You might want to re-consider buying from grey imports :(

jonney_joop

jonney_joop

jonney_joop

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I dont know if anyone has seen the thread on POTN about a 5DMKIII brought from Digital Rev. Its got an issue and the guy has tried to get it fixed under DR's local repair warranty, only to find Canon UK wont touch it, as they say its not a legit serial number.
The outcome seems to be, based on that that users experience, is that if anything goes wrong with this camera, now or in the future, it has to go back to HK for repair.

Anyone like to comment on this? Has anyone gone through the same?
http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=1242404
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taken from another forum.

some of you may have read this. Doesnt sound good indeed.

Question is, why would DR stick a fake serial? what do they gain from doing so?
 
Part of the reason I paid little extra to get from a UK company. I actually only paid £2,050 to get it from a UK company on eBay in Oct, and spoke to Canon to make sure it was covered. Seller also sent me pics of the box with the SKU, UK labelling etc. Canon told me as long as I could produice a VAT receipt with a UK reg'd company and the camera SKU was GB then I was fine. God knows how the seller managed to sell UK stock for that cheap but it was fine, all sealed, and camera had 0 actuations (he has sold lots of Canon goods throughout the years, and a lot of MKIIIs)

When sent recently to get sorted, all was perfect with the serial etc, warranty covered, registered on CPS etc fine.
 
I thought this was well understood, you buy a grey import and you wont be covered by the manufacturer outside the country that the Camera has an associated serial number. E.g., buy a HK camera and service will have to be done in HK.

that is why I would never touch a grey import with a barge pole.
 
Wasnt this always the case, Canon UK won't deal with equipment bought outside the country?

Certainly other HK retailers in the UK will deal with Canon HK for repairs on your behalf.

If the serial number is really fake then doesn't sound good - but are canon just saying its not legit in the UK?
 
jonney_joop said:
taken from another forum.

some of you may have read this. Doesnt sound good indeed.

Question is, why would DR stick a fake serial? what do they gain from doing so?
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It wont be fake, it will be a serial number listed as for the HK market, not the UK market. Hence Canon UK won't touch it as its warranty is in HK, not the UK.
 
grahamjenks said:
Wasnt this always the case, Canon UK won't deal with equipment bought outside the country?

Certainly other HK retailers in the UK will deal with Canon HK for repairs on your behalf.

If the serial number is really fake then doesn't sound good - but are canon just saying its not legit in the UK?
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Yep.
The issues with DR and warranty are well known (or so I thought?)

I don't think its a fake serial number, more its a foreign serial number, one that Canon UK will not support.

I wonder if the person affected could get a repair done at an authorised repair centre (I can't remember the name of the big one), pay the bill and claim back off of DR ?

If you are buying from outside of the UK its an import - simple as that.
 
dannyjo22 said:
The guy in the link says differently, they won't touch his camera at all :confused:
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Now I've read it, it sounds like its not a matter of grey import.....misleading thread title if there ever was one, it is a matter of a fake serial number. Like a fake registration or VIN number on cars.
 
Crafty said:
Yep.
The issues with DR and warranty are well known (or so I thought?)

I don't think its a fake serial number, more its a foreign serial number, one that Canon UK will not support.

I wonder if the person affected could get a repair done at an authorised repair centre (I can't remember the name of the big one), pay the bill and claim back off of DR ?

If you are buying from outside of the UK its an import - simple as that.
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What about Kerso? I'm sure people had that repaired, so long as it has a UK invoice, it's nothing to do with UK serial.
 
it would be interesting to see if his exif data matches the serial number
call me cynical but i cant help wander if its just canon uk trying to add some doubt to try and stop some of the grey market sales ,to try and hold on to there silly uk rrp
 
niko said:
it would be interesting to see if his exif data matches the serial number
call me cynical but i cant help wander if its just canon uk trying to add some doubt to try and stop some of the grey market sales ,to try and hold on to there silly uk rrp
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That's what i think. Not impossible that DR sold a fake, but unlikely unless they've suddenly turned dodgy. I bought a Nikon ages ago in the US and when it broke and i sent it to Nikon UK they said things along the same lines "Not an official Nikon product etc".
 
I thought this is well known as there have been a few threads and posts on it. DR state it is a local warranty meaning it has to go back to them if it goes wrong or to one of their approved repair shop or whatever it is, and the serial will be registered for HK, so pretty obvious Canon UK will not honor the warranty of an item that was designated for another region regardless it being Canon's product.
 
So basically then my speedlite from Digital rev wouldn't be fixed then if it breaks, even out of warranty?

I find it hard to believe they wouldn't take the money for fixing it out of warranty. Oh well I will just carry on using kerso then, he supplies an invoice from the uk and I didn't have problems getting my 17-55 calibrated under warranty from him.
 
I thought Canon lens warranties are honoured internationally and it's just bodies that don't get honoured? Sigma's extended EX 3 year warranty doesn't apply internationally (1 year for grey imports in the UK) but not sure about Nikon, Tamron or any others
 
Ksanti said:
I thought Canon lens warranties are honoured internationally and it's just bodies that don't get honoured? Sigma's extended EX 3 year warranty doesn't apply internationally (1 year for grey imports in the UK) but not sure about Nikon, Tamron or any others
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I got a tamron lens from amazon uk and when I tried to register it for the 5 year warranty it wouldnt except the serial on the tamron uk website, I emailed them and it turns out amazon sent me one from Germany, but tamron said they would still give me the 5 year warranty because it was bought from amazon uk
 
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Raymond Lin said:
What about Kerso? I'm sure people had that repaired, so long as it has a UK invoice, it's nothing to do with UK serial.
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Good question, I have read that if you can provide a UK VAT receipt then you're fine, but I don't think I've ever seen a body go for repair..
Its also possible that Canon UK are clamping down ?
 
Ksanti said:
I thought Canon lens warranties are honoured internationally and it's just bodies that don't get honoured? Sigma's extended EX 3 year warranty doesn't apply internationally (1 year for grey imports in the UK) but not sure about Nikon, Tamron or any others
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I think the international warranty on canon lens is no longer (apparently), even on L lens. Someone else may be able to confirm
 
rafster said:
I think the international warranty on canon lens is no longer (apparently), even on L lens. Someone else may be able to confirm
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I don't know about warranty but I repaired my 35L last month at Elstree. Lens from Kerso, paid for it since out of warranty, didn't even need to send in receipt.
 
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