Overview of the Warranty
The Warranty covering the LESAPA Best-Choice™ Electronic-Larynx, is unique in the Speech-Aid Industry.
Currently, a Warranty in the Speech-Aid Industry is “time”-based -- it expires after a set-period of time -- typically, 5years. Which means that, if a previously-covered Part breaks after the “time”-period expires, the Customer must pay-for the Part and the Labor to fix it.
The dis-advantage of a “time”-based Warranty, is that not all the Parts will wear-out within 5years -- some may last longer-than 5-years; and then, break.
Also, during the typical-Warranty’s “time”-period, the Repair-provider must make a “judgement”: “Did the Part break on its own?” -- or -- “Was it the Customer’s ‘negligence’ which broke the Part…?”
Some examples of Customer-Negligence damage/mis-treatment:
1) dropping the Electronic-Larynx from a height sufficient to damage it;
2) exposing the Electronic-Larynx to heat or dampness;
3) one person’s Electronic-Larynx fell into the toilet;
4) another-person ran-over their Electronic-Larynx with a lawn-mower;
5) another-person used their Electronic-Larynx as a hammer.
The key-issue to the dis-advantage of the typical-Warranty, is that it ignores the fact that the Customer’s need for an Electronic-Larynx is NOT “time”-based -- it’s “need”-based.
For as-long as they’re alive, they need a working-Electronic-Larynx -- regardless of “why” it’s not-working.
And the “unspoken”-fact, is that, for the Customer, and for all Electronic-Larynx Companies, the issue of “Warranty” is a “silent” money-issue of: “Who will pay the cost of the Labor and Replacement-parts…?”
With the Company currently having “the final-say” in Warranty-matters, the Profit-forces of Business tilts the “judgement” in the Company’s favor. That-“tilt” not-only dis-advantages the Customer, it also “silently-poisons” the Customer’s relationship with that-Company -- every time their Electronic-Larynx “breaks or gets-broken”.
It “poisons” the relationship between the Company and the Customer -- especially because -- in today’s Economic-climate of “scarcity”, the typical-Customer --
1) mistakenly (unwittingly) lives-in the false-reality that …
“The term, Warranty, means, Free Repairs (Replacement-parts and Labor) for 5years, regardless of why the device is not-working.”
-- and --
2) mistakenly (unwittingly) lives-in the false-expectation that …
“For the next-5years, the Company will pay for everything, every time my Electronic-Larynx isn’t working right”.
Given that “Upsets naturally-occur when a person has an Unfulfilled-Expectation”, the un-thought-of question is,
“How does an Electronic-Larynx Company design a Warranty which precludes and prevents the ‘poisonous-to-Customer-relations’-upsets sourced by this ‘mistaken-expectation’-problem…?”
Recognizing that the “silent money-issue” is “the poisonous-factor causing the mistaken-expectation”, LESAPA has this-answer:
“Design a Warranty such that its Profit-forces move the Customer to responsibly take-care-of his/her Electronic-Larynx.”
With that Intended-Outcome as its aim, LESAPA offers an Electronic-Larynx Warranty based-on “Responsible Usage and Treatment” -- one which works without any “judgement-calls” needing to be made by the Repair-Provider.
Our Warranty-Policy is very simple: We’ll replace, twice, any of the Parts covered by the Warranty -- period. And, as is typical with any product one purchases, the Customer will pay the Shipping-costs to-and-from the Repair-provider.
The “twice”-number is based-on the Parts-testing by the Suppliers of the Parts used in the manufacture of the LESAPA Best-Choice™ Electronic-Larynx. That-testing finds “the number of use-cycles available, until that-Part wears-out or breaks under normal-‘Usage and Treatment’”.
For example -- only the Electronic-board, the On/Off-switch, and the Volume and Pitch control-wheels, are subject to usage-damage under normal-“Usage and Treatment”; because, other-than replacing a battery, the On/Off-switch and the Volume and Pitch control-wheels are the only parts which are touched by the Customer -- the other-Parts are not. Those-switches normally have a 20,000-uses life-cycle; and the wheels, 10,000 -- meaning-that, they shouldn’t break during the life of the Electronic-Larynx -- so, they’re covered by the Warranty if they do.
Which means that -- depending-on “Customer Usage and Treatment” and depending-on the Part -- the Warranty could be in-effect for more-than 5years. Ours, is not a “time”-based Warranty.
Because the Customer knows, up-front, “what to expect” -- the poisonous mistaken-expectation is eliminated.
The distinction between the Parts being “Covered” or “not-Covered” by the Warranty, is simple:
Parts which wear-out/break within their pre-determined “normal-‘Usage and Treatment’” life-cycle, are Covered.
Parts which only break if the Customer mis-treats them, are not-Covered.
These 4 parts are Covered by the Warranty -- and will be replaced twice, with no Part/Labor charge -- regardless of “why” it’s not-working:
* Coil-assembly
* Plastic-diaphragm
* Rubber-diaphragm
* On/Off-switch and Volume and Pitch control-wheels (1 item)
The remaining-6 parts are not-Covered by the Warranty -- because these parts don’t “wear-out”, and are only breakable by Customer mis-treatment -- listed, in order, from top to bottom:
* Top-cap [Black top-section protecting the rubber-diaphragm]
* VCM-assembly [Unbreakable solid-steel piece which can be seen if the rubber-diaphragm is removed. Located inside the second-section black plastic-tube to-which the Warranty Label is affixed.]
* Main Electronic-board [No moving-parts, not damage-able under normal-usage. However, if it is subjected to high static-current, or if it comes-into contact with water, it will short-circuit when the On/Off-switch is depressed.]
* Battery-contact Holder [white plastic-piece inside the Battery-tube]
* Battery-tube [silver lower-section of the Electronic-Larynx]
* Battery-cap [bottom-part which screws onto the Battery-tube]
** If the Electronic-Larynx is dropped into water, it will require Repair -- because the water will seep into the VCM-assembly and Coil-assembly. “Repair”, means, “taken-apart, dried, and the Main Electronic-board changed”.
If/When a Repair is needed, the Customer will ship the LESAPA Best-Choice™ Electronic-Larynx to the LESAPA Repair-provider; who, along with the details of the Repair, will log the Serial-Number and the Replacement of any Warranty-covered Parts -- and then, upon Receipt of the Return-Shipping cost, will return the Repaired-Electronic-Larynx to the Customer.
Example: If the Repair is due to water-damage; then, as stated, the Parts and Labor charges will not include the cost of the Replacement of the Warranty-covered Coil-assembly (if that is needed, see “ ** ” above) -- however, that-Replacement will count as one of the two allowed.
If the Repair requires replacement of a Part which has already-been twice-replaced -- a Part no-longer covered by the Warranty -- there will be a Charge for that-Part and for the Labor to fix it. However, there will be no Parts- nor Labor-Charges for any other Covered-Parts replaced during that-Repair.
Another valuable-advantage, is that our Warranty is transferable. It doesn’t matter who the original-Purchaser was -- because the LESAPA Repair-provider maintains a Log of the Repairs for each Serial-Number worked-on.
Thus, the LESAPA Best-Choice™ Electronic-Larynx Warranty rewards “Responsible Usage and Treatment” -- you take-care of your Electronic-Larynx, and the Warranty will take-care of you.
