My New Flash, Warranties and Dealers

Well I got my new Canon 550EX flash yesterday and when I opened the box there was no warranty card. When I ordered the flash on the phone I specifically asked for a USA warranty item and I was told it was. The dealer, Etronics in NY city, said there should have been one and said they will call Canon and have them send me a replacement.

So I called Canon to confirm this. Well Canon says that they don't usually send replacement warrnty cards. Then they told me that I don't need a USA warranty card anyway. My receipt is my warranty, as long as the dealer was in the US and delivery point was in the US.

Not sure how I feel about all this, but at one level I feel taken. :roll: I got a good price $317 (including S&H) but we'll see how it pans out in the long run.

Now all I have to do is learn how to use this thing.

Almost all of the dealers have a return policy. You could return it, get a refund and then order another one from someplace else.

...you were taken.

There are many, many scams were camera and electronics dealers, mostly in the New York City area. One of them is to claim to sell a product with a "US Warranty" vs. gray market.

There are some serious catches to this.

In one case I dealt with, the merchant claimed that when he said "US Warranty" it would be repaired by his business because it is in the United States. In that case the customer did not explicitly ascertain that he was buying the manufacturer's US warranty.

Canon USA/Canon Canada have, as a matter of customer courtesy, provided service to gray market products with a dated sales receipt. Despite claims by people on various Internet forums to the contrary, this is a customer courtesy, NOT a warranty. A warranty is a legal instrument creating enforceable legal rights. If Canon changes its policy tomorrow and refuses to service gray market gear, there is no recourse against Canon, period.

Of course, many sellers of gray gear, B&H for example, will provide their own warranty independent of the manufacturer.

Also note not all manufacturers are as generous as Canon. It's reported that Nikon won't service gray gear at all.

Further, not all warranties are the same. They not only vary by manufacturer, but by model. The warranty Canon provides for a 10D isn't the same as for the 1D, the latter of which has a specific worldwide Canon warranty.

The key is BUYER BEWARE.

The original poster here got taken. The 550EX at B&H with a Canon USA warranty is $330+about $10 for shipping. Canon USA offers a $25 rebate so the net cost of the 550EX with the manufacturer's USA warranty is less that what the original poster paid. BUYER BEWARE.

Further, the original poster is not eligible for the $25 rebate. The gray 550EX at B&H is $300+about $10 for shipping. Again, the original poster got screwed. BUYER BEWARE.

E.J. Peiker wrote:Almost all of the dealers have a return policy. You could return it, get a refund and then order another one from someplace else.

Sellers usually don't refund shipping charges.

In this case the original poster's best option would be to demand specific performance, i.e., a 550EX with the Canon USA warranty. That way he would be entitled to the $25 rebate, too. If they balk at specific performance (which is a specific legal term, BTW), then I would file a complaint with the appropriate authorities in New York State.

Good point on the rebate. I have found that most will cover the shipping if they sent you exactly what you ordered.

E.J. Peiker wrote:Good point on the rebate. I have found that most will cover the shipping if they sent you exactly what you ordered.

E.J., I think you meant to say that "most will not cover shipping if they sent you exactly what you ordered."

Incidentally, when B&H send me an erroneous shipment, they also offered to ship my next order for free. (I made sure to take prudent advantage of that offer.)

LOL - no I meant: I have found that most will cover the shipping if they don't sent you exactly what you ordered.

Finally a happy resolution to this issue. After much back and forth I finally got them to take back the non USA waranty flash and issue a full refund, including shipping. In addition they arranged for Fedex to pick up the flash at my home at their expense. This did not take place until I threatened to involve the NY State Attorney General's office. It also took putting up with 6 weeks of their stonewalling.

I now have my USA warranty flash and the rebate has been mailed for.

Ken Kovak wrote:Finally a happy resolution to this issue. After much back and forth I finally got them to take back the non USA waranty flash and issue a full refund, including shipping. In addition they arranged for Fedex to pick up the flash at my home at their expense. This did not take place until I threatened to involve the NY State Attorney General's office. It also took putting up with 6 weeks of their stonewalling.

I now have my USA warranty flash and the rebate has been mailed for.

Good for you, Ken!

Congrats!