The 'Changing' Swarovski Warranty

 The Swarovski Warranty

As we well know, Swarovski doesn't much like dealers and websites that are selling Swarovski figurines and jewelry at prices below their suggested manufactured retail price.  Swarovski receives their profit when orders are placed by retailers, and they pretty much command they sell their products at retail price.  They don't like it if those businesses are willing to operate on a lower profit margin, to keep the products moving through their inventory; and in the past, they have had no compunction to close dealers/retailers down, and/or remove their Swarovski product line from stores who violate this policy.

To further keep Collectors from purchasing their product from retailers and auction sites that are not authorized to sell Swarovski (like eBay and stores who cannot obtain licensing from Swarovski), they will no longer honor the Swarovski Warranty UNLESS the figurines were purchased directly from them, or an 'authorized' Dealer.   If you cannot provide a warranty card, and sales slip from an authorized retailer, showing both purchase price and date of purchase, they will not offer after-sales-services any longer. 
So what does that mean?
It means they won't repair your crystal if you cannot provide such proof, so you need to consciously decide how important that warranty is to you when you purchase their products.
Because CFC is a worldwide club site, we are aware that 'warranty' policies differ depending on the country.
For example, Australia has an open, 'we'll fix it' policy with no restrictions. You just bring the product back to an authorized store, and they send it back. Normally, they do this for no charge or very little expense. The UK has a similar policy, however, there may be restrictions on the period of time you have to return the product for repair.
Here in the U.S., we would call Swarovski North America, receive an authorization number, and pay a $5.00 fee + postage to return the product to them ourselves; supposedly we can now bring the product for repair to an authorized store.  In the past, Swarovski would not repair retired items or NLE's more than 3 years from the date of issue. It's unclear whether or not this policy has changed.
End Result: Pay Full Price for purchases at an 'authorized' dealer to obtain the warranty, or go without the warranty to purchase elsewhere at a more affordable price point. This is especially a more difficult decision when purchasing the more expensive issues.

Giving gifts of Swarovski Crystal could pose a problem, but supposedly Swarovski will honor 'gift' purchases by obtaining a 'gift receipt' from a Swarovski store or an authorized retailer.

As far as I'm concerned, Swarovski is just putting up more roadblocks for Collectors to consider when purchasing their product.
What do You Think ?


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