Liability for Solar Panels: Your Legal Question

Questioner

We were wondering about the liability regarding the warranty on solar panels from Mäkkelij outside Europe. We purchase these panels from (wholesale) companies located in the Netherlands and/or within Europe. Now we've been told that if we purchase these panels from these companies, liability for the warranty also lies with them. After all, the company that imports the panels into Europe is responsible for the warranty. This would mean that if we deliver the panels to our customers and something breaks that is covered by the warranty, the company from which we purchased our panels would have to handle this with the customer. Our question is whether this is correct and/or whether we have any other legal obligations towards our customers?

Lawyer

This is generally correct. However, the customer will initially notify you of the defect and request that you fulfill your warranty obligations. You are then, in principle, obligated to carry out repairs or provide a replacement product. If the product is actually defective, you must, on behalf of the customer, invoke the warranty granted to you by the supplier. The supplier is then obligated, based on this warranty, to repair the defects or provide a replacement product. If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact me, free of charge and without obligation.