Truck owners’ plea to vehicle manufacturers on warranty

‘Vehicles lay idle during lockdown’

Office-bearers of the Andhra Pradesh Lorry Owners’ Association (APLOA) have made an appeal to automobile manufacturing firms to extend the warranty and service schedules of their vehicles in view of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In separate letters addressed to Bapusaheb Bhadale, Senior Manager, Tata Motors Limited, Mumbai and Justin Arokiaraj of Ashok Leyland, Secunderabad, general secretary of the Association Y.V. Eswara Rao on Tuesday pointed out that the transport industry had incurred heavy loss due to low productivity by the industries and insufficient loading to operate their trucks during the pandemic-induced lockdown. A majority of the trucks were lying idle during the lockdown, he said, requesting for an extension of the warranty period for two more years and to reschedule the service schedules.

Mr. Rao said that since most of the workshops were closed during the lockdown, the companies did not attend to activities like carrying out repairs or regular services as per schedule.

Mr. Rao referred to reports that some of the manufacturers were refusing to admit warranty on transfer of ownership of the truck. “Warranty means belief, an assurance on the durability of the product manufactured by you and sold to the customer. Transfer of ownership should not reduce the durability of your product,” he said. He also pointed out that the on-road price of the vehicles included warranty assurance and that it was not complimentary to the customer. With the transfer of ownership, all rights of the product are transferred, including warranty for the assured period, by default, he said.