2011 Louisiana Laws
Revised Statutes
TITLE 51 — Trade and commerce
RS 51:501 — Warranty claims submitted to a supplier by a dealer

PART I-B. WARRANTY CLAIMS ON FARM, INDUSTRIAL,

AND LAWN AND GARDEN EQUIPMENT

§501. Warranty claims submitted to a supplier by a dealer

A. Warranty claims submitted to a supplier by a dealer for payment under a warranty agreement shall either be approved or disapproved within thirty days of receipt by the supplier. All claims for payment shall be paid within thirty days of their approval. When any such claim is disapproved, the supplier shall notify the dealer within thirty days stating the specific grounds upon which the disapproval is based. If a claim is not specifically disapproved within thirty days of receipt, it shall be deemed approved and payment by the supplier shall be made within thirty days.

B. If after termination of a contract, the dealer submits a claim to the supplier for warranty work performed prior to the effective date of the termination, the supplier shall accept or reject the claim within thirty days of receipt.

C. Warranty work performed by the dealer shall be compensated in accordance with the reasonable and customary amount of time required to complete the work, expressed in hours and fractions thereof, multiplied by the dealer's established customer hourly retail labor rate, which shall have previously been made known to the supplier.

D. Expenses expressly excluded under the supplier's warranty to the customer shall not be included nor required to be paid on requests for compensation from the dealer for warranty work performed.

E. All parts used by the dealer in performing warranty work shall be paid to the dealer in the amount equal to the dealer's net price for parts used, plus a minimum of fifteen percent. The percentage additive shall reimburse the dealer for reasonable costs of doing business in performing warranty service on the supplier's behalf, including but not limited to freight and handling costs incurred.

F. The supplier shall have the right to adjust for errors discovered during audit and, if necessary, to adjust claims paid in error.

G. The dealer shall have the right to accept the manufacturer's reimbursement terms and conditions in lieu of the provisions of this Section.

H. For the purposes of this Section, "dealer" shall mean any farm equipment dealer, heavy industrial equipment dealer, construction equipment dealer, material handling equipment dealer, utility equipment dealer, engines equipment dealer, lawn and garden equipment dealer, or retail equipment distributor dealer.

Acts 2011, No. 221, §1, eff. June 27, 2011.