The popularity of "Lifetime Warranties" has grown among manufacturers of home building products such as windows, doors, skylights and decking. However when it comes to the installation of these products consumers have fewer warranty options. Typical warranties are for a period of one year or less.
This appears to be changing as intrepid installers have begun offering Lifetime Warranties on complete systems such as roofing and weatherproofing. Misapplication of the system would be covered by the warranty. Some of the programs include a maintenance program that consists of two visits per year using a 26 point checklist. Visit an example of this here http://ca.prweb.com/releases/2007/8/prweb549169.htm for details.
This sounds attractive for consumers but questions remain for the companies that may be considering this approach: 1) How much of a premium will consumers be willing to pay for this coverage? 2) Will contractors be able to manage the expense of sending service personnel to inspect systems as much as twice per year? and 3) Will installers be able to overcome the consumer's fear that the installer may not be in business to honor the warranty?
