Who actually handles this warranty claim? A common question for most buyers

Seen this scenario posted multiple times: someone needs to file a warranty claim but can't figure out who's actually responsible.

Typical situation:

• Product bought from Retailer A
• Comes with Manufacturer B's warranty
• Customer added Retailer A's extended protection plan
• Product breaks
• Question: Who handles the claim?

The runaround members report:

Retailer says: "Contact the manufacturer, it's under their warranty."

Manufacturer says: "That's a screen/battery/cosmetic issue, check with the retailer's protection plan."

Retailer's warranty department says: "Actually, during overlap periods, the manufacturer handles it first."

Three calls. Multiple transfers. No resolution.

This gets more complicated with:

• Products received as gifts
• Secondhand purchases
• Transferred ownership
• Overlap between manufacturer and extended warranties

What one learns from having seen many such claims from the other side: Having a single point of contact matters enormously. Companies that clearly designate "file here first, we'll route it" get way fewer complaints than those that bounce customers around.

Has anyone successfully navigated the ownership confusion? What actually worked to get clarity on who's responsible?