Warranty, liability and code: who's on the hook when it fails?

The question to ask before installing anything

Price comes up on every job. The question that matters more is what happens when this fails, and who pays.

For equipment you supply through authorized distribution, there's a clear answer: you, your distributor and the manufacturer. For equipment from an unknown marketplace seller, the answer can be unclear.

Warranty can depend on where it was bought

Several manufacturers tie their warranty to buying from an authorized seller.

• Lutron says it can reject warranty claims for products bought from unauthorized sellers, including unauthorized internet sites. Its warranty also excludes damage from improper wiring or installation.
• Sonance says it does not authorize any reseller to sell its products on Amazon. It also says its warranty doesn't apply to products from non-authorized sellers, and it won't repair them.
• Crestron limits its warranty to products bought from Crestron or an authorized reseller.
• Ubiquiti says products from unauthorized sellers carry no Ubiquiti warranty and may be counterfeit, used, defective or not designed for your country.

Be fair about this: Amazon itself is sometimes an authorized seller. Cooper Lighting lists Amazon as an authorized reseller for items that ship from and are sold by Amazon. It warns that many other marketplace sellers are not authorized. The risk usually sits with third-party sellers listed on the same page. Have customers check the “ships from” and “sold by” lines.

A caveat on these policies: they are written by manufacturers who benefit from controlling their sales channels. We did not check whether refusing warranty based on where an item was bought is enforceable under consumer-protection law such as the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act. (This is not legal advice.) In practice, the customer still has to argue with the manufacturer, and you get the phone call.

Real buyers have been caught in the middle. One Tablo buyer was refused warranty by Tablo because the Amazon seller wasn't an authorized dealer. Amazon's support said Tablo should honor it. He reported being out $160.

Gray-market security gear and firmware

For security installers, losing the warranty is often the smaller problem. Losing updates is worse.

• A federal CISA advisory said gray-market Hikvision cameras often run unauthorized firmware. Owners who can't update because of that firmware remain exposed to the vulnerabilities.
• Alarm Grid reports that alarm communicators bought from third-party sellers may stay tied to a previous dealer's account. Some older stock, even new in box, may not be able to activate.
• A 2024 Consumer Reports investigation, reported by the AP, found security flaws in some cheap doorbell cameras sold online that could let bad actors view footage or take control. Some of those models carried Amazon's Choice badges.

Code: listing isn't optional

For line-voltage and EV work, the installer is bound by the electrical code, not the customer.

• The inspectors' journal IAEI notes that NEC 625.6 requires all EVSE to be listed. It says a 48A charger with a 50A plug offered online most likely did not achieve certification.

A safety mark isn't proof

Installers can't simply look for the logo.

• UL Solutions has issued public notices about unauthorized UL marks on products sold through Amazon. They include a carbon monoxide detector and a water-based fire extinguisher labeled “LISTED.”

Buying through authorized distribution makes it much easier to trace a product back to its manufacturer.

Recalls and sellers who don't respond

When a marketplace product turns out to be dangerous, the remedy can be thin:

• About 6,800 CHZHVAN smoke/CO alarms sold only on Amazon were recalled because they could fail to alert to a fire. The firm did not respond to the CPSC or consumers, and owners were told to dispose of them. The notice offered no refund or replacement.
• The CPSC ordered Amazon to carry out recalls of certain hazardous products sold through Fulfilled by Amazon. Amazon sued to challenge the order, arguing it is a logistics provider and not a distributor. Responsibility is still contested.

When you supply the gear, you are in a better position to track recalls on what you installed.

Liability and insurance

• An attorney quoted by ACCA advises contractors to write their contracts to protect against liability from work they didn't perform and equipment they didn't supply. (Not legal advice.)
• A Kia owner said a roughly $1,800 charge-port repair was denied by Kia's warranty and then by Amazon's insurance, because the charger wasn't Kia-approved. He had bought the charger from Amazon Warehouse. He later reported that the charger's maker paid for the repair, and that the charger wasn't UL listed.
• Ask your own insurer how a fire claim traced to an unlisted device would be handled. We did not verify any insurer policy language or claim denials.

The other side: what pro-supplied gear can earn

The authorized channel isn't only about avoiding problems. Nest's warranty adds two years for the Nest Thermostat E, and three years for the Nest Learning Thermostat and Nest Protect, when a Nest Pro sells and installs it. That's a concrete benefit you can offer.

Use this with customers

• “Before you order, check who it's ‘sold by.’ If it's the brand or Amazon itself, you're usually fine. If it's a seller you've never heard of, the manufacturer may not cover it.”
• “For anything on your electrical panel, your EV charger or your smoke alarms, I install listed equipment only. That's the code I'm licensed under.”
• “Gray-market cameras can be locked out of security updates. On a system that watches your house, that matters more than the price difference.”
• “If I supply it, I know exactly what's installed in your house, so I can catch a recall and call you.”

Evidence

• Lutron Caseta warranty (PDF): Lutron can reject claims for products from unauthorized internet sellers.
• Sonance Internet Selling Policy: no reseller is authorized to sell on Amazon; no warranty or repairs for products from non-authorized sellers.
• Crestron Limited Warranty: coverage only for products from authorized resellers; labor excluded.
• Ubiquiti warranty: no warranty for unauthorized units, which may be counterfeit or for another country.
• Cooper Lighting online resellers: Amazon is authorized when it both ships and sells; many marketplace sellers are not.
• Tablo Community: the buyer was refused warranty and passed between Tablo, Amazon and the seller.
• CISA ICSA-17-124-01: gray-market firmware can block security patches.
• Alarm Grid: third-party alarm equipment: communicators may be tied to a previous dealer or unable to activate.
• AP / Consumer Reports via Star-Advertiser: security flaws in cheap doorbells sold online, some with Amazon's Choice badges.
• IAEI: cord-connected EVSE: NEC 625.6 requires all EVSE to be listed.
• UL: unauthorized marks on CO detectors: an Amazon-sold detector carried an unauthorized UL mark.
• UL: unauthorized marks on fire extinguishers: an Amazon-sold extinguisher labeled “LISTED” carried an unauthorized mark.
• CPSC: CHZHVAN alarm recall: the firm was unresponsive, and the only remedy was disposal.
• CBS News: Amazon sues CPSC: Amazon disputes that it is a distributor.
• ACCA: customer-provided equipment: protect against liability for equipment you didn't supply.
• InsideEVs Forum: Kia charge port: warranty and Amazon's insurance both denied the repair over a non-approved charger; the owner later said the charger's maker reimbursed him.
• Nest Limited Warranty: extra years for certain products sold and installed by a Nest Pro.

Fine print: this article is general information for installers, not legal advice. Have your attorney and insurer review any terms you use. The examples are individual accounts, not statistics. Sources are linked in the Evidence list above.

Last reviewed November 8, 2026.