Warranty vs Support Agreement After Delivery
By CodexierPublished 4 min read
After a website, webshop or app is delivered, two things are often sold together and blurred: a warranty and a support agreement. They solve different problems. This guide separates them, shows how to tell a defect from a new wish, and helps you decide whether you need ongoing support at all.
What a warranty covers
In Swedish business-to-business deals there is no general statutory warranty for software work, the way consumer law protects private buyers. What applies is what the contract says. Industry standard terms and most serious suppliers include a defect period that starts when you approve the delivery. Within that period, anything that does not work as specified is fixed without charge.
The specification is the reference point. If the quote said the contact form sends leads to your CRM and it does not, that is a defect. This is also why the sign-off step matters: what you approve at acceptance testing is what the warranty is measured against.
What a support agreement covers
Software does not stay still after delivery. Browsers, operating systems, plugins, payment providers and security threats all change. A support agreement pays someone to keep up with that, and to be reachable when you need help.
| Area | Warranty | Support agreement |
|---|---|---|
| Bug in delivered functionality | Yes, within the period | Usually yes, also after the warranty ends |
| Security and platform updates | No | Yes |
| Plugin or app store changes that break things | No | Yes, as part of maintenance |
| Backups and restore | No | Yes, if included |
| Uptime monitoring | No | Yes, if included |
| Small content or design changes | No | Often, within a monthly allowance |
| New features | No | No — quoted separately |
Check what the monthly fee actually includes. A support agreement without clear response times and a list of included work is hard to hold anyone to.
Defects vs new wishes
Most disagreements happen here. The rule of thumb: if it does not do what was agreed, it is a defect. If it does what was agreed but you now want something else, it is a change.
Defect
The checkout fails on mobile Safari. The booking form does not send a confirmation although the specification said it would. A page crashes.
New wish
You want a second language, a new payment option, a different layout on the start page, or an integration nobody mentioned before.
Grey zone
Something the specification did not address at all. Talk about it early and agree in writing; our guide on change requests and scope creep shows how.
Warranty length and conditions
Warranty periods vary by supplier and project size, so compare the actual wording rather than the headline. These are the conditions worth checking before you sign.
- Start date: acceptance, launch or invoice date. Acceptance is fairest to you.
- How to report: in writing, with a description and steps to reproduce.
- Exclusions: changes made by you or another supplier, third-party updates, hosting problems outside the supplier's control.
- Response and fix times: when they respond, and whether critical defects are handled faster.
- What happens if the supplier cannot fix it: a price reduction or the right to have someone else fix it.
Deciding whether you need support
A decision rule: if the site or app takes payments, stores customer data or runs on a platform with frequent updates such as WordPress or a mobile app, ongoing maintenance is a real need, not an upsell. If it is a simple static site that nobody edits, you may not need a monthly agreement — an occasional check is enough.
Our monthly maintenance package covers updates, backups, monitoring and small fixes; the current price is on the pricing page. What we do not do is charge a support fee for defects in something we delivered — that is what the warranty is for. If you are unsure which your problem is, book a call and we will tell you honestly.
Frequently asked questions
Is a warranty required by law for a website?
Not for business customers in Sweden. Consumer law protects private buyers, but between companies the contract decides. That is why the warranty clause should be written down, with a start date and a length.
Does the warranty cover problems after I install a new plugin?
Normally not. Changes made by you or another supplier are usually excluded, because the supplier can no longer vouch for the whole. Maintenance covers keeping plugins and updates compatible.
Can I get support from someone other than the original developer?
Yes, but it may end the warranty for the parts that are changed. Make sure you have the code, the logins and documentation, so another supplier can take over.
What if a defect is found after the warranty expires?
Then it is usually handled as paid work or within a support agreement. Report defects as soon as you notice them during the warranty period, in writing.
Not sure what you are paying for after launch?
Send us your contract or quote and in 15 minutes we go through what is warranty, what is support and what you may not need at all.
Book a free 15-minute call