SEGWAY BATTERY WARRANTY GUARANTEE
TUE, 12/17/2013 - 4:06PM
With the new year just around the corner Segway has started to issue a few changes with the way they do things. Every year this occurs and typically the nature of such changes are internal protocols that are non-consequential for customers. This year we received an email regarding the 1 year battery warranty period that needs to be explained so customers know why they did it and what it means for them.
The new policy beginning January 1st, 2014 states that any batteries dealers purchase from this point on are going to be warrantied for a period of fifteen months from the day Segway ships them to a dealer. The current policy is that batteries have a twelve month warranty period from the day a customer purchases them from a dealer. At face value it looks like Customers have just received a three month extension on their Segway battery warranty however a little history lesson will clear up what is going on here.
The current policy of providing a one year warranty from the date a customer purchases a battery is long overdue for a change. Poor inventory management on behalf of Segway dealers has created a situation where both the customer and Segway get cheated. All batteries have a shelf life that begins ticking from the moment they are built, regardless if they are in use or not. Customers have brought in machines to us with batteries that were “about two years old” and in reality they were closer to five. What happens is sometimes dealers order to many batteries or don’t rotate their stock and someone gets stuck with a “new” battery that may be close to the end of its life. If it goes bad in the first year Segway eats it, anytime after that the customer takes it on the chin.
To compound the problems with Segway battery warranty claims is the issue of documentation. Just because you buy something from a dealer doesn’t mean you should assume they keep good records. We are not trying to create the image that Segway dealers are fly by night but it is not unheard of that a eleven month old invoice can’t be found. In these situations where purchase date documentation cannot be found there is no remedy for completing a warranty claim. The flipside to this is there is also nothing to keep someone from trying to scam Segway and creating a back dated receipt to have their old battery replaced. As you can see there are many challenges to the current Segway battery warranty replacement system, or lack of, that needed to be addressed to keep all parties from getting screwed. They have fixed the problem by simply starting the warranty period when it leaves their warehouse. The reason we are writing this article is that the new “fix” will bring along its own set of challenges.
The upcoming Segway battery warranty changes do two things: protect Segway from unnecessary warranty claims and incentivizes dealers to forecast their inventory properly. The problem with this is you may end up with a Segway
battery that lacks a full year warranty if it doesn’t sell fast enough. The new systems essentially gives dealers three months to sell a battery before the full twelve month warranty period starts to be shortened. To combat this uncertainty we want to make it very clear that all batteries sold on our website will ALWAYS have at least a full one year warranty from the invoiced date. Very rarely do we not turn our battery inventory every three months but in the case this doesnt happen and you end up with a lapse in warranty coverage in your first year we will pay the replacement cost (**read more about Segway battery warranty replacement process at end of article). If we sell a battery the day it comes in you may end up with a fifteen month warranty! All battery sales will be followed up with an email stating the date in which your warranty expires.
So now that you understand the new Segway battery warranty policy you can shop with knowledge and confidence as a well-informed customer. It is always good to trust but verify so please learn here how to read battery serial numbers. We write these articles to protect, inform, and aid customers in their decision making. No matter where you choose to buy your Segway battery we suggest you get warranty details in writing to protect your investment. If another party will not provide Segway battery warranty information rest assured you can always count on the guarantee provided from us in this very article!
**In the event your battery does go bad in the first year the process to make claim on your warranty is suprisingly easy. simply provide a copy of the invoice mailed with your order, mail us the bad battery once it is verified, and wait for your replacement. It is very important you keep the invoice sent with your battery as it will have the serial number information contained in it. The email generated from the site simply shows a transaction and does not contain a serial number. In the event you loose the mailed invoice your notice of shipment email will contain your batteries serial number along with warranty date information. This is our "Plan B" method to verify information so please make sure you put your original in a safe place. Turnaround time on a warranty claim takes around two weeks from the start of the process.
Please note that Segway battery warranty claims must be made within the warranty period. That sounds like a really dumb statement but we have had situations where customers expect us to retroactively apply warranties because they simply didnt get around to making a claim. The moment you have a warranty claim issue you need to tell us!