HP-50G case puzzle

[rprosperi]

(12-04-2018 03:02 AM)cdmackay Wrote:  Surely a warranty should start when I bought the item, not when it was made?

In addition to BartDB's comment, the date of manufacture is used for warranty claims/service if no proof of sales date is available. So if you bought a 50g and tossed out the receipt, then had a problem and made a claim during the first year, HP would still honor the warranty since they could verify the unit was less than 1 year old by the SN.

These days, products are not made months before packaging, as no contract mfr. wants the liability of the carrying costs of sitting on the inventory for that long. Today, with 'just in time manufacturing' planning and logistics, it's more like hours or, worst case, days.

Also, I think they would affix the SN label during mfg, rather than pkg (if done at different times) but I haven't been involved with this in a long time so perhaps things have changed.