Archived Copies of Warranty Week

December 2002 to Today

Top 100 Warranty Providers of 2021: With all the different industries that issue warranties and the products they cover, it wouldn't be proper to compare one company directly to another. However, we can compare companies to themselves over time, and then rank the biggest changes up or down, which is exactly what we're doing in this week's newsletter, in a series of six top ten charts.
March 31, 2022
Warranty Snapshots of the Top 100 Providers: So far this year, most of the largest warranty providers have paid out more in claims and set aside more in accruals than they did last year. But when product sales are factored in, most companies saw their warranty expense rates fall, because sales rose somewhat faster than expenses did.
December 9, 2021
Mid-Year HVAC & Appliance Warranty Metrics: The totals and averages are moving in response to the ups and downs of the top manufacturers. But they didn't move much in response to the pandemic or the lockdowns that follows. At the same time, for at least one top home improvements retailer, the extended warranty business is booming.
October 21, 2021
Mid-Year Aerospace Warranty Report: While in years past the top civil aviation manufacturers and their suppliers basically split the industry's warranty expenses between them, in recent years several of the OEMs have run into costly warranty issues. Meanwhile, the suppliers continue to cut their warranty costs steadily.
October 14, 2021
Mid-Year U.S. Truck Industry Warranty Metrics: During the lockdowns, sales were down and so were accruals for the top truck makers. But warranty claims barely changed, and were actually down more this year than last. And while extended warranty sales fell precipitously in 2020, they're still not back up to the record levels we saw in 2019.
September 30, 2021
Mid-Year U.S. Auto Warranty Expenses: As if the pandemic wasn't enough of a challenge, the top U.S.-based automakers also now face a spike in recall costs that have driven up their warranty accruals dramatically, not only at the end of 2020 but also in the middle of 2021. The result is alarming warranty expense levels not seen before, but easy to spot in these charts.
September 16, 2021
Top Asian Automaker Warranty Expenses: While the top carmaker in India seems to be getting its warranty expenses under control, recall-driven warranty costs have spiraled out of control for the top two Korean carmakers. Hyundai's accrual rate more than doubled to nearly 6.5% last year, while Kia approached 5%.
August 12, 2021
European Automaker Warranty Expenses, Part 1: Six out of the seven top car manufacturers based in Europe have delivered their annual reports detailing their 2020 sales and warranty expenses. All saw sales declines but some actually increased their warranty expenses last year.
May 20, 2021
Top 100 Warranty Providers of 2020: As we've done for the past 18 years, it's time to compare the most recent warranty metrics of the largest warranty providers in the U.S. to their year-ago warranty metrics, to see which of them have most successfully reduced their warranty costs.
March 18, 2021
Detroit Auto Warranty Update: It was supposed to be a down year, with car sales down and warranty expenses down also. The first part came true, and warranty work was way down last spring, but the latest financial data from the top U.S.-based automakers has warranty costs soaring late last year.
February 18, 2021
Warranty in the Biden Administration: A new president from a different party brings with him not only a radically new set of policies, but also a completely new batch of policymakers. Though barely a week old, the new administration has already filled many of those job openings, and has already signaled some of its top priorities.
January 28, 2021
Warranty Snapshots of the Top 100 Providers: So far this year, claims are down significantly and accruals are down by significantly more. But warranted product sales are down by only -7%, which for a pandemic is not terrible. And because of the interplay between those metrics, warranty expense rates are down only slightly overall.
December 10, 2020
Top 100 Warranty Providers of Mid-2020: As we detailed in last week's newsletter, sales are falling faster than warranty expenses, so the average claims and accrual rates are rising. But that's just the average. Some companies are actually seeing sales increases, and for others so are their warranty costs. This week, we rank those changes, and spotlight the ten biggest percentage increases and decreases.
October 8, 2020
American Auto Warranty Expenses: In this first part of a worldwide automotive warranty report, we find last year's slowdown turning into this year's slump. But the warranty expenses of the top U.S.-based automakers were actually up last year, and have failed to fall as fast as sales did this year, leading to increased expense rates.
August 20, 2020
HVAC Equipment Warranty Report: The big news is that after years in which most of the top HVAC companies were part of much larger conglomerates, now we have two new "pure play" industry members after the latest round of spin-offs and divestments.
May 28, 2020
Computer Warranty Report: Warranty accruals and reserves rose for the first time in years, but the long-term decline in the computer hardware industry continues nevertheless. Apple and HP see only minor changes in their warranty metrics. But some of the top disk drive makers are seeing expenses rise significantly.
April 30, 2020
Top 100 Warranty Providers of 2019: Though the very largest manufacturers and warranty providers rarely report massive changes in their warranty metrics from one year to the next, at least a few of the mid-sized companies always seem to report cutting their claims and accrual expenses in half. And 2019 is no exception, with major warranty cost reductions reported by several manufacturers.
April 9, 2020
Truck Industry Warranty Metrics: Claims are up but so are sales. Warranty reserve fund balances hit a new high at the end of 2019, and claims came close to doing so. And extended warranty sales continue to soar for most of the top on-highway and off-road truck, bus, industrial, construction, and farm equipment manufacturers.
March 19, 2020
U.S. Commercial Vehicle Makers: The warranty expense data in their latest financial reports suggest that the top U.S.-based truck, bus, construction equipment, and agricultural vehicle makers are doing just fine, with relatively stable amounts of claims and accruals, after several reported noticeable expense spikes in previous years.
December 19, 2019
U.S. Consumer Vehicle Makers: The nine-month financial reports suggest that the top U.S.-based passenger car, motorcycle and recreational vehicle makers have seen a slight increase in their warranty costs and a slight decrease in sales, resulting in an upturn in their claims rates. But it's nothing like what happened to them a decade ago, when sales plunged by unprecedented amounts and claims costs didn't.
December 5, 2019
CCHS Changes Name to Cinch Home Services: Cross Country Home Services, a top home warranty provider, has changed its name to highlight its effort to leverage web and mobile technology to improve the customer experience and make its services a cinch to use.
October 31, 2019
Jet Engine Warranty Expense Report: On the one hand, the warranty expenses of the top engine makers are setting record highs. On the other hand, that increase could be caused by the non-aviation product lines of some of these conglomerates. But we might know the answer soon, as some of those product lines are spun off.
October 17, 2019
Truck Extended Warranty Sales: New accounting rules require companies to disclose their "service-type warranty" sales. Last year, five of the top U.S.-based truck manufacturers sold more than $1.2 billion worth of extended warranties, a stunning 18% gain over 2017.
August 29, 2019
Top Asian Automaker Warranty Expenses: The recent trend has been upward for the warranty metrics of these Korean and Indian car companies, with some of their expenses setting new record highs. Their warranty costs are far from out of control, but they're no longer low, which is bad for companies known for their lengthy warranties.
August 15, 2019
Top Chinese Automaker Warranty Expenses: Claims jumped but accruals fell. Automotive revenue rose but unit sales declined. The warranty metrics of the top Chinese OEMs are puzzling, and the amount of accruals they each set aside per vehicle sold is impossibly low. Something is just not right with these numbers.
August 1, 2019
Top Japanese Automaker Warranty Expenses: Toyota and Honda continue to recover from their recall-related spikes in warranty costs. But for Nissan Motor Company Ltd., there's not much change to report. The company's warranty expense rates have remained stubbornly close to one percent for more than a decade.
July 25, 2019
European Auto Warranty Expenses: While Volkswagen continues to recover from a record-setting recent spike in its warranty costs, some of the other top European carmakers have continued to drive down their warranty costs. Six warranty metrics are detailed for four companies over the past 16 years.
July 11, 2019
Building Material Warranty Report: As we've seen in recent reports, warranty costs are generally far below their levels of 16 years ago. But in the building trades, depending how we break them into groups, the most recent expense rates of the top manufacturers are the same or slightly higher than they were in 2003.
June 6, 2019
Telecom Industry Warranty Report: While many of the top equipment manufacturers continue to lose business to, or get acquired by foreign firms, there are still several hundred U.S.-based telecom companies paying claims and maintaining warranty reserves. But there's no denying that the business isn't what it used to be a decade ago.
May 16, 2019
Aerospace Warranty Report: Claims and accruals continue to fall for the top aerospace OEMs, though the warranty expense rates of aerospace suppliers has been rising for two years now. And the recent acquisition of Rockwell Collins by United Technologies has made the industry's largest warranty provider even bigger.
March 28, 2019
Home Service Technology: How Smart is Your Home? The Top 5 Ways Technology Will Transform the Home Warranty Business
January 3, 2019
Chinese Auto Warranties: It's not a topic you hear much about, with good reason. While more new cars are now sold in China than in any other country, most of the top ten manufacturers report that warranty costs are a minor expense. And even though the competition is fierce, warranty remains a minor concern.
October 18, 2018
Computer Industry Warranty Report: The warranty costs of the top U.S.-based computer manufacturers are declining, but not at the expense of their suppliers. Instead, their costs seem to be declining together in parallel, with their expense rates now roughly half as high as they were 15 years ago.
May 10, 2018
Top 100 Warranty Providers of 2017: While total claims and accruals fell last year, some companies saw their warranty costs soar. By comparing each company to itself over time, we can spot the most and least improved warranty providers. And we can also spot the accounting eccentricities of those few that act like nobody's watching.
March 15, 2018
US Automaker Warranty Report: GM takes the lead as its warranty cost per vehicle dips below $300, allowing it to take a whopping $1.3 billion out of its reserve fund. Ford remains steady while Tesla still has unusually high warranty expenses. And GM is now third on the list of top warranty providers based in the U.S.
March 8, 2018
Update on the A-Team of Extended Warranties: In a new burst of merger and acquisition activity, two of the top players in the extended warranty and service contract industry are moving things around. Assurant is buying The Warranty Group, AmTrust is taking itself private, and it's selling half of Warrantech to private equity investors.
January 25, 2018
Construction Equipment Warranties: While most of the top industry players are diverse manufacturers of a wide variety of products, some make little besides construction and mining equipment. And these "pure plays" can provide us with clues about the typical warranty expenses of those manufacturers that don't include any details about their claims and accruals in their financial statements.
August 17, 2017
Top 100 Warranty Providers of 2016: While we can't directly compare the warranty expenses of companies to each other, we can compare a company to itself over time, and can then make comparisons based on the rate of change. In doing so, we can spot the companies cutting their warranty expense rates significantly, as well as those whose warranty costs are beginning to spin out of control.
March 16, 2017
Service Contract Pricing: Appliances: While the typical appliance service contract costs roughly 14% to 16% of the price of the product it protects, there is an enormous amount of variation, depending on which administrator the retailer works with, how long the contract lasts, and whether the product is low end or top of the line.
February 9, 2017
Service Contract Pricing: Washer/Dryers: While it costs a little more to protect washers than dryers, on a proportional basis it also costs less to protect expensive washers and dryers than low-priced units. And while none of the top appliance vendors want to sell one-year service contracts, plenty of retailers and administrators are willing to protect washers and dryers for five or even 10 years.
January 12, 2017
Service Contract Pricing: Game Consoles: Though not all electronics retailers sell them, video game consoles are a major part of the service contract industry. And because the top three systems now on the market are similarly priced, the differences in the pricing of the service contracts offered alongside them become all the more obvious.
November 10, 2016
Service Contract Pricing: Laptops: Laptop service contracts, as a percentage of the price of the product they protect, are more expensive at the low end of the market and less expensive at the high end. But there is a very wide variation between the top and the bottom. Laptop service contracts can cost anywhere between 4% and 91% of the price of the computer.
October 27, 2016
Service Contract Pricing: Blu-ray Disc Players: The price of the product varies tremendously among top retailers. And so does the price of the protection plans they pair with these units. Some plans are priced low because they don't start coverage until the manufacturer's warranty ends, and they don't cover accidental damage. But others vary for more mysterious reasons.
October 13, 2016
Sports Equipment & Consumer Electronics Warranty Report: While they're not the top sources of warranty expenses, there is a lot of warranty activity in these industries. So rather than bury their claims and accruals in the "other" category, let's take a look at the warranty costs of everything from karaoke machines to golf clubs.
June 9, 2016
Top 100 Warranty Providers of 2015: Most of the major warranty providers have published their annual reports in the past few weeks. By comparing their most recent warranty claims, accrual, and reserve metrics against the same expense figures from a year ago, we can make a series of top 10 lists of the most improved and the most injured warranty providers.
March 17, 2016
Declining Accruals in Detroit: This news can't wait for summer: Ford and General Motors set aside less in warranty accruals per vehicle sold last year than ever before. Thanks to a well-timed coincidence of rising sales, falling warranty costs, rising reliability, and reduced recalls, the top two passenger car and light truck makers in Detroit are cutting their warranty expenses to just a few hundred dollars per vehicle sold.
February 25, 2016
Top Warranty Acquisitions: Every once in a while, a manufacturer or retailer is acquired and ceases reporting its warranty expenses, while the acquiring company reports the amount of warranty reserves it gained through the purchase. What follows are some of the largest transactions of and by U.S.-based warranty providers in the past 18 months.
November 12, 2015
International Aircraft Warranties: The bigger the plane, the higher the price, and the lower the warranty expense rate as a percentage of that average selling price. The products of the top seven aircraft manufacturers in the world can basically be ranked in size order, with the largest paying under 0.4% on warranties and the smallest paying 4% or more on warranties.
August 6, 2015
International Consumer Goods Warranties: One good reason that not much is ever written about the expense of covering consumer electronics with product warranties: costs generally aren't that high. Except for laptops and smartphones, the expense rates for most consumer electronic products are generally quite low. But there are some big gaps in the amount of warranty data that's available, outside of a handful of top industry brands.
July 30, 2015
International Heavy Equipment Warranties: Compared to U.S. market leaders, the top Japanese and European makers of mining, construction and farm equipment have generally lower warranty expense rates. But that seems to have more to do with the way they divide their revenue into warranted and non-warranted sources than it does with the actual warranty expenses.
July 23, 2015
European Auto Warranty Report: In this initial piece of a two-part series, we look at the claims rates and accruals-per-vehicle rates of five of the top European automotive OEMs. Whether we count in euro or dollars, some of them have the most expensive factory warranties in the world. But a few have managed to cut those costs over the past decade.
July 9, 2015
Top 100 Warranty Providers of 2014: While we can't directly compare one company's warranty expenses to another's, we can compare each company to itself over time, and then compare the magnitude of the changes. What follows is a list of the manufacturers that have raised or lowered their warranty expense rates the most from 2013 to 2014.
March 12, 2015
Top International Warranty Expense Reductions: While HP saved itself a billion dollars a year, two German carmakers have saved themselves twice as much. Three others have cut their annual claims payments by hundreds of millions of dollars a year in the past decade.
January 22, 2015
Top Warranty Expense Reductions: Using a list of just the top 200 warranty providers, we found one company whose warranty managers have cut costs by a billion a year within a decade, two more that cut hundreds of millions a year, and five that cut tens of millions a year from their employers' annual claims cost. And there were 16 more that deserved honorable mentions for their efforts.
January 15, 2015
Warranty Year in Review: While some companies enjoyed record highs on the stock market, others suffered as rising warranty costs cut into profits. Some even went out of business. And top automakers once and for all proved how useless the TREAD Act is when it comes to protecting customers.
January 8, 2015
Appliance & HVAC Warranties: Expenses are down in early 2014, partially because of lower product sales and partially because of effective cost-cutting programs. But GE is leaving the business and the other top manufacturers are among the best cost-cutters. So expenses are likely to keep falling.
September 18, 2014
Mobile Phone Insurance Market Shares: The top four wireless carriers in the U.S. collect more than $7.8 billion in protection plan premiums from their customers, and top electronics retailers collect an additional $4.3 billion for mobile phone service contracts. A handful of administration and insurance companies work with them.
November 14, 2013
Consumer Electronic Warranties: The top companies don't have very high warranty expense rates. Outside of laptops and smartphones, their product warranties aren't all that costly. So perhaps warranty claims and repair costs are not a big deal for most consumer electronics companies
July 18, 2013
Top 100 Warranty Providers of 2012: While most of the largest manufacturers continued to reduce their warranty costs last year, some saw dramatic increases. Here are the top up and down percentage changes of the year for three warranty metrics: claims, accruals, and reserves.
March 14, 2013
Warranty Marksmen, Part 2: In high-tech industries, a few dozen companies have apparently learned how to expertly tune their warranty accrual rates and reserve fund balances, so that there's always enough money set aside to pay claims. Here are the top 20.
December 6, 2012
Warranty Analytics Study: IDC has profiled nine of the top providers of warranty analysis software and services, ranking them on both capabilities and marketing strategies. And while SAS gets the highest score, the companies closest behind them are somewhat unexpected.
June 7, 2012
Average Warranty Costs per Industry: One can get a good idea of the industries where warranty is most important by looking at both the amount they pay and the percentage of sales that those payments represent. And the data suggests that automotive, computers and appliances are at the top of the list.
May 31, 2012
Top 100 Warranty Providers of 2011: While most of the largest manufacturers continued to reduce their warranty costs last year, some saw dramatic rises. Here are the top percentage increases and decreases of the year for claims, accruals, and reserves.
March 15, 2012
Top 100 Warranty Providers: While most manufacturers keep cutting their warranty costs, some report massive spikes in their claims and accrual rates for the year ended in September. Others continue to recover from past spikes, with some of the largest declines of the year.
December 29, 2011
Automotive Warranty Report: As vehicle makers get back to normal and sales rebound, one thing that's not bouncing back is their warranty expense. Key warranty metrics continue to decline, including claims as a percentage of revenue. And once again, the warranty reserve fund balances of the top vehicle makers and their suppliers are growing.
September 22, 2011
Warranty Reserves vs. Accruals, Part One: With 32 quarters of data, it's becoming easier to see which companies carefully calibrate their warranty budgets and which make it up as they go along. Here are the "scores" for the top three in each of six industries.
June 16, 2011
Top 100 Warranty Providers of 2010: The biggest warranty providers also seem to be the most stable. Those that saw the greatest annual changes in warranty claims, accruals or reserves tended to be a bit smaller, whether the changes were up or down.
March 18, 2011
Top Appliance Retailers: In an informal online shopping excursion, we found all but one retailer selling extended warranties, typically for between 10% and 20% of the price of the appliances they cover. Durations ranged from two to five years, though one regional retailer also offered a ten-year "major component only" plan.
January 20, 2011
Construction Equipment
Warranties: While sales fell in 2008, warranty claims continued to rise well into 2009. So some of the top construction equipment makers saw their claims rates reach all-time highs last year. In the first half of 2010, however, things seem to be getting back to normal.
October 21, 2010
Computer Warranty
Claims & Accruals: No news is good news as the computer industry's top warranty providers turn in predictable warranty expense reports. Despite economic turmoil, new product launches and multiple recent acquisitions, claims and accrual rates just aren't changing much.
September 16, 2010
OEM Vehicle Service Contracts, Part 1: The top brands of passenger cars frequently administer and also underwrite the vehicle service contracts their franchised dealers sell. But they prefer if not much is said about it publicly.
August 12, 2010
Japanese & European Warranties: While consumer electronics have some of the lowest warranty costs, computers have some of the highest claims rates. And telecom gear is somewhere in the middle, as a look at eight of the top international suppliers details.
July 22, 2010
Top Auto Insurance Companies: One would expect a high correlation between those offering auto insurance policies and those offering vehicle service contracts or mechanical breakdown insurance to consumers. But Zurich is the only one with a major presence in both.
June 25, 2010
Top 100 Warranty Providers of 2009: By comparing companies to themselves over time, we're able to identify those with the biggest changes in claims and accrual rates. And while change is good, too much change may not be. Appearances on multiple top 10 lists can imply instability or an unfamiliarity with the warranty process.
April 1, 2010
Top 100 Warranty Providers at Midyear: Was that the sound of the bottom of the recession? If so, financial data from the first half of 2009 provides a detailed record of how warranty providers reacted to a collapse in sales and a jump in claims. Though some of the largest warranty providers didn't make it, those that did are enjoying the benefits of recent claims processing automation projects and other cost-cutting efforts.
September 3, 2009
Aerospace Warranty Trends: Unlike the computer and passenger car industries, in the commercial aviation industry the customer-facing brand names and their suppliers share warranty costs much more equitably. Then again, these multi-million-dollar jets and helicopters are hardly consumer products. And since safety and reliability are such top priorities, consistently low warranty costs are to be expected.
April 9, 2009
Top 100 Warranty Providers of 2008: Of all the companies spending the most on warranty, none of the largest reported massive percentage changes in 2008, which confirms the stability of their warranty programs. But there were plenty of big changes in claims and accrual rates further down the list, some for the better and some for the worse.
March 13, 2009
Warranty Cost Cutting: Among the top 100 warranty providers, more than half have reduced the percentage of sales they allocate to warranty costs in the past year. Some have cut their accrual rates by a third, a half, or even more. And many have also seen their claims rates fall, suggesting not only cost cutting but also quality improvements.
November 20, 2008
Top 100 Warranty Providers: Compared to a year ago, much has changed in terms of warranty claims, accruals, and reserves. Key ratios suggest that some companies are enjoying vastly reduced repair costs thanks to quality gains. However, for the largest manufacturers, the percentage of sales they spend on warranty hasn't changed much.
September 5, 2008
Top 100 Warranty Providers: Key ratios show how some manufacturers have made fairly radical changes in their warranty finances over the past year. But, like a dog that doesn't bark, what's remarkable is how few of the biggest warranty providers have seen relatively big increases or decreases since March 2007.
June 12, 2008
Top 100 Warranty Providers: Though total warranty claims were up only slightly in 2007, some manufacturers saw massive changes up or down. While we can't compare companies directly to each other, we can compare each company to itself. And we can measure those rates of change, detecting both improving and deteriorating warranty circumstances.
March 26, 2008
WCM Keynote Address: For the first time, a top automotive executive delivers the keynote address at the WCM Conference next month in San Diego. His message to attendees will stress the need for common standards to improve warranty workflow among partners, suppliers, competitors, and dealers.
February 7, 2008
Top 100 Warranty Providers: While manufacturers' warranty costs shouldn't be compared directly against one another, they can be compared against themselves over time. And when one looks at those with the biggest percentage increases and decreases, one sees the biggest warranty winners and losers of the past year.
January 10, 2008
Mid-Year Warranty Report: Numerous companies continue to fine-tune their warranty spending, reacting to claims rate fluctuations by modifying accruals. While warranty spending by one company can't be compared to another's, we can compare a company to itself over time, by way of a series of top ten lists.
August 15, 2007
The Chief Warranty Officer: Having detected something of a plateau in warranty activity, one speaker at the WCM Conference calls for the creation of a job position that cuts across the many departments with interests in warranty.

Yet some top executives still see warranty as nothing but a cost that needs to be reduced, and pay little attention to its potential to increase customer loyalty or build a brand's image of quality. Perhaps that's why a warranty champion is needed?
March 20, 2007
Product Warranty Spending: With most of the third quarter financial reports behind us, it's looking like warranty spending is up only slightly in 2006. But the changes at some of the top warranty providers are very large, in both dollar and percentage terms.
December 12, 2006
Warranty Stability:  Whether a company pays a little or a lot for warranty claims, the stability of the reserve fund should be preserved. But out of the top 100 warranty providers, only 24 seem to be doing it well, as measured by changes in some key ratios over time.
October 31, 2006
Top 100 Warranty Providers: In this midyear report, we look at who's up and who's down compared to a year ago. Driven by acquisitions and longer warranties, some companies are paying out more than ever before. But others have found ways to cut their outlays by big numbers.
September 26, 2006
Digital Projector Warranties: Engineers have known since the days of Thomas Edison that bulbs eventually burn out. For customers looking to buy a projector, however, the high cost of replacement lamps and the relatively brief warranties provided for them aren't always top of mind.
September 20, 2006
Auto Warranty vs. Quality: Does the total cost of warranty have any correlation to product quality? Based on the worldwide claims rates seen for the top five carmakers and quality data collected in the U.S. by J.D. Power and Associates, one does seem to be related to the other.
June 20, 2006
Warranty Marksmanship: Companies that accurately predict warranty claims and maintain adequate warranty reserves are at the top of their game. And now it's possible to compare their aim by looking at a chart that compares reserves to accruals.
May 16, 2006
Top 50 Warranty Providers: While most large manufacturers saw warranty claims rise in 2005, most also saw sales gains that helped relieve the pain. Even GM and Ford saw only modest upticks in the percentage of sales they pay in claims. And some such as Boeing saw claims plummet.
April 19, 2006
Top 50 Warranty Providers: While 20 saw declines in the percentage of revenue spent on warranty claims, all but 12 paid out more claims in dollars during the first half of 2005. Rising product sales made the difference.
August 30, 2005
Warranty Claims & Accruals: Ten quarters of data for the top ten U.S.-based warranty providers show just how variable and seasonal claims rates can be for some companies and how consistent they've been for others.
August 23, 2005
Top 50 Warranty Providers: Manufacturers spent more than $25 billion last year on warranty claims, but sales rose a bit faster, so claims as a percentage of revenue fell slightly. Most of the top 50, however, saw their claims rates fall more.
May 3, 2005
Warranty Conference,
Part Four: Your best customers buy extended warranties. And the proper administration of extended warranties can boost customer loyalty. Two top executives explain how it's done.
March 29, 2005
Extended Warranty Administrators: While auto and PC manufacturers have the top spots, insurance companies and third party administrators grab the bulk of the pie.
January 19, 2005
Product Warranty Providers: Gateway holds onto the title of most improved for 2003-2004, but almost three-quarters of the top 50 manufacturers are seeing their warranty claims rates decline year over year.
January 5, 2005
Warranty Claims & Accruals: While some U.S. manufacturers are still preparing their latest financial statements, most of the largest warranty providers have already announced their second quarter claims and accruals. While some of the top 50 are spending more on warranty than a year ago, most are spending less, and a few are spending a lot less.
August 17, 2004
Warranty Claims: While some U.S. manufacturers are still preparing their latest financial statements, most of the largest warranty providers have already announced their first quarter claims and accruals. Half of the top 50 are spending more on warranty than a year ago while half are spending less.
May 18, 2004
Top 50 Warranty Providers: The data is in, and there are four new names on the list of companies with the largest warranty programs. American manufacturers reported more than $23.675 billion in warranty claims during 2003, a rate very close to $2 billion a month.
March 23, 2004
Warranty Claims: While hundreds of manufacturers have now filed financial reports detailing their warranty activity during the third quarter, it remains unclear why claims rose by more than five percent. Is it a seasonal fluctuation? Or is it proof that the recession is finally behind us? Here's a down payment on the answer, highlighting trends among the top 50 warranty providers.
December 8, 2003
Don't TREAD On Me: While the top tier of automotive manufacturers fumes about the burden of TREAD Act compliance, a group of small trailer manufacturers mounted a grassroots effort to gain an exemption for themselves from Congress.
October 27, 2003
More Details on the Top U.S. Warranty Spenders: Readers ask for the warranty cost of the 40 largest, with 85% of total warranty spending, to be retabulated on the basis of warranted product revenue only.
June 23, 2003