Should 2nd. Buyer Receive Guarantee ?

once again, this is a legal question wrapped in marketing considerations. there is no federal requirement for warrantors to transfer warranties to secondary, tertiary, etc. purchasers of any product, of which i'm aware. moreover, despite the urban myths to the contrary, there is no federal or state requirement for manufacturers to maintain an inventory of repair or replacement parts for any product for any period. if you are concerned about the transferability of warranties, make your inquiries when they count, before purchase. otherwise, expect warranties NOT to be transferable, which is frequently if not usually the case. -kelly

The manufacturer should back up their product regardless of who uses it at the time it requires service. When the unit is produced there is a serial number assigned to it, they know how old the unit is. By not supporting warranty claim to a secondary owner they are shirking their responsibilities and using a loophole to overcharge for repair work that really is caused by premature failure and morally should be repaired and returned with an apology. I consider this good business practice. Kelly is likely accurate in his response, BUT, it doesn't make it right nor should we as consumers accept it. This stuff costs too much to accept anything but top-notch service. Being in the semiconductor business for 18 years, if the part fails it's replaced immediately at no charge. A thorough failure analysis of the failed device is performed and a detailed report provided, at no cost to the customer. Why would we allow the integrators of integrated circuits (audio manufacturers) to offer anything less than the parts suppliers they deal with? Best, Jeff

I'm glad to see that someone mentioned Bryston, their 20 year tranferrable warranty is exemplary-- and I don't even own Bryston equipment. When I purchased two Levinson components used, their customer service rep. asked me to send him the serial numbers and he would transfer the remainder of the 5 yr. warranty to me-- I was impressed. I really like the transferrable warranty-- some offer it and some don't. It's just a business decision. Craig

Actually, transferrable warranty goes even one step further as it can "influence" your purchase decission.
Before I bought my Mark Levinson equipment I seriously considered a Krell 350MC or a 600 but after learning that the warranty can only be transferred by an authorized Krell dealer, but the equipment I was interested in was sold by a private person, I changed my mind and went with ML instead. I sure like that they honor the warranty and it was just a matter of providing the serial numbers.
To a smaller extend it might even backfire at the manufacturer as when purchasing new equipment you might already think about warranty transfer when you are ready to sell or upgrade.
For me it's important that the "used" equipment has a warranty as I fully agree with all of you that the warranty is with the equipment and not with the person buying it, thus, it should be honored by the manufacturer.
And regarding Bryston I just bought a used 10B-Sub x-over and still have 19! years of warranty left. They had no problem with the transfer either. What else could I ask for?!

Of course the warranty should be transferrable to the 2nd owner! I've been in the automotive business virtually all of my working life. When a customer purchases a new vehicle from us, the manufacturer gives a 36 month/36000 mile bumper to bumper warranty. Should the owner decide to sell it in a year, the 2nd owner receives the balance of the 36/36 warranty. If the 2nd owner sells, the 3rd owner receives the balance of the warranty. And so on...and so on...and so on... A smart company keeps track of the money spent on warranty repairs. In their yearly analysis of warranty dollars spent per model, they divide the cost out among all of the units sold and come up with the average money spent per model. The company then "includes" the average $ spent per model into the cost of purchase! The cost is generally passed on to the consumer in a higher priced product. It then does not matter how many owners the vehicle has. It still has warranty! If I were to purchase a used car...I would pick one that still had warranty on it as would probably most of you. Most of us hi end enthusiasts take great care of our equipment. Many car owners don't. Wise up manufacturers...it's a consumer driven market. Your product is more valuable if your warranty is transferable.