Say what? Installing Linux on your computer will void the warranty of the hardware. Wow, that is a hard one and I don’t even know where to start without this turning into a complete rant. So let’s try to stay calm for the sake of the story.

So yes, installing Linux on your computer will void the warranty. At least if it is bought at Currys/PC World in the UK. This is what Roy Schestowitz found out about a week ago. His old desktop computer had died and he needed a replacement fast.

Ordering over the internet wasn’t an option as the system was needed now and there was no other computer store in his region. So he got into his car and drove to the only computer store in his area, Currys PC World, with the intention to buy what they had to offer and accept the price that it would cost. So far so good, this is a normal scenario many of us have been in.

Roy is a little bit upset in his blog post about the fact that Currys PC World sells all their systems with Windows 8, but that’s personal preference and something that easily can be replaced. At least that’s what any normal person would assume, format the hard disk or create a second partition and install whatever operating system you like. If you however do that on a PC bought at Currys, you’ll void any warranty on the system.

“After many chats with colourful language and even car analogies or other such arguments about the separability of hardware and software we decided we just couldn’t do business at PC World. The company is inherently GNU/Linux-hostile. Avoid Currys.”

Okay, I can understand if they don’t offer any technical assistance and support once you move away from the configuration it was sold with, but going as far as completely voiding the warranty seems a bit insane and as a very outdated policy.

As it turns out, this is a fact and was confirmed by multiple employees at multiple PC World stores according to the blogger. Once you install GNU/Linux, even if it is dual boot with Windows, the warranty wouldn’t cover any damage to the hardware. This even includes the keyboard, mouse, screen and so on. One employee Roy talked to regretted the situation, but defended the policy “because it is imposed from above”.

Update

After we published this article a lot of employees, both current and former, came out and denied these allegations. There was this policy 5-8 years ago, but it’s no more. Roy must have had the luck to run into one of the uninformed stores on this matter.

Thanks to Roy Schestowitz for providing us with this information

Image courtesy of RetailWeek