Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Am I missing something? It seems like a LOT of used Ricks are advertised for sale with the usual case candy, including an un-filled-out warranty card.

When I got a new Rick recently, one of the first things I did was fill out and mail in the warranty card. It just seemed prudent. Why wouldn't everybody do this? Well, I know some people are just not going to bother, but it feels like there are a lot of them.

Have I torpedoed the resale value of my new Rick by detaching the warranty card?

I haven't heard of too many warranty cases with Ric (as far as I know). They make a solid enough product , unless you're Pete Townshend, that you wouldn't need to fill out one.

Most of the reasons a guitar gets screwed up is down to owner mistreat/abuse ( leaving it in a car on a hot day, wrong setup etc. etc..), which would void a warranty anyways...Rics are solid if you treat them right.

Cheers,
-Collin

The warranty card has to be mailed in to RIC within 10 days of purchase, so there is really no point in hanging onto the warranty card.

Just read more about here.


http://www.rickenbacker.com/warranty.asp

I've never sent in a warranty card on any piece of musical gear. I've got lots of RIC warranty cards sitting in my cases...

While I've never had a problem with a new Rick, why keep the warranty card? If, unfortunately, you needed warranty help, little good the warranty card would do sitting in a case. I used to think sending in a warranty was a waste of time, until I had a problem with a new Martin... live and learn.

The instrument's original and unaltered warranty card must be completed and mailed to RIC along with a copy of your sales receipt as proof of purchase, within 10 days of purchase date in order to obtain service under the limited warranty. You may wish to retain a copy of the card and original sales receipt in case further proof of ownership is requested.

This is the part that always seemed a little puzzling to me. Let's say I purchase the guitar on the 15th. It takes a week to get to me. So by the time Big Brown pulls up to my door, it's the 22nd. I hastily bring in the carton, rip open the cardboard, retrieve the warranty card from the guitar case, fill it out and mail it. By the time it gets to Santa Ana, CA, it's probably the 26th of the month at the earliest. Zap! Warranty void.

Am I missing something here? (I've never had any difficulty with musical instruments failing and certainly wouldn't expect failure from a Rickenbacker, either.)

JimK

I still have mine...

Hmmm, I bought mine in November of 05 and it hasn't been built yet. That must void the warranty immediately

You'd probably have to call customer service to get a definitive answer, but I wouldn't think a card postmarked within the proper time frame would be rejected.

I also don't see where a warranty card would impact the resale value of the guitar. That's just me, though.

jimk wrote:

The instrument's original and unaltered warranty card must be completed and mailed to RIC along with a copy of your sales receipt as proof of purchase, within 10 days of purchase date in order to obtain service under the limited warranty. You may wish to retain a copy of the card and original sales receipt in case further proof of ownership is requested.

This is the part that always seemed a little puzzling to me. Let's say I purchase the guitar on the 15th. It takes a week to get to me. So by the time Big Brown pulls up to my door, it's the 22nd. I hastily bring in the carton, rip open the cardboard, retrieve the warranty card from the guitar case, fill it out and mail it. By the time it gets to Santa Ana, CA, it's probably the 26th of the month at the earliest. Zap! Warranty void.

Am I missing something here? (I've never had any difficulty with musical instruments failing and certainly wouldn't expect failure from a Rickenbacker, either.)

JimK

Mailed. Not received. In your hypothetical, the postmark date would be what... the 23rd or 24th? You'd be safe by a day or two.

Ah, yes. Of course.

Eh, it was all hypothetical anyway. So no worries.


JimK

Just so there was absolutely no confusion or dispute, I send mine certified---it only cost a couple bucks, and now I can get confirmation of the day it was mailed, and that it was delivered, from the USPS web site whenever necessary.

Some eBay ads make it sound like having the original warranty card is some sort of bonus, which I don't really understand; it just means that if there was a problem with a guitar, it definitely was not fixed by the factory.

Sometimes it's neat to see some ancient guitar with all the original tags and accessories in like-new condition, but most of the guitars I see like this aren't old ones, they're relativley new---a lot of them are the "grey market" guitars that are sold as new and unplayed but not by an actual Rick dealer. Maybe in that case they're trying to give the impression that the buyer can still register the guitar and get warranty coverage. If that's the case, it's borderline dishonest.

Having already detached my warranty card, now I'm thinking about taking my polishing cloth out of its bag!

buzfluhart wrote:The warranty card has to be mailed in to RIC within 10 days of purchase, so there is really no point in hanging onto the warranty card.

Just read more about here.


http://www.rickenbacker.com/warranty.asp

Companies do that so you will fill it out and register. They can't deny you warranty service because you did not send it in in 10 days. They can (most do) require an original dated receipt though.

I dont' think I ever sent in a warranty card for guitars..... I didn't see a point to make sure I did send it in as I take good care of my gear.

It's like anything else with collectibles.....provenance. The original warranty card is just one more
piece in the provenance puzzle....it's like having the original window sticker with a classic car.