Mississippi § 63-17-211 - Warranty obligations.

§ 63-17-211. Warranty obligations.

Each warrantor shall: Specify in writing to each of its dealer obligations, if any, for preparation, delivery and warranty service on its products; Compensate the dealer for warranty service required of the dealer by the warrantor; and Provide the dealer the schedule of compensation to be paid and the time allowances for the performance of any work and service. The schedule of compensation must include reasonable compensation for diagnostic work as well as warranty labor. Time allowances for the diagnosis and performance of warranty labor must be reasonable for the work to be performed. In the determination of what constitutes reasonable compensation under this section, the principal factors to be given consideration shall be the actual wage rates being paid by the dealer, and the actual retail labor rate being charged by the dealers in the community in which the dealer is doing business. The compensation of a dealer for warranty labor may not be less than the lowest retail labor rates actually charged by the dealer for like nonwarranty labor as long as such rates are reasonable. The warrantor shall reimburse the dealer for warranty parts at actual wholesale cost plus a minimum thirty percent (30%) handling charge and the cost, if any, of freight to return warranty parts to the warrantor. Warranty audits of dealer records may be conducted by the warrantor on a reasonable basis, not to exceed a twelve-month look-back period from the current calendar date and dealer claims for warranty compensation may not be denied except for cause, such as performance of nonwarranty repairs, material noncompliance with the warrantor’s published policies and procedures, lack of material documentation, fraud or misrepresentation. The dealer shall submit warranty claims within thirty (30) days after completing work. The dealer shall immediately notify the warrantor in writing if the dealer is unable to perform any warranty repairs within ten (10) days of receipt of written complaints from a consumer. The warrantor shall disapprove warranty claims in writing within thirty (30) days after the date of submission by the dealer in the manner and form prescribed by the warrantor. All claims shall be paid as authorized. Claims submitted according to warrantor’s guidelines not specifically disapproved in writing within thirty (30) days shall be construed to be approved and must be paid within thirty (30) days of submission. Claims related to any type of service contract, mechanical or other insurance, or extended warranty sold for separate consideration by a dealer or other person not controlled by a manufacturer must be paid to the dealer as authorized immediately upon submission of completion by the dealer. It is a violation of Sections 63-17-201 through 63-17-221 for any warrantor to: Fail to perform any of its warranty obligations with respect to its warranted products; Fail to include, in written notices of factory campaigns to recreational vehicle owners and dealers, the expected date by which necessary parts and equipment, including tires and chassis or chassis parts, will be available to dealers to perform the campaign work. The warrantor may ship parts to the dealer to effect the campaign work, and, if such parts are in excess of the dealer’s requirements, the dealer may return unused parts to the warrantor for credit after completion of the campaign; Fail to compensate any of its dealers for authorized repairs effected by the dealer of merchandise damaged in manufacture or transit to the dealer, if the carrier is designated by the warrantor, factory branch, distributor or distributor branch; Fail to compensate any of its dealers in accordance with the schedule of compensation provided to the dealer pursuant to this section if performed in a timely and competent manner; Intentionally misrepresent in any way to purchasers of recreational vehicles that warranties with respect to the manufacture, performance or design of the vehicle are made by the dealer as warrantor or co-warrantor; or Require the dealer to make warranties to customers in any manner related to the manufacture of the recreational vehicle. It is a violation of Sections 63-17-201 through 63-17-221 for any dealer to: Fail to perform pre-delivery inspection functions, as specified by the warrantor, in a competent and timely manner; Fail to perform warranty service work authorized by the warrantor in a reasonably competent and timely manner on any transient customer’s vehicle of the same line-make; Fail to accurately document the time spent completing each repair, the total number of repair attempts conducted on a single unit, and the number of repair attempts for the same repair conducted on a single vehicle; Fail to notify the warrantor within ten (10) days of a second repair attempt which impairs the use, value or safety of the vehicle; Fail to maintain written records, including a consumer’s signature, regarding the amount of time a unit is stored for the consumer’s convenience during a repair; or Make fraudulent warranty claims or misrepresent the terms of any warranty.