Evolution of product warranty: a chronological study

Abstract

Provides a chronological account of the evolution of the concept of product warranty and its development over the four millennia to its present state at the dawn of twenty‐first century. This study examines how the concept of product warranty originated and illustrates how this concept was an integral element of accepted business practices in commerce and trade over the ages in almost all civilizations spanning the globe. The civilizations include the Babylonian and Assyrian civilizations twenty‐first century bc, the Roman era of the fifth century bc, Bavarian rule at the start of the Christian era, earlier Jewish period of the second century ad, Hindu period of the fifth, Islamic era of the eighth, Russian period of the early tenth, church rule of the medieval times, customs of the English boroughs, and ultimately the post‐industrial era of consumerism and today’s times of warranty legislation.