Amazon's warranty terms violate Chinese consumer rights regulations

NANJING - Part of US e-commerce giant Amazon's warranty terms violate China's consumer right regulations, according to an investigation report released Wednesday by the consumer council in East China's Jiangsu province.

Amazon's warranty, which allows for using refurbished parts and devices for repair and replacement, is against China's relevant regulation, which states that the parts and devices should be brand new, according to the report by Jiangsu Consumer Council (JCC).

Under Amazon's terms and conditions, the repaired parts or replaced products can only enjoy the remaining of the original warranty, or 90 additional days of warranty after the service.

This violates China's regulation on consumer rights, which stipulates that the warranty is renewed for the repaired major parts, or replaced products, after the service is conducted, the report said.

The report also noted Amazon's lack of warranty coverage on the software on its e-book reader Kindle.

Fu Zheng, head of the consumer complaints department of JCC, said the investigation found that Amazon did not offer after-warranty paid repair and that it should explicitly indicate this in its terms and conditions as consumer rely on such technical support.

The council said it would safeguard consumers' legitimate rights and interests through information disclosure, public investigation, inquiries and, if necessary, legal means such as public interest litigation.