Knowledge/Brands and suppliers/Extended warranty, and what it ties you to
Extended warranty, and what it ties you to
Every extension we found comes with strings. Rinnai offers up to 4 extra years, but only with scheduled servicing by Rinnai and online registration within the first 12 months. ActronAir offers it on commercial units, up to 5 years in total. On residential, ActronAir says extension isn't available.
- Rinnai
- Up to 4 extra yearsservicing by Rinnai, register in 12 months
- ActronAir commercial
- Plus 3 years5 years maximum total
- ActronAir residential
- Not availableand not on accessories either
- Bonaire
- 2 extra yearsapply within 6 months
Who offers an extended warranty, and on what terms?
| Brand | Extension | What it costs you |
|---|---|---|
| Rinnai | Up to 4 extra years, called Rinnai Service Advantage | Scheduled servicing by Rinnai, and online registration within the first 12 months of installation |
| ActronAir, commercial | An extra 3 years under ActronAir's "Service Under Warranty" program, up to 5 years in total | Must be serviced at least every 3 months (commercial) |
| ActronAir, residential | Not available | None |
| ActronAir, accessories | Not available | None |
| Bonaire | 2 years, applied for within 6 months of installation | Servicing by Bonaire-authorised technicians only |
What does an extended warranty really sign you up for?
Read those conditions together and a pattern shows up. An extended warranty is generally a servicing contract with a warranty attached, not just a longer warranty.
Rinnai's extension depends on servicing by Rinnai. Bonaire's depends on servicing by Bonaire-authorised technicians only. In both cases, to keep the extension, the servicing has to go to the brand's own people, and that may not be you.
That's worth knowing before you sell one, because you may be signing your customer's service work over to somebody else for up to four years. That's not a reason to avoid it. It's a reason to know what you're recommending.
How long do you have to register the warranty?
- Rinnai: register online within the first 12 months of installation
- Bonaire: apply within 6 months of installation
- Seeley: register within the first 6 months, per Seeley's own warranty page
A window like that lands on whoever's standing in front of the customer at handover, which is you. Don't count on anyone sending a reminder, and the customer won't remember in month seven.
One catch with Bonaire. We couldn't find their standard warranty periods published anywhere. So you can't tell what the two-year extension is being added on top of. That gap is worth knowing about when you're comparing brands on cover.
Rethinking which brands you carry?
It's a bigger decision than the margin on the next job, because it decides who you ring when something goes wrong in year four.
Kevin will tell you how the ones you're considering actually behave on warranty.
Who this is for: small and medium HVAC contractors in Victoria. If you're a homeowner after a rebate or a repair, you need a licensed contractor, not us, and yours can point you the right way.
Related
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- Mitsubishi Electric and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries aren't relatedTwo separate Australian companies with separately listed Japanese parents, two ABNs and two warranty contacts. Not parent and subsidiary, not related.
- Fujitsu air conditioning in Australia is now GENERALThe brand's changed but the warranty paperwork hasn't caught up. What we could confirm from the cards, and three gaps we're not filling with guesses.
- Who actually builds the house brands your supplier sellsOn 32 of its 51 government registrations, one wholesaler-only house brand names a Chinese factory's website. What that shows, and what it carefully doesn't.
Review date: 1 April 2027. Figures in this area change without much notice and this page carries some that will go stale. Every number above is dated and sourced so you can check it yourself. If you find something out of date here, tell us and we will fix it.