{"id":71443,"date":"2026-10-29T22:40:04","date_gmt":"2026-10-29T20:40:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lhr-law.de\/?p=71443"},"modified":"2026-10-29T22:40:04","modified_gmt":"2026-10-29T20:40:04","slug":"warranty-claims-manufacturer-referral-lg-ingolstadt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lhr-law.de\/en\/magazine-en\/competition-law-antitrust-law\/warranty-claims-manufacturer-referral-lg-ingolstadt\/","title":{"rendered":"LG Ingolstadt: Sellers must not refer warranty claims to the manufacturer"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"IllustrationA single customer service e-mail is enough: the Regional Court of Ingolstadt has prohibited the operator of the MediaMarkt online shop from referring customers with warranty claims to the manufacturer. For online retailers, marketplace sellers and manufacturers with their own shop, the judgment is a reason to review the text modules used in customer service. New information obligations for complaints have also applied since 31 July 2026.<\/em><\/p>\n

A customer bought a fridge-freezer for EUR 899.99 via mediamarkt.de on 4 February 2024. Around 16 months later, he reported a defect by e-mail: the appliance’s alarm sounded even with the door closed and could not be switched off. The customer service reply of 30 June 2025 contained the sentence: \u201cTo assert your guarantee\/warranty claims, please contact the manufacturer directly.\u201d A further e-mail of 8 July 2025 again referred him to the manufacturer for a \u201crepair subject to a charge\u201d, because the guarantee had expired.<\/p>\n

The buyer was an employee of the Federation of German Consumer Organisations (Verbraucherzentrale Bundesverband, vzbv) and had made the purchase privately. On 15 July 2025, the vzbv sent a cease-and-desist letter to MMS E-Commerce GmbH, which operates the online shop. No cease-and-desist declaration was given. By final judgment of 24 July 2026, the Regional Court of Ingolstadt (Landgericht Ingolstadt) granted the action in full (LG Ingolstadt, judgment of 24 July 2026, case no. 1 HK O 1352\/25<\/a>). The vzbv published<\/a> the decision on 8 October 2026. The publication does not state whether the judgment is final. An appeal to the Higher Regional Court of Munich (Oberlandesgericht M\u00fcnchen) is admissible.<\/p>\n

The key points of the judgment:<\/p>\n