Most premium vinyl brands have extensive warranty that covers you in case of a faulty product, but who has the best warranty options? Which policies are right for you?
In this article, I will compare standard warranties, performance guarantees, component-based policies and partnership policies, between 3M, Avery, Arlon, Orafol, Mactac and Metamark.
The table below compares wrapping film manufacturers based upon the extent of warranty options that they offer.
|
Company |
Standard warranty |
Performance guarantee |
Component System |
Partnership level warranty |
|
3M |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Avery Dennison |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Arlon |
Yes |
- |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Orafol |
Yes |
- |
- |
- |
|
Mactac |
Yes |
- |
- |
- |
|
Metamark |
Yes |
- |
- |
- |
Below I’ve ranked the wrapping brands on this list according to the extent of their offerings, value for money and transparency. This list is based solely on what is offered by the company on paper, you’re actual experience in dealing with any company on this list may differ.
3M has the most extensive warranty options compared to all the competitors on this list and is well-known in the graphics industry for its extensive warranty options. Its warranty options are publicly available, easy to find, and easy to understand.
Arlon has a rich portfolio of warranty options for customers, right up to the partnership level. The company also has a clear policy that protects the ultimate end user, not just the wrap company, in case of failure. This ensures the end customer is looked after in the case of disputes with a wrap installer.
Arlon actually has 3 tiers of partnership policies available silver, gold and platinum, but does not make partnership warranty policies publicly available, making it difficult for prospective clients to compare options without enquiring.
For that reason, I would rank Arlon number 2 on this list. The company also uses a diminishing returns formula after the first year of warranty, instead of continuing the initial 100% reimbursement policy. The older your product, the less compensation for a fault you are likely to receive.
Avery is in a solid third place. It offers a variety of warranty options including a clearly signposted performance guarantee within its component system policies.
Avery also offers a partnership-level warranty, but it only offers a platinum partnership so the benefits are less accessible to smaller businesses.
Avery’s terms and conditions have a fair amount of leeway for negotiation, providing great long-term value for customers.
Although Orofal only provides a standard warranty, its general warranty document is clear, detailed and transparent. The document also contains an extensive durability and application guide to help you get the most out of your investment.
Mactac provides standard warranty options along with regionally specific durability guides to help you better understand your product’s expected performance life.
Metamark provides a standard warranty along with a basic durability guide.
Below you‘ll find definitions of what each type of warranty policy covers with links to specific company warranty documents. The actual warranty documents you receive may vary from the examples you find below.
For a more detailed explanation of warranty options, check out our vehicle wrap warranty guide, which goes into depth on the factors that will affect the actual duration and validity of your warranty and what to look for to get the best deal from your supplier.
A standard warranty usually covers a replacement or the cost of replacement for a defective product within the span of its expected life.
If you order a roll of vinyl and receive damaged goods for example, you could expect any decent company to send you a replacement or refund you for the purchase. All the companies on this list offer this service.
A performance guarantee is usually defined as the minimum amount of time a wrapping film can be expected to perform as expected if stored, printed on and installed according to the technical bulletins of the company.
3M offers this as a standalone guarantee, whilst Avery's guarantee is baked into its ICS warranty.
This means that if you are using printers, printing systems, inks or laminates qualified by your wrap brand, they will cover you against faults that occur during processes that use those components.
Unlike a standard warranty, a component-based system won’t just compensate you for the cost of the graphics you purchased. It also includes the cost of the finished graphic with ink and laminate applied.
High-end warranties compensate you for costs incurred as a result of a faulty product, not just the cost of the material itself. This includes expenses such as labour, graphic production, installation and anything else the company deems to be reasonable. This is sometimes called customer costs.
Avery’s partnership policies are exactly that: compensation that the company deems reasonable for your financial losses as a result of a product fault.
3M and Arlon have a slightly different approach, tiering their partnership policies based on your level of investment with them as a client. Arlon has a silver, gold and platinum tier, whilst 3M has a Gold and Platinum tier.
3M subdivides its partnership option into tiers, with both Gold and Platinum partnerships available. The main difference between Platinum and Gold is the amount 3M is willing to reimburse you as a client.
Only larger companies ordering large volumes of material are likely to be able to qualify for Platinum status and only a handful of companies in the UK have that status. Gold is more attainable, but reimbursement is capped.
As a Gold partner, you can expect 3M to reimburse you for costs such as those mentioned above as long as they do not exceed twice the cost of the finished graphic.
If your graphic is worth more than £7,500 you will have to prove you received a document signed by a 3M officer outlining the procedures and materials to be used in the manufacture of the finished graphic prior to your graphics being supplied.
The platinum partnership has no such limitations and you can expect 3M to reimburse you for the cost of your finished graphics plus any other reasonable expenses.
3M may also offer you additional reimbursement up to 20% of the value of the initial agreement to cover any additional costs. Again, you will have to prove you received the document mentioned above, known as a ‘Specification’.
Arlon’s partnership policies are similar, but even at the platinum level, they only fully reimburse you for the first year of the total warranty period on your product.
After that, they use a reimbursement formula to determine how much they are willing to contribute to your expenses in the case of a product fault.
Reimbursement Formula =
Customer costs x (warranty in months – number of months since application)
(warranty in months)
| 3M | Avery Dennison | Arlon – Not publicly available |
If warranty is a major reason you are thinking of switching supplier or policy level, make sure you consider some of the prompts below.
Read the fine print! This overstated and often underestimated saying will ultimately determine the level of service and reimbursement you receive.
How easy was it to find and decipher warranty information? What was the tone of the document you read? Did you get the impression the company wanted to help you?
How did the company treat you? Let's say you have a standard warranty currently but you don’t think that claims in the past have been treated fairly. Do you really have an incentive to certify with the supplier for partnership warranty perks? Can you trust them to uphold their end of the agreement and not leverage terms and conditions on you unfairly?
As an example, Raccoon once had an issue with a Mactac product many years ago. Although Mactac only offers a standard warranty on paper, the company couldn’t do enough for us to correct the total cost of the fault, instead of only refunding the value of the purchased graphic.
If you are still wondering which company is right for you, move beyond warranty and focus on their colour options.
For links to Avery, 3M and ORACAL product colour ranges, head to our colour chart guide.