Can You Really Trust the Manufacturer’s Warranty? Yes, with the NLB’s Trusted Warranty Evaluation Program
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magine as a lighting designer, you are hired to work on a nursing home. The project owners highlight two main goals for the project: 1) the home must implement circadian lighting and 2) the project must be completed in one month. You immediately turn to the manufacturer you have been working with for years, Tried and True. You are comfortable with this manufacturer and, in the past, whenever you had issues with a fixture, they have handled it efficiently and professionally. Unfortunately, Tried and True will not have the fixtures you need in stock for another six weeks, well past the project’s completion date. Another manufacturer—New, Young, and Cool—has a nearly identical fixture in stock, but you don’t know anything about the company and find yourself wondering, “Will they stand behind their warranty?” This is when the National Lighting Bureau’s (NLB) Trusted Warranty Evaluation program comes in. In short, this program validates that a company reliably stands behind its warranty. Products carrying the NLB Trusted Warranty logo come from companies whose warranty departments have been audited and approved by the NLB. Any company that sells products in the U.S. or Canada and that meets the objective criteria set by the NLB will be approved by the program. Seeing that the fixtures you need carry this logo gives you peace of mind, knowing that New, Young, and Cool upholds the quality standards of its products and warranty administration. What’s more, this logo tells you that New, Young, and Cool meets at least eight of ten criteria within five specific areas of interest.
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— designing lighting
By MALIA HULLFISH
The first set of criterion looks at the company’s formal warranty and evaluates three criteria. Firstly, the warranty must be found easily on the company’s website within three search clicks from the homepage or within one click using search. The company should also have specific documented procedures for their warranty that keep its management informed of warranty issues. Finally, either an employee, department, or third party must be tasked with managing the warranty and their contact information must be readily available. Randy Reid, Executive Director of the NLB stated, that we were ready to launch the program on March 1st, but with pandemic, the launch date has been pushed. We are currently processing applications from OEMS and we will be conducting the audits beginning October 1. The next area of interest examines the warranty language. The warranty must be written in a way that the average person can understand and follow it. Additionally, the warranty must specify its start date. Often warranties, are filled with technical language that the layperson cannot understand. These criteria ensure that the company’s client understands exactly what the warranty does and does not cover. Next, the company must either a) have been in business longer than the length of the warranty or b) possess insurance that covers its warranty obligations. This prevents companies from offering warranties which they don’t have the financial means to back; additionally, by offering the option for warranty insurance, newer companies are not discriminated against. The fourth area includes a technical evaluation. Two SKUs (stock keeping units) will be chosen at random for reliability validation. A point will be awarded for each SKU that has reliability documentation. While the NLB