Details on the warranty score and return rate

How is the warranty score calculated and what does it mean?

We count how many warranty claims our After Sales team processes of a given brand within a certain product category (e.g. «TV»). In other words, if we sell 1,000 TVs of a given brand and a warranty claim is registered for 150 of them within two years, the warranty score for TVs of this brand is 15%. If we know the score for other brands (e.g. «LG», «Samsung» or «Panasonic»), we show a comparison.

This hints at how likely a defect is to occur with this product during the statutory or manufacturer’s warranty period of 2 years – and how it compares to the same products of other brands. This makes it easier to identify manufacturers who focus more on sustainable construction as well as reduces the chances of having to deal with the trouble and wasted resources of a warranty defect.

 

Why don’t all products have a warranty score?

We only take into account the data from the last 24 months and only show a score if more than 300 comparable products have been sold. Also, when we launch completely new products, we only show data after a month to ensure the significance of data and avoid individual cases from biasing the figures.

 

What is the warranty case duration?

The warranty case duration shows how many working days it takes to process a warranty claim for a product of a certain brand from the time it arrives at the service centre until it’s back with the client.

Most purchased products are covered by the statutory 2-year warranty. If a warranty claim is made within this period, Digitec Galaxus will handle the communication and flow of goods with manufacturers for you. This includes organising and managing a wide variety of repair and return processes with the respective manufacturers and service centres. This results in a variety of dependencies that influence the process of a warranty claim.

 

What is the definition and purpose of the return rate?

The return rate indicates how often a product of a given brand in the corresponding product category (e.g. «Smartphone») was returned within the last year. In other words, if we sell 100 smartphones of a given brand and 15 of them are returned within a year, the return rate for smartphones of this brand is 15%.

This includes products that are returned because they don’t meet a customer’s expectations. Reasons for this include, to name a few, overpromising descriptions by manufacturers, incorrect size choice, unfitting or low-quality product images. The return rate aggregates products of a given brand in a given category for which enough data is available. A brand distinguishes a set of products with the same promise of quality and reliability.

With the circular economy in mind, we try to resell products. However, some products can’t be resold and therefore need to be disposed of and recycled. The return rate may be an indication of the quality of the manufacturer’s product description. In case of uncertainties, it allows you to ask our Community or contact the manufacturer. This means less effort for you, as well as a reduction in unnecessary emissions.

 

Why don’t all products have a return rate?

We only take into account the data from the last 12 months and only show a score if more than 150 comparable products have been sold. This way, we want to make sure the rate is as accurate and useful as possible and individual cases don’t bias the figures.