Hate to tell you, but buying from an authorized dealer for warranty service is Consumer 101. If you bought used, don't assume all warranties are transferrable.

@mishmosh That is I why I called Bosch to ask if this particular unit by providing the serial number was covered... and they said yes. Am I supposed to not believe the manufacturer?

The issue that kills me is that most of these Ebay sellers say that the item comes with a full manufacturer's warranty so people rely on that. It's not until months later, and well past the time for feedback on ebay, that people find out otherwise.

Did you tell Bosch at the time that you were considering purchasing a used or gray market appliance and did not currently own said appliance? If you just called and said is this serial number under warranty, I think they would assume that you are the original purchaser calling.

I do agree with you about Ebay sellers. It's shady at the very least. At least with appliances, I would recommend anyone get these locally if at all possible. There is just too much that. can go wrong and the money you think you save, often ends up being money lost and a huge headache.

Here is a link to the warranty: https://images.homedepot-static.com/catalog/pdfImages/74/74f128dc-738b-4501-adb2-40ed3dcc202b.pdf

• There is no requirement that the refrigerator be purchased from an "authorized dealer", only that you be the "first purchaser".
• If the refrigerator was represented as being under warranty on the ebay web page for the product and that information is false, you should follow up with the seller or contact ebay for help.
• I'd suggest you get BSH's warranty rejection in writing. If all else fails, take BSH to small-claims court.

@Dorys Prentice "The issue that kills me is that most of these Ebay sellers say that the item comes with a full manufacturer's warranty..."

ebay sellers are not intentionally misleading buyers. The seller most certainly didn't know that there would be a problem with BSH's interpretation of the warranty.

@mishmosh "I do agree with you about Ebay sellers. It's shady at the very least"

Don't paint ebay sellers with a broad brush like that. I have sold and bought items on ebay and every sale has been above board.

@wdccruise . It clearly says in the warranty

New at retail (not a display, "as is", or previously returned model), and not for resale, or commercial use.

Anything coming from Ebay is not new at retail. According to this statement , even a store display model at a full retail shop is not warranted by Bosch.

I also don't believe all Ebay sellers are shady. I've been buying from Ebay for 20 yrs. I don't blame the seller. I'm sure he truly believes the product had a full mfr's warranty because he bought a display model from the retail shop.

No one is saying all Ebay sellers are shady. But Ive seen plenty of listings over the years that claim to have a warranty when they actually don't or are not the mfg warranty or the seller is offering their own warranty but with a bunch of strings attached. That's shady. I've been buying and selling on eBay for over 20 years.

There are storefront businesses who sell legitimate new-in-box products on eBay as an additional "retail" presence.

That being said, appliance serial numbers may be recorded and tracked by the manufacturer from the factory warehouse through shipping to the retailer. They're also coded for the manufacturing date (usually year & month or year & week). The Bosch phone rep probably answered Dorys Prentice's question on point of the unit's manufacturing date being valid for warranty coverage. Further checking may have occurred upon request for warranty service and apparently the seller is not an authorized Bosch dealer, even if the item was a legitimate new-in-box product.

"New at retail (not a display, "as is", or previously returned model), and not for resale, or commercial use.

"Anything coming from Ebay is not new at retail."

You don't know that. There are plenty of sellers on ebay that are traditional retailers and, unless you've already inquired, you don't know how the seller obtained the refrigerator. Regardless, you should follow up with the seller if he claimed the refrigerator was under warranty if that wasn't true. Writing on Houzz won't accomplish anything.

The problem is the lack of the high pressure butane recovery tool. Find the manufacturer of the tool. Ask who has one in your area. Have them repair the system. Should be just replacing a line after removing the butane and then pressurizing the system again. You may not need that specific tool if the system has leaked all the butane. That frig has two compressors. So the refrigerator compressor section is likely unaffected.

@wdccruise I'm not trying to accomplish anything other than giving others a heads up to be careful to double and triple check everything before buying an expensive appliance through Ebay.

@dan1888 That is a great idea and thank you for the suggestion.

You could contact the repair guy and ask to buy the tubes he was putting in. This could start a conversation.

@Dorys Prentice Thank you for demonstrating the risk of some online sourcing.

I'm finding all sorts of crazy stuff, with clients sourcing fixtures from multiple online stores, many of which have little to fall back on once you send money. New brands seem to get created overnight with little history or factory support, all using photos and prices to capture sales.

Use at your own risk. Know your sell and/or who is handing the $$.

Something similar hapoeved to me with a GE appliance and i called theccorporate office and got better resultsi.

I just had the problem when trying to register a food processor bought new on ebay. The manufacturer told me I could not register the item because I did not purchase it through an authorized dealer. The buyer should beware of both the seller and the manufacturer who will not stand behind their product it really is a matter of price fixing on the manufacturers part and Consumer Affairs needs to investigate this practice if a manufacturer makes a product and it is not stolen, then they should cover the warranty. my only advice might be to register the item as being a gift to you and you have no idea what they paid or where they bought it. I am tired of getting taken advantage of by big corporations who have no accountability to government oversight. ebay should also put disclaimers on their site for reseller warnings that the products they sell may not have a manufacturer's warranty