We bought a Generac portable inverter generator back in February. It had some teething trouble, but now is working fine and I’m happy with it. (I still think Lowes’ policy of not allowing returns of defective merchandise is criminal.) It has a three-year warranty. The first year covers parts and labor, and after that labor isn’t covered. So when Generac sent me a solicitation for an extended warranty, I actually looked at it. I don’t usually consider extended warranties: they’re almost always a bad deal. “Coverage includes parts and labor” seemed as though it might be worthwhile.
So I did the unthinkable. I actually read the terms and conditions.
It takes a few clicks before you see “Exclusions and limitations apply. See terms and conditions for details” and can actually download the eleven pages of legalese. Of course, the T&C has the usual “Entire Contract …this Contract constitute the agreement between Us and You relating to the provision of the service(s)…” saying basically that nothing they say in person or in writing or in ads or promotional materials can modify the contract. Keep reading, and you get to “General Exclusions – What is not Covered…Labor or travel expenses related to diagnosis,repair, removal, or replacement of Your Covered Generac Product(s).” [Emphasis added] So while the ad claims that parts and labor are covered, the actual contract excludes labor. In other words, it covers nothing that isn’t covered by the existing warranty.
I replied to the email and asked for clarification since that essentially makes the service plan worthless, but though the email address appears valid, it is actually an arrogant noreply address and my email bounced.
—2p