Manufacturer Warranties and Protection Plans

[cyamakawa]

Hello all,

I need help on how to proceed with the following problem:

I live in Brazil and my wife is currently doing an English course in Toronto, Canada. I decided to pay her a visit and take the opportunity to take her to New York for tourism/shopping.

While in NY, we went to Best Buy's store located on 5th Avenue where I purchased a Sony Cyber-shot model DSC-WX50 for my wife. This happened on April 7 and we came back to Toronto on April 9, so we did not had much time to test it, but it appeared to be working well while we where in NY. I came back to Brazil on April 12 while my wife stayed in Toronto.

Well, last week the camera started to malfunction. it seems that the lens mechanism is jammed. It hasn't been 1 month since I bought the camera, so I want to know what should I do to have it replaced or repaired. I know there is a Best buy in Toronto, but would they accept it since it was bought in US?

Thanks

Carlos.

[CrystalWoW Community Veteran]

No you would have to return it to the us within 30 days from the date of purchase.

[xl]

For starters, what is the camera make and model?

Some manufacturers are territorial, while others have international warranties when retailers are not accessible.  However for some low-cost cameras, it may be simplier to just buy a new one.

Finally, Toronto is 90 minutes from the US border.  Buffallo, New York has several Best Buy stores... will the warranty be honored if the owner has a receipt?

Warning depending on what camera model this is.... don't be surprised if you are asked to pay for taxes and duties for a same day visit to the USA.

[cyamakawa]

CrystalWoW, thanks for your reply.

I need instructions on how to send it back to US. Could it be send by mail? Which address? Should I contact any Best Buy's representative before? I tried but couldn't find this information on Best buy's site.

xl,

It is a Sony Cyber-shot model DSC-WX50, which costs around $ 200,00

I am a bit disapointed (to say the least) that Sony Canada does not cover the waranty of products purchased outside Canada. My wife tried to contact Sony in Toronto before I came to this forum.

It is not an expensive camera so I don't think I would be worthy renting a car or getting into a bus to cross the border. Besides, my wife barely speaks english so she would have a really hard time trying to return the camera.

[CrystalWoW Community Veteran · Accepted solution]

It can't be mailed. Someone would have to return it to a US location. Any us location will work. If you happened to buy a protection plan, you can have it serviced internationally but if not, you would have to return to the US to return it within 30 days, or you would have to come back to the US after the 30 days, have it sent out for service, then come back when its done being serviced to pick it up.

[xl]

Don't be upset at Sony Canada. This is a common practice with many other electronics manufacturer as well. Unless there's a specific international warranty, there is no coverage.

In addition to making a claim... You need to wait weeks for your product to be fixed and replaced.

Yes for a $200 camera, it's simplier to buy a new one. Toronto has many camera stores.

[cyamakawa]

Well, thank you guys for your time and patience.

It is not the answer I wanted, but it cleared all my doubts.

[cyamakawa]

I understand every company has its own policies. But Iconfess I did not expect such a narrow minded vision from a big company as Sony. In my opinion it is a legally acquired product so the company should be considered responsible for any defective product regardless the place where it was bought. But that is just my opinion. I should have researched on the subject before I bought the camera. By the way, if it was a good policy I am sure Sony and other companies would advertise it on TV commercials.

Although $ 200,00 might be considered cheap for a camera I am upset to lose the money.

[xl]

Limited international warranty coverage by major manufacturers and retailers is not something new.  It's been an issue going back decades and Sony is not the only one.

If you haven't seen the movie "Canadian Bacon".  Many Canadian cities are located along the US border.  Every weekend, countless bargain shoppers stream across the border crossings for the best deal.

To help regional franchises, manufacturers and retailers have protective policies forcing you to return the country of origin to have warranty work done.  Service depots just examine the serial number.  If serial numbers are not native to the country, they will refuse to do any work.

It's a complicated issue and is more complicated when products are from Asia, Europe, or other locations around world.  Some models are not sold in Canada and stocking parts with different voltages, and languages is not easy.  Then there is the cost... Canada taxes, labour rates, transportation costs, fuel, and general distribution is much higher than the USA.

From another viewpoint, you gave your money to a USA retailer and manufacturer.  However, you want another country's retailer/manufacturer to service your product for FREE.  Does this sound fair?

Thankfully, you don't need to return to the exact city/store to have your item serviced/replaced.  A quick hop across the border is need to do.  Otherwise, I wonder if Sony Japan would be interested in servicing your product.  Waiting several weeks/months to have it serviced in another country is painful.

[Justin-BBY Community Connector]

Good afternoon cyamakawa, 

CrystalWow has provided excellent answers to your described Sony camera situation. There's not much more that I can add, and I'm very sorry for any inconvenience that this has caused you. If you have any more comments or concerns, feel free to reply or you can send me a private message by clicking the link beside my name. 

Sincerely,