Fujitsu does not want you to take three-year warranty for granted
Priced at a premium, one of the advantages Fujitsu LifeBooks had over was competitors is the standard three-year coverage. This spoke volumes for the Japanese maker's confidence in its machines and also provides better value since most vendors would charge up to S$400 (US$321.39) for an extended warranty.
This has now changed. While the latest line of LifeBooks may have gained a performance boost from Intel's Arrandale platform, they have lost the three-year warranty (first year international, second and third year local) of their predecessors. The new range now sports a one-year international coverage, with an option to extend to two or three years for a fee (of up to S$399 (US$320.58)).
In a market where notebooks have become commoditized, it seems counterintuitive for a premium brand to remove one of its distinct differentiating advantages. According to Irene Tan, director of sales for Fujitsu Asia Pacific, the decision to shorten the warranty period was in response to market demand in emerging markets such as China and Indonesia. She said the majority preferred a lower price tag to longer coverage and, in fact, had been asking if they could get a LifeBook cheaper if they were willing to forego the three-year warranty.
But how about matured markets like Singapore where consumers prefer better warranty terms and do not mind paying a little more? Fujitsu's reasoning is that since most of its sales stem from the quarterly IT shows, it can offer the second and third year additional coverage as a promotional bundle.
A brilliant marketing strategy or a dilution of its premium status? We leave it to you to decide.
About the author
Tracking laptop and PC trends since 2005, Darius Chang may have been knee deep in bits and bytes but is certainly not a binary person. Under that big and soft exterior holds a marshmallow core which dotes on his god-daughters and nephew. Suspected of ADD, his interests span disparate fields such as sustainability studies, diving, sports, politics, etc. A true jack of all trades, but master of one (maybe two).
Be the first to comment
Sign In with Facebook or create an account to post a review.
