Did you need to avail of camera warranty/guarantee

hot to trot

Just wondering how many of you have had trouble in the first year after buying a new camera.
Am trying to work out how critical it is to have manufacturers warranty for the 12 months.

Paulw

Warranty is automatic.

If you don't need it, then it's fine, but if you do fine a fault, it's critical.

hot to trot

Just trying to work out the chances of needing it .
Am considering buying a grey import . My scottish lawyer friend says that shop warranty is same as manufacturers warranty and its only one year anyway.
How often do brand new cameras need to be sent back , i guess is what I am wondering. I have never in my life had to send a camera back.

hbr

hot to trot wrote: »

Just trying to work out the chances of needing it .

I have been lucky so far. One DSLR, two bridge cameras and several P&S compact
cameras. I have never needed to send a camera back for repair or replacement.

Am considering buying a grey import . My scottish lawyer friend says that shop warranty is same as manufacturers warranty and its only one year anyway.

That is generally true. There are a few things you should consider.

Where is the shop?
Which legal jurisdiction is it in?
Will you have to ship your camera overseas for warranty repairs?
Will this have any customs implications?
Will the seller still be in business next year?
Have previous customers had good warranty service?

There are also a few standard issues like:
Will it have the correct power plug, user manual language, firmware?

How often do brand new cameras need to be sent back , i guess is what I am wondering. I have never in my life had to send a camera back.

In my limited experience, most cameras are quite reliable and won't need
warranty repair. It is more common for cameras to be returned because of
some form of buyer remorse rather than equipment failure.

However, a variant of Murphy's Law say that if you do have a warranty,
you won't need it, if you don't have a warranty, you will need it.

Cameras follow the 'bathtub' reliability curve. Failure rates are relatively
high when the camera is brand new. Once this initial period has passed,
failure rates will stay at a low level until the camera gets closer to it's
expected end-of-life when failure rates will rise slowly.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bathtub_curve If the camera is
working well when it is a few weeks old, it will probably be reliable for
the next few years.

I suppose the bottom line is whether you can afford to have a
major failure within the first twelve months. With consumer
grade cameras, the repair bill could be a big fraction of the purchase
price. This would effectively write off a camera, even if it is only a
few months old. This is a worst case scenario. In many cases,
warranty claims are for more minor problems like a failure of
of the battery charger or a problem with the kit lens.

magicbastarder

hot to trot wrote: »

My scottish lawyer friend says that shop warranty is same as manufacturers warranty and its only one year anyway.

speaking in general, not just about cameras; the warranty is what you would reasonably expect a good of that nature to last.

e.g. if you bought a washing machine, and it came with a one year warranty, you are legally entitled for a repair at the manufacturer's expense if it fails after two years; because when you buy a washing machine, you have a reasonable expectation that it should last longer than two years.

i'm not sure if there's any precedence to point to as to what is a reasonable expectation for a camera to last.

hot to trot

hbr wrote: »

I

That is generally true. There are a few things you should consider.

Where is the shop?
Which legal jurisdiction is it in?
Will you have to ship your camera overseas for warranty repairs?
Will this have any customs implications?
Will the seller still be in business next year?
Have previous customers had good warranty service?

There are also a few standard issues like:
Will it have the correct power plug, user manual language, firmware?



In my limited experience, most cameras are quite reliable and won't need
warranty repair. It is more common for cameras to be returned because of
some form of buyer remorse rather than equipment failure.

However, a variant of Murphy's Law say that if you do have a warranty,
you won't need it, if you don't have a warranty, you will need it.

Cameras follow the 'bathtub' reliability curve. Failure rates are relatively
high when the camera is brand new. Once this initial period has passed,
failure rates will stay at a low level until the camera gets closer to it's
expected end-of-life when failure rates will rise slowly.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bathtub_curve If the camera is
working well when it is a few weeks old, it will probably be reliable for
the next few years.

I suppose the bottom line is whether you can afford to have a
major failure within the first twelve months. With consumer
grade cameras, the repair bill could be a big fraction of the purchase
price. This would effectively write off a camera, even if it is only a
few months old. This is a worst case scenario. In many cases,
warranty claims are for more minor problems like a failure of
of the battery charger or a problem with the kit lens.

Its simplyelectonics.net. I know they operate originally from HK but through the UK. It would be so much handier for me to get on line rather than trudge back up to Dublin and I would have an extra 300 saved which should more than cover repairs if required. I was in Dublin twice recently but didnt have time either visit to go around to the camera shops.
Alternatively pixmania...