[sawdustdave]

My 2 cents worth...

Warranty work should be free. I can understand a fee to ship TO the manufacturer to determine the legitimacy of the repair needed, but it should be refunded if warranted.

Return should be free.

If I warrant something I make, it's my responsibility to 1) do the best I can to insure all is well and will not need warranty work, and 2) to take care of things that do happen. That's part of my cost of doing business. If I do #1 well there will me minimal costs for repair work.

There are no authorized Martin Luthiers in my area, so that is never an option. Just aren't any. And local luthiers who are not in the business of building their own guitars ain't worth a plug nickel.