Section 3075 Of Article 5. Hearings On Recreational Vehicle Franchise Modification, Replacement, Termination, Refusal To Continue, Establishment, And Relocation, And Consumer Complaints From California Vehicle Code >> Division 2. >> Chapter 6. >> Article 5.
3075
. (a) A franchisor shall properly fulfill every warranty
agreement made by it and adequately and fairly compensate each of its
franchisees for labor and parts used to fulfill that warranty when
the franchisee has fulfilled warranty obligations of repair and
servicing and shall file a copy of its warranty reimbursement
schedule or formula with the board. The warranty reimbursement
schedule or formula shall be reasonable with respect to the time and
compensation allowed the franchisee for the warranty work and all
other conditions of the obligation. The reasonableness of the
warranty reimbursement schedule or formula shall be determined by the
board if a franchisee files a notice of protest with the board.
(b) In determining the adequacy and fairness of the compensation,
the franchisee's effective labor rate charged to its various retail
customers may be considered together with other relevant criteria.
(c) If a franchisor disallows a franchisee's claim for a defective
part, alleging that the part, in fact, is not defective, the
franchisor shall return the part alleged not to be defective to the
franchisee at the expense of the franchisor, or the franchisee shall
be reimbursed for the franchisee's cost of the part, at the
franchisor's option.
(d) All claims made by franchisees pursuant to this section shall
be either approved or disapproved within 30 days after their receipt
by the franchisor. A claim not specifically disapproved in writing
within 30 days from receipt by the franchisor shall be deemed
approved on the 30th day. When a claim is disapproved, the franchisee
who submits it shall be notified in writing of its disapproval
within the required period, and the notice shall state the specific
grounds upon which the disapproval is based. All claims made by
franchisees under this section and Section 3074 for labor and parts
shall be paid within 30 days following approval. Failure to approve
or pay within the above specified time limits, in individual
instances for reasons beyond the reasonable control of the
franchisor, do not constitute a violation of this article.
(e) Audits of franchisee warranty records may be conducted by the
franchisor on a reasonable basis, and for a period of 12 months after
a claim is paid or credit issued. Franchisee claims for warranty
compensation shall not be disapproved except for good cause,
including, but not limited to, performance of nonwarranty repairs,
lack of material documentation, or fraud. Any chargeback to a
franchisee for warranty parts or service compensation shall be made
within 90 days of the completion of the audit. If a false claim was
submitted by a franchisee with intent to defraud the franchisor, a
longer period for audit and any resulting chargeback may be permitted
if the franchisor obtains an order from the board.