VESC Warranty & Returns Policy

1. Scope

This policy applies to VESC motor controllers, PCB assemblies and accessories sold through any of our sales channels. It applies to both consumer and business customers.

If you purchased through a distributor, dealer or reseller, warranty and return requests must be handled by that seller under their own terms. We support our direct customers, and we support our distributors separately under our distributor agreement.

2. Quality Control — Every Unit Is Tested Before It Ships

Every controller we ship is functionally tested before packing, and every parcel is inspected before it leaves our facility. This is the basis on which warranty claims are assessed:

• 100% functional test. Each unit is powered up and run through our test procedure before approval: boot and firmware check, phase output and current sensing, CAN / USB and peripheral communication, protection functions, and a loaded run.
• 100% packing inspection. Secure packaging, cushioning and the outer carton are checked and photographed before dispatch. We never ship a unit with a known functional or cosmetic defect.
• A unit that arrives damaged or dead is therefore treated as a transport or handling event first. Please inspect the parcel on arrival: if the carton is crushed, wet, punctured or has been opened, photograph it before signing, or refuse the delivery, and notify us within 48 hours. We will provide the documents needed to claim against the carrier.
• Cosmetic damage reported more than 7 days after delivery, where the packaging arrived intact, cannot be attributed to us and is not covered.

Factory testing confirms the controller left us working to specification. It does not guarantee the performance of the motor, battery pack, wiring or configuration it is later connected to — suitability for your build remains your responsibility as the system integrator (Section 10).

3. Limited Warranty — 12 Months

We warrant the product against defects in materials and workmanship under normal, intended use for 12 months from the date of delivery (the "Warranty Period"). "Delivery date" is the date shown on the carrier’s delivery confirmation.

The warranty covers faults that were present in the product when supplied:

• Manufacturing or assembly defects (including solder joint, PCB and component defects)
• Defective components or materials
• Firmware corruption or boot failure on a unit that has not been reflashed by the customer
• Dead-on-arrival ("DOA") — a unit that does not power up or is not recognised on first use

Extended warranty: paid orders of 50 units or more may agree a different warranty period in writing in the purchase contract. Where a written contract says something different, the contract wins.

4. What the Warranty Does Not Cover

VESC controllers are high-power electronic components that operate at the limits of the connected system. Damage caused by the installation or by anything connected to the controller is not a manufacturing defect. The following are not covered:

• Reverse polarity, incorrect wiring, incorrect battery configuration or supply voltage
• Operation outside published limits (voltage, current, temperature, duty cycle, ERPM)
• Incorrect VESC Tool configuration, motor detection, calibration, current or field-weakening settings
• Disabling, bypassing or mis-setting protection functions (temperature, current, low-voltage cutoff)
• Short circuits, inductive spikes, voltage transients or regeneration above the rated limits
• Water ingress, moisture, corrosion, condensation or contamination (unless the product is expressly rated for the conditions of use)
• Mechanical damage: impact, crush, drop, bent or torn PCB, damaged pads, torn connectors or ripped cables
• Overheating caused by inadequate heatsinking, airflow or mounting
• Modification, rework, disassembly, potting or repair not authorised by us in writing
• Damage caused by unsuitable, defective or incorrectly configured third-party motors, batteries, BMS, sensors or wiring
• Normal wear and tear, cosmetic marks, and consumable items (thermal compound, cables, connectors, thermal pads)
• Damage occurring during transport arranged by the customer
• Customised, OEM, private-label or non-catalogue products beyond the defect warranty in Section 3

Consequential damage is not covered. The warranty applies to our product only. We do not warrant the design, safety or suitability of your complete vehicle, battery pack, motor or wiring, and we are not liable for damage to those items, for loss of use, or for personal injury — see Section 10.

5. How to Make a Warranty Claim

1. Do not ship anything yet, and do not arrange your own courier. Whether a return is needed is our decision, and where it is, we arrange the pickup. Unauthorised returns are refused at the door or held at customs, and are almost always more expensive to resolve than the original problem.
2. Contact your sales representative, or email [email protected] with: order number, product model, date of purchase, a clear description of the fault, and when it first appeared.
3. Send diagnostics — photos or a short video of the unit and its wiring, a screenshot of your VESC Tool configuration (or the exported .xml config file), battery pack voltage and cell count, motor type and specs, and any fault log or terminal output. Most issues are identified at this stage.
4. Receive an RMA number within 2 business days, together with the specific remedy and — if a return is required — the exact shipping address and declaration instructions. Write the RMA number on the outside of the parcel.
5. Follow the remedy — repair, replacement parts, replacement unit or credit, as set out in Section 6.

We may ask you to perform simple checks (measure phase-to-phase resistance, check for shorts to ground, re-run motor detection with default settings). This is not an attempt to avoid the claim — it is the fastest way to tell a product fault from a setup fault, and it usually saves you the shipping.

6. How We Put It Right — We Fix It First, Return Only When Necessary

Once a claim is confirmed, we choose the remedy that gets you running again with the least shipping. Whether the unit needs to come back, which remedy applies, and who arranges the courier are all decided by us — and we will always tell you which one applies and why. Please do not arrange a return shipment yourself: we book the courier and handle the declaration, which avoids extra customs charges and delays.

Timelines

• RMA number and remedy decision: within 2 business days of receiving complete diagnostics
• Spare parts or replacement dispatch: within 3 business days of the decision
• Inspection of a returned unit: within 5 business days of arrival
• Warranty repair or replacement does not restart the 12-month period; it covers the remainder of the original period. A unit bought as a brand-new paid replacement starts a fresh 12-month period from its delivery date.

7. Returns and Refunds (Change of Mind)

Because international return shipping and customs clearance cost more than most of our products, we keep the change-of-mind window short and strict. Please check the model, voltage and current rating before ordering — our team is happy to confirm the right part beforehand.

Situation	Window	Refund	Who pays / conditions
Unopened, unused, sealed	15 days	100%	Customer pays return shipping. Original packaging, resalable as new.
Opened, never powered or installed	7 days	85%	15% restocking fee. Customer pays return shipping. No solder, no crimped connectors, no mounting marks.
Powered, installed, soldered or programmed	—	Not returnable	Handled under the warranty in Sections 3–6, not as a return.
Custom / OEM / private-label / bulk orders	—	Not returnable	Built to your specification. Quality faults covered by warranty only.
Wrong item shipped by us	30 days	100%	We pay return shipping or waive the return. Unused condition required.
DOA / faulty on first use	30 days	Replace or 100%	Warranty claim, not a return. We pay both directions.
Refused parcel / unclaimed / wrong address	—	No refund	Goods-less shipping cost deducted; reshipment at customer’s cost.

Refunds are issued to the original payment method within 7 business days of the returned goods passing inspection (or of the refund being agreed where no return is required). Original shipping charges are refunded only where the return is our fault. Bank and payment-provider fees already incurred are not refundable.

8. Shipping Back to Us — We Arrange the Courier and Handle the Declaration

Whether a return is needed is decided by us. Where it is, we arrange the courier and issue the shipping label and customs invoice, so you do not need to contact a carrier or clear customs yourself. Please cooperate with the following — incorrect paperwork is the single most common cause of a return parcel being stuck in customs or billed back to us.

• Ship only to the address given in our RMA email, using the label we provide. Parcels sent without an RMA number, or shipped on your own arrangement, may be refused or may attract extra customs charges.
• The parcel is declared as "Warranty return — no commercial value, value US$20" and marked as returned goods; we prepare the shipping label and customs invoice. Never declare it at the full product value or as a sale of goods — this creates import duty that neither of us wants.
• Include a printed copy of the RMA email and a short note describing the fault.
• We arrange the courier and give you a tracking number. If local restrictions mean you have to hand the parcel over yourself, use a tracked service. We are not responsible for parcels lost without tracking.
• Do not ship batteries, battery packs or pressurised items. Carriers will not accept them and customs will seize them. Board-only returns please.
• Discharge the unit and pack it in an anti-static bag with mechanical protection.
• Any import duty, tax, brokerage or storage charge raised in China because of an incorrect declaration is the customer's responsibility.

9. What We Ask From You

• Do not arrange a return shipment or contact a courier yourself; where a return is needed, we book the pickup and handle the customs declaration.
• Inspect the parcel on arrival and report transport damage within 48 hours (Section 2).
• Keep the original packaging until you have confirmed the unit works.
• Follow the published datasheet, wiring diagram and VESC Tool setup guide for your model.
• Do not open, rework or pot the unit before contacting us — an opened unit is not automatically rejected, but it does make diagnosis harder.
• One claim per unit; a unit replaced under warranty is not itself eligible for a further change-of-mind return.

10. Limitation of Liability

• Our total liability arising out of or in connection with any product is limited to the amount you paid for that product.
• We are not liable for indirect or consequential loss: loss of profit, loss of use, downtime, shipping costs of third-party items, damage to batteries, motors, vehicles or other equipment, or personal injury.
• Unless we have confirmed it in writing, we do not warrant that a product is fit for any specific application you have in mind. Suitability for your build is your responsibility as the system integrator.

11. Governing Law and Disputes

This policy is governed by the laws of Hong Kong SAR. Any dispute shall be finally resolved by arbitration administered by HKIAC in Hong Kong, in the English language, by a single arbitrator. Nothing in this clause removes a consumer’s right to bring proceedings or rely on mandatory consumer-protection law in their country of residence where such law applies.

We aim to resolve every claim by agreement. Before starting any formal process, please give us the chance to put it right — in practice almost every case is settled at the diagnostic stage in Section 5.

12. Contact

Warranty & returns: your sales representative, or [email protected]

Website: www.chatrobotic.com