After-Sales Service
The obligation of the manufacturer or importer to keep spare parts available and to provide service throughout the useful life of the goods. The scope of the obligation and the useful life are set per product group in the annexed list of the After-Sales Services Regulation; it does not end when the warranty period expires.
Warranty and after-sales service are different concepts. Warranty means defects within a defined period are remedied free of charge; after-sales service means the product remains repairable and parts remain available throughout its useful life. You can still obtain service against payment after the warranty period has expired.
- The obligation to keep spare parts available continues for the duration of the useful life.
- The useful life starts on the date the goods are delivered to the consumer.
- The scope of service varies by product group.
For industrial control products this obligation is a critical selection criterion on long-lived machines: a crane or tractor attachment stays in the field for years, and the electronic unit must still be repairable years later. Product-specific commitments are stated on the product page; for example, the HCT402 set states 10 years of spare parts and technical service support. For other products, the information on the product page prevails.
Context in which this term is used: contact page