What Is Computer Lemon Law? 

What are the chances of having ‘lemons’ among the millions of computers, parts and peripherals, and copies of software produced every year? Quality control can only do so much.

Lemons are defective or substandard products. The United States pioneered the enactment of statutes to help consumers seek redress for lemons purchased.

Aside from the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act and the Uniform Commercial Code, there are also state-specific lemon laws.

The computer lemon law does not only cover defective products. It also guards the computer industry’s non-delivery of its promised ‘excellent warranty service.’

This should not give anyone the idea that the United States is flooded with worthless products or dishonored warranties. It is, in fact, a proof of the Americans’ acute sense of consumerism.

Every new computer comes with a printed warranty. The Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, which is a federal law, gives consumers an absolute right to satisfactory warranty repairs.

If the company fails to repair the unit, then it has breached its warranty obligation, regardless of whether they acted in good faith to remedy the concern or not.

In that event, the consumer is entitled to a full refund or a new computer of the same or higher class without charge.

The company is also required to pay all legal fees and costs related to any successful claim. No ifs, not buts.

The law is not so forgiving even if the computer industry has come to accept as ‘normal’ that their products fail to perform as promised or cause you to lose valuable information.

Several state laws also give consumers the right to obtain more than refunds.

Consumers are even permitted to get three times the purchase price as damages.

That should teach computer companies to invest more on quality control and after-sales service.

Consumer rights are guaranteed by federal and state computer lemon laws so computer companies can’t just give their customers the run around.