Duotone what is the warranty for?

[leeuwen]

This is what EU consumer law is saying about it:

After-sale responsibilities/faulty products

If the product you sold turns out to be faulty — or doesn't look or work as advertised — within the timeframe of the legal guarantee, you are responsible for this. In some countries this can also be the case if you are the manufacturer or importer.
When can your customer claim redress?

Be aware that you are legally bound by any public statements you make about your products, especially through advertisements or on labels.

If you are a retailer, your customers can ask for redress under the legal guarantee provided by EU law - if an item:

* doesn't match the product description
* has different qualities from the model advertised or shown to the client
* is not fit for purpose - either its standard purpose or a specific purpose ordered by the customer which you accepted
* doesn't show the quality and performance normal in products of the same type
* wasn't installed correctly - either by you, or by the customer, due to shortcomings in the instructions

So you can argue that these are not met "within the timeframe of the legal guarantee" :
* is not fit for purpose - either its standard purpose or a specific purpose ordered by the customer which you accepted
* doesn't show the quality and performance normal in products of the same type

The last one is not black and white e.g. what is it expected "in products of the same type"
I would argue that 20-30 hours of normal usage does sound extremely low for a leaky valve since all my kites easily have way more hours without getting leaky valves and as such it should be covered.

Do note that this warranty often need to be covered by the seller/store not the manufacturer (as mentioned is depends on the country).
Anyway, as mentioned: as a store or "A" brand I would just eat these costs to make sure you get a returning happy customer ...

[leepasty]

Warranty is for manufacture defects.
If something is worn from use that is not a defect.
A used 50 times kite is not new, a leaking valve is prob a small bit of sand or a salt crystal inside and the worn safety line is also from sand. Neither are manufacture defects so not covered under warranty.

Well, I would argue that a sandy beach is something kite gear should be designed around…. It’s a pretty common place to find kite gear…

Of course how the equipment was handled matters and some wear might be preventable or in the case of valves it should be an easy to fix yourself by cleaning away some sand.
Assuming the valve is not such an easy fix I would argue it’s a design flaw or manufacturing defect if it cannot survive 50 sessions when used on sandy beaches.

Regarding the safety line: if the bar was properly flushed after use I would, again, certainly expect a safety line to last more then 50 sessions….

If warranty’s covered stuff such as sand going in the valve then as soon as you wanted a new kite you could just dip a wet pump end in the sand then attach to bladder and pump away. This would not only cause a leaky valve but also get sand inside bladder which after time will cause the bladder to get holes in.
There’s a reason some things aren’t a warranty.
Have a watch down the beach and you will be amazed how many people pump their kite without checking end of pump hose for sand or dirt