I was reading the Sony PSP warranty and saw that “This warranty shall not apply if this product…is damaged by acts of God, misuse, abuse…”
Why do they include “acts of God” in there and many other warranties?
So they won’t be held liable in case of an earthquake or tornado damage. It’s not their fault.
I imagine it’s easier than listing every possible natural disaster and uncontrollable event that might void the warranty.
It is also possible to use phrasing such as “act of nature”, “natural disaster” or “natural phenomenon” instead of mentioning any gods here. Broader definition is force majeure (greater force) which covers both natural disasters and occasions like war, riots etc. Of course that can be a little too unspecific, but I figure it’d be enough when stating a warranty.
Couldn’t an insurance company get out of paying anything with the “Act of God” clause?
“My house burned down because the eletrician installed the wiring wrong.”
“That was God punishing you for your evil ways! Next!”
Well, answers.com has this definition:
I remember another thread where someone remarked that the whole September 11th deal, from the perspective of an insurance company, is an “act of god”.
Sounds like archaic terminology to me. Arthur Train in his book The Autobiography of Epraihm Tutt gave the answer that a law professor gave him whan asked, “What is an Act of God.”
“Something unpleasant that you can’t do anything about.”
“Your Honor, Sony Corporation should have built their popular Playsation 2 console in a fashion able to withstand the heat of liquid hot magg-mah from a typical volcanic eruption. This callous penny-pinching points to Sony’s continued policy of intentionally neglecting even basic durability standards.”
I remember reading that on a tag for a tent that I bought for one of my first camping trips. I love that phrase, even though I agree how outdated and offensive it is. The image in my mind back then was of me being struck by lightning that weekend by the Lord for my sinful ways. :smack:
I’m sorry sir, this was an act of Ghod, it’s not covered by the warranty.
Ghod you say? Like hell it was. That accursed thing is the work of the Devil, I tell you. Gimme a new one!
I have a Pelican (I think) case for my digital camera… Either way, it’s a rediculously strong, and waterproof case.
It’s warranteed against everything except “Shark bites and Children under 5”
I consider those acts of God.
I remember reading a book by Ben Bova (I can’t recall the title) where a natural disaster damages Ecuador’s space program and the insurance company won’t pay since it’s an “act of god”. So Ecuador sues Vatican City in the World Court (since the Pope claims to be the Vicar of Christ), and demands damages. Also for some reason the court proceedings take place at a moonbase. Anybody know what book this it?
I don’t know the name of that book, but it sounds really funny and now I want to read it.
Also, if a dispute over an Act of God ever came up in court, wouldn’t the claimant win by default, since God isn’t likely to respond to a subpoena?
Actually you need to go back and look closer at that warrantee. My first Pelican case was warranteed against everything except falling space debris, shark bite and children under the age of 5.
Either you mis-read the label, or like everything else, Pelican’s warrantee has gone to hell. 
Seems like if a manufacturer declined to honor a warranty due to this, I’d just have to ask them to prove there is a god.
Perhaps. But due to the difficulty involved in collecting damages, it would likely be an empty triumph.
You could always try suing churchs!