By Yoon Sung-won
LG Electronics said Tuesday it will extend the warranty for the key component of its air conditioners and dehumidifiers from four to 10 years.
It will provide the extended warranty for the inverter compressors produced this year. This is the longest warranty term on the domestic market, the company said.
“We aim at retaining market leadership based on our state-of-the-art inverter technology,” said LG Electronics Home Appliance Division President Cho Sung-jin.
Inverter compressors control the air conditioning or dehumidifying power to prevent unnecessary power consumption.
The move reflects the company’s marketing strategy to prepare for competition with Samsung Electronics this summer. The two electronics makers together hold about 85 percent of the domestic air conditioner market.
Electronics makers here have concentrated on air conditioners with inverter compressors to tackle the sluggish sales of the devices this year amid a high household penetration rate.
LG Electronics has expanded the application of inverter compressors for its air conditioners as customers have become increasingly interested in cutting down household electric bills.
All of its Whisen floor-standing air conditioners launched this year have inverter compressors, the company said.
Besides air conditioners and dehumidifiers, the company will provide the same extended warranty for home appliances with inverter compressors such as washing machines, refrigerators, wireless vacuum cleaners and water purifiers.
The extended warranty is exclusive for domestically released products, an LG Electronics spokesman said.
In overseas markets, the company has provided the 10-year warranty for refrigerators with a linear compressor, washing machines with Direct Drive motors and electric wine storage cabinets, he said.