the customer does not have to count, and you do not have to argue about where the count starts.

Who pays the technician for a warranty repair

The customer does not pay for a return under the workshop warranty — so there is no percentage for the technician either. Most often the same technician does it unpaid: that is fair and encourages doing it right the first time. If the fault came from the part rather than the work, some of the loss can be recovered from the supplier — so keep their warranty terms to hand. How technician payouts are calculated — on the reports page.

Warranty as a selling point

A customer choosing between two shops at the same price picks the one with the clearer warranty. Not the longer one — the clearer one: "90 days on the work and the part, it’s written on the certificate" convinces better than "six months on everything", which nobody believes. Put your warranty terms on your website and in your Google Maps listing exactly as on the job sheet. Then you will not have to explain them from scratch at intake, and customers will arrive with the right expectations.

When it is better not to give a warranty

Some repairs are more honestly done "without workshop warranty", said up front: recovery after serious liquid damage, board repairs with damaged tracks, devices already repaired elsewhere. Say so before the repair and note it on the job sheet — the customer can agree or decline. That is far better than promising a warranty and then looking for reasons not to honour it.

How it looks in the software

In ServiceCenterSoft the repair types include "Repeat repair", so redone jobs are visible separately from ordinary ones. A customer’s phone number opens all their repairs with the work log: what was replaced last time, who did it and when it was collected. The work log and recommendations go onto the certificate, and you write your warranty terms into your own job sheet and certificate templates — the forms are edited in the software itself.

The software does not track workshop warranty periods separately: the period is written in the documents, and the collection date is on the job. You can try it on the demo.

In short

• The warranty covers the work and parts on the certificate, not the whole device.
• Labour: usually one to three months; parts: no longer than you are prepared to cover.
• What voids the warranty is written in advance and can be shown on the device.
• The device’s condition goes on the job sheet at intake; what was done and the period go on the certificate at collection.
• A device came back — check first, then talk.
• Where there will be no workshop warranty, say so before the repair, not after.