Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2003/01/20

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Subject: RE: [Leica] Service in NJ on USA warranted and bought equipment
From: "WOC" <woc2@earthlink.net>
Date: Tue, 21 Jan 2003 00:25:35 -0500

If you are not interested in the USA service battle, you might want to hit
delete now....
Time to remove the lurking cover and chip in my .02 here.  As a previous
Leica Dealer, currently in the auto business (autos from the fatherland),
and afflicted with the dreaded watch illness I have some experience with
products that are often brought in to the country by other then the official
importer.
In the case of many of these items, the importer is a business that may or
may not be owned by the manufacturer but operate under the same principles,
that is, they buy the item from the manufacturer, then set up their own
warranty program to cover the product.  If someone imports the product
independently, it means no profit for the official distributor, plain and
simple.  Since their profits provide the warranty service, any warranty work
on said object is a total loss in their eyes.  My understanding with Leica
in particular was, if the item was a USA item, no brainier.  If it was not
but the customer purchased it directly while out of the country, i.e. you
buy your NOCT while in Germany from an authorized dealer, and provided
receipt etc, it would be fixed under the international warranty, and Leica
GMBH would be billed for the repair, no problem.  If you bought it from
Honest Clem's Leica and Apple Pie store and it was gray market/parallel
import/whatever then it goes back to the homeland for repair, or you pay for
the fix.  Of course, often Clem and his cohorts have their in store warranty
and will be glad to attend to it for you.  Now, at least to me, from a
business point of view, it is not out of line.  This is not unlike expecting
the Chevy dealer to fix your Ford, it will not happen.  Under this policy, a
visitor from Germany will get his lens/camera fixed locally and continue on
his/her vacation snapping away.  At the time, the Nikon, Canon, Minolta, and
Olympus reps stated the same policy.  Basically the only things they
resented were those imported in bulk by non-authorized sellers, and those
got bounced.
Back in the high flying 80s, BMW and Porsche ran into folks bringing their
product in to the country because even with the DOT approval, you still
saved a ton of money.  Since they are 'self insured' for warranty work, they
flat out refused to attend to the grey cars (no matter what color they
were).  In fact, dealers were instructed not to even work on the cars for
liability issues since many parts were not the same.  Create hard feelings?
You bet, mostly for the folks that assume it is ok to save money by buying
from outside the box but think the folks that did not sell the item is honor
bound to fix it.  But, again, the way the dealer and distribution network is
set up, if they are not going to make any money on the item, they do not
feel compelled to service it.  Like most things in life, there are rules and
that is one of the rules.  Lots of things are not fair, war and children
starving come to mind as the TV blares in the background.
GM was mentioned at one that fixed everything no matter what, but at least
up to a few years ago, and I'm comfortable it still remain the same, would
not honor warranties for vehicles exported to Europe by non-franchised
dealers, that is, should Clem expand past Leicas and Apple Pies, and into
Park Avenues, the European arm of GM would not honor the warranty.  Plus,
the selling dealer could be in hot water for selling to Clem if he was on
the current hit list they published to tell dealers who was 'floating' cars
overseas.  Fair to the person in England that bought his Le Sabre from Clem,
well by their standards since GM of England did not import it, they had not
responsibility for it.
Many items that are not gray but are not purchased from an authorized dealer
have the same warranty limitations, Garmin states that if you buy your GPS
unit from an unauthorized dealer, the warranty if void for example. Fair?
Right? Hey, it's their sandbox.  You can rant and rave all you want but that
is their policy.
Breitling tells you that nothing of theirs is officially sold over the
internet and anything purchased that way is not covered.
I know for a fact that these rules are not always strictly enforced but the
fact they are stated covers them in the event they wish to act on it.
Not looking to incite a riot here, just stating the facts as I understood
them from a person that delt with some of the products being bantered about.
sorry for the length.
Clem
Honest Clem's Leica, Apple Pie, and Chevette Sales



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