If you’ve ever stayed up all night worrying about your dog slipping out the back door during a thunderstorm, or your cat darting under a neighbor’s truck on a walk, you know how much peace of mind a pet GPS tracker can bring. As someone who’s spent years designing, testing, and selling these devices to fellow pet parents, I hear the same question over and over: Do pet GPS trackers come with a warranty? The short answer is yes—but like most consumer products, not all warranties are created equal. Over the past decade in this business, I’ve seen too many customers write off a bad experience because they didn’t read the fine print, or assume a company would stand behind a broken device only to be left in the lurch. Today, I want to break down what a pet GPS tracker warranty actually covers, what it doesn’t, how to make sure you get the support you paid for, and what you should look for when choosing a tracker in the first place. Pet GPS Tracker
Let’s start with the basics. When you buy a pet GPS tracker, you’re not just buying a small, battery-powered device that clips to your dog’s collar. You’re buying a whole system: the hardware, the cellular or satellite connectivity that pulls location data, and the app that lets you check where your pet is. A good warranty should cover all parts of that system, at least for a set period after purchase. At my company, every tracker leaves our warehouse with a standard one-year manufacturer warranty, and we offer an optional two-year extended warranty too—this isn’t a random choice; it’s based on years of testing how these devices hold up in real, messy pet life.
First, let’s talk about what the standard manufacturer warranty typically covers. For most reputable pet GPS tracker brands, this includes defects in materials or workmanship. That means if your tracker stops charging out of nowhere, if the GPS signal drops even when your pet is in your backyard (no interference from thick trees or tall buildings), if the casing cracks on its own without being dropped or chewed, or if the cellular modem fails to connect to the network, that’s usually covered. We test every tracker for 72 straight hours during manufacturing, simulating everything from a walk through the woods to a dip in a lake, but sometimes a component slips through, or a batch of batteries has a tiny defect that only shows up after a few months. That’s what warranties are for—not to cover every accidental mishap, but to fix the things that aren’t your fault.
But here’s the part most customers miss: the fine print. Almost every warranty has exclusions, and pet trackers have unique ones that people don’t think about. Let’s say your lab chews through the tracker’s cable and breaks the casing. That’s not covered, because it’s damage from animal abuse (we define abuse as intentional or excessive chewing) or accidental damage. If you drop the tracker off a roof, or it gets run over by a lawnmower, that’s also excluded. Water damage? Wait, no—wait, most good warranties cover water damage only if the device was advertised as waterproof, which ours is. If you use our tracker and it stops working after your dog swims in a saltwater pool, that’s covered, because saltwater corrosion is a defect if the casing is supposed to seal. But if you take it scuba diving at 50 feet, which our tracker isn’t rated for, that’s on you. That’s a key point: always check the IP rating (Ingress Protection) of your tracker before assuming water damage is covered. We rate ours IP67, meaning it’s protected against dust and can handle being submerged in up to 1 meter of water for 30 minutes—anything beyond that is out of warranty.
Another big exclusion: misuse of the device. If you use a generic third-party charger instead of the one we provide, and that charger damages the battery, that’s not covered. We’ve tested our chargers specifically to work with our battery chemistry; off-brand chargers can deliver too much power, which wears batteries out fast or causes short circuits. Also, if you modify the tracker—take it apart, poke holes in the casing, change the battery yourself without our authorization—your warranty is void. We get why people might want to tweak these devices, but that modification is a clear sign the damage wasn’t from manufacturing.
Now, how do you actually file a warranty claim? This is where a lot of companies fall short, and why we’ve built our process to be as easy as possible. When you buy from us, you register your tracker within 30 days of purchase—super simple, just enter the serial number from the back of the device on our website. Registration lets us link your tracker to your account, so when you have a problem, we can pull up your purchase date, any past support tickets, and the exact model. To file a claim, you just reach out to our support team via email or our in-app chat, send a few photos of the device, describe what’s wrong, and we’ll walk you through next steps. If it’s covered, we typically send a replacement tracker within 24 hours—no need to ship the old one back first, which we know is a huge hassle for pet parents who need their tracker right away. We only ask you to send the old one back after you receive the new one, in a pre-paid package we include in the shipment.
What about the length of the warranty? One-year standard is pretty common in the pet GPS space, but some brands only offer 90 days, which I think is too short. These devices have a lot of moving parts: GPS modules, cellular antennas, batteries that are meant to last 18-24 months. A 90-day warranty means the company is only willing to cover the earliest, most obvious defects, not the ones that pop up at 6 or 10 months. We offer the standard year, and our extended warranty adds another two years for a small fee—less than $10 a month, which is way cheaper than buying a whole new tracker when yours dies. We also offer a “lost tracker” add-on for the extended warranty, which means if your tracker is actually lost (not just the battery died), we’ll replace it for half the price, no questions asked. That’s something we added after a customer told us their tracker fell out of their dog’s collar on a hike, and paying $80 for a new one on top of the $30 for the extended warranty was a bigger hit than they expected.
I should also mention what a warranty doesn’t cover, even if it seems like it should. Cell service outages: if your tracker stops working because of a nationwide cellular network outage, that’s not a manufacturing defect. We build our trackers to use multiple network providers, but sometimes all of them go down in a remote area, and that’s out of our control. Similarly, app glitches: if the app stops loading locations, that’s usually a software issue we fix with an update, not a hardware defect. Our warranty covers the hardware, so if the app doesn’t work, we’ll work with you to get it fixed, but that’s not part of the warranty itself. We also don’t cover the cost of finding your pet—wait, no, actually, we do offer a lost pet support service as part of our standard package, which includes helping you coordinate with local shelters and using our network of other users to ping if your pet’s tracker is seen. That’s separate from the warranty, but it’s a free perk we include because we care more about getting your pet back than just selling a device.
Let’s talk about common mistakes people make when dealing with pet GPS tracker warranties. First, not registering your device. A few months ago, I had a customer who bought a tracker, didn’t register it, and then when it broke, she couldn’t prove when she bought it. She’d lost her receipt, and since she didn’t register, we had no way to verify the purchase date. We were able to work out a discount on a new one, but that’s a hassle she could have avoided. Second, assuming all companies’ warranties are the same. I recently bought a cheap pet GPS tracker for a friend’s rescue, and their warranty only covers defects for 90 days, and excludes all water damage—even though they advertise it as waterproof. That’s a bait and switch; make sure to read the warranty page on the brand’s website before you buy, not just the product description. Third, waiting too long to file a claim. If your tracker starts acting up at 11 months, that’s still within the one-year warranty, but if you wait until 13 months, most brands won’t help you. As soon as you notice a problem—like the battery only lasting 4 hours instead of 24, or the location is always wrong—reach out. Our support team can often fix issues remotely, like a simple app update or adjusting the GPS settings, without needing to replace the device.
Now, what if you’re shopping for a pet GPS tracker and want to make sure the warranty is solid? Here’s what to look for: first, a warranty that’s at least 12 months, with clear terms that list exactly what’s covered and excluded. Avoid brands that have vague language like “we warrant our products to be free from defects” with no specifics— that’s a sign they won’t back you up when you need it. Second, easy claims: look for brands that offer multiple support channels, fast replacement times, and don’t make you jump through hoops to prove your case. Third, transparency: good brands will post their full warranty on their website, not bury it in the fine print of a PDF. We have our full warranty on the front page of our site, in a big button called “Warranty & Support” so you don’t have to hunt for it. Fourth, extended warranties that make sense—if the fee is more than 20% of the device’s cost, it’s probably not worth it. Our extended warranty is 15% of the tracker’s price, which I think is fair because it covers the most common issues that come up after the first year.
I’ll be honest: not every warranty claim we process is a clear win. Last year, we had a customer who said her tracker stopped working, and when we asked for photos, we could see a big crack in the casing from where her cat had grabbed it and tossed it across the room. That was accidental damage, so we couldn’t cover it, but we sent her a discount code anyway because we knew she was a long-time customer. That’s the difference between a brand that sees you as a transaction and one that sees you as a pet parent. We don’t want to leave you stuck with a broken tracker when your pet’s safety is on the line, so we work with customers when we can, even if it’s not an official warranty claim.
At the end of the day, a pet GPS tracker’s warranty is more than just a guarantee to fix a broken device—it’s a promise that the company cares about your peace of mind as much as you do. When you’re trusting a small device to keep track of your best friend, you shouldn’t have to fight to get it replaced when it stops working. If you’re in the market for a pet GPS tracker, I’d encourage you to look for a brand that stands behind its products, has clear, fair warranty terms, and offers support that’s actually helpful when you need it.
If you have questions about our warranty, want to learn more about our trackers, or are ready to place a bulk order for your shelter, vet clinic, or pet supply business, don’t hesitate to reach out to our sales team. We’re here to help you find the right solution for your needs, and to make sure you have the support you need for as long as you use our products.
Cat Water Fountain References:
- American Pet Products Association. (2023). Pet Technology Market Report: GPS Trackers and Activity Monitors.
- Ingress Protection (IP) Code Standard. International Electrotechnical Commission. (2020). IEC 60529: Degrees of Protection Provided by Enclosures.
- Consumer Reports. (2022). Pet GPS Trackers: What Works, What to Avoid, and Warranty Tips.
- Federal Communications Commission. (2021). Consumer Guide to Warranties for Electronic Devices.
Shenzhen TIZE Technology Co., Ltd.
Shenzhen TIZE Technology Co., Ltd. is one of the most professional pet gps tracker manufacturers and suppliers in China, also supports high quality customized service. Welcome to wholesale the newest pet gps tracker made in China here and get pricelist from our factory. Also, 1 year warranty is available.
Address: Building 2, Guangyu Industrial Zone, Huangtian Community, Hangcheng Street, Bao’an District, Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, China
E-mail: apple@cntize.com
WebSite: https://www.cntize.com/
