I am new to the Sony system and I am wondering if anyone knows (or has any first-hand experience) about the Sony policy on the US version vs Grey Import models of Sony lenses and cameras.
In the Nikon land, Nikon would typically not touch any grey import items if one ever needed repair. I am not talking just about honoring the US warranty but they would typically refuse to do any repairs even for a fee. Unless you got lucky, you would have to either use a 3rd party repair shop or in the worst case, had to ship your item to the Nikon service center in the country where it was supposed to have been sold in the first place! So one would have to be careful when buying Used Nikon gear.
So here are my questions on Sony:
1) What is the Sony policy on this? I understand they may not honor any US warranty on any Grey Import items. But would they at least do the repairs if needed for a fee?
2) And how can one check/verify if a specific Sony camera or lens is US version and not Grey Import? Again, for Nikon, one could submit a support ticket with the serial number of the item, and sometimes if one is lucky, they would confirm. But, in the worst case, I could just take my camera or lens to a Nikon service center (which happens to be very close to where I live) and they would confirm it for me. So what are my options when buying used Sony gear?
Instead of asking and maybe getting the correct answer I would call Precision Camera in CT ( 860-272-2100) and ask them directly. They are an authorized Sony repair center so if they say they will repair a gray marker Sony I would be confident that Sony's only concern is honoring the warranty.
Thanks. Good suggestion and I will call them to check.
But again, in the Nikon case, it is a bit different. There are certain cameras and lenses that Nikon can only repair itself, ie they don’t even give parts to 3rd party repair centers. So I would think Precision Camera couldn’t care less if a specific item is US version or Grey import as long as Sony enables them (unlike Nikon) to make the repairs, ie provides them with any parts that may be needed.
Dr Al wrote:
Instead of asking and maybe getting the correct answer I would call Precision Camera in CT ( 860-272-2100) and ask them directly. They are an authorized Sony repair center so if they say they will repair a gray marker Sony I would be confident that Sony's only concern is honoring the warranty.
I contacted B&H with this same question several months ago. They told me that Sony would repair gray market items for a fee. You might want to confirm this to be 100% sure.
I have been in the market for some Tamron lenses in Sony E mount lately. Tamron's policy seems to be just like Nikon's. They will not repair a gray market item.
Sony and (as @molson said) most other companies simply look at products as in or out of warranty. A "grey market" item is only "grey" when outside of the intended country/region of distribution. If you buy a Sony lens from a dealer in Malaysia it is under warranty in Malaysia. In the USA it is considered "out of warranty" but still serviceable at a cost. This is no different than buying a lens from a USA dealer and needing repair a year and a day later. It's out of warranty but serviceable so you have to pay for repairs. I have confirmed this with Sony in the past.
I bought a Tamron lens from a dealer in Canada which needed repair. Tamron USA told me they would repair it for a fee. I shipped the lens back to the dealer in Canada and they sent it on to Tamron Canada. I got my fixed lens back from the dealer and all was well. Took more time given the cross border delays but didn't cost me much more than shipping it back to Tamron USA would have.
jeffbuzz wrote:
Sony and (as @molson@ said) most other companies simply look at products as in or out of warranty. A "grey market" item is only "grey" when outside of the intended country/region of distribution. If you buy a Sony lens from a dealer in Malaysia it is under warranty in Malaysia. In the USA it is considered "out of warranty" but still serviceable at a cost. This is no different than buying a lens from a USA dealer and needing repair a year and a day later. It's out of warranty but serviceable so you have to pay for repairs. I have confirmed this with Sony in the past.
I bought a Tamron lens from a dealer in Canada which needed repair. Tamron USA told me they would repair it for a fee. I shipped the lens back to the dealer in Canada and they sent it on to Tamron Canada. I got my fixed lens back from the dealer and all was well. Took more time given the cross border delays but didn't cost me much more than shipping it back to Tamron USA would have....Show more →
That is good to know on Canadian purchases. Thanks for the info.
I hope that's the case over there. In the UK I would be confident they (Sony) would lose very little sleep over not honouring the warranty on the grey market item. That said when I've sent things for repair under warranty they've been very good, though 1 year (with no offer of an extra year if registered within 30 days of purchase) is somewhat miserly for a £12k lens.
Dr Al wrote:
I would be confident that Sony's only concern is honoring the warranty.
I called Sony Pro support this morning. And the Sony rep confirmed verbally to me that Sony would NOT honor any US warranty services for Grey Import items but they will provide any repairs/services for a fee if/when necessary.
So looks like, unlike Nikon, one would not need to worry about US vs Grey when buying any used Sony gear that is already out of its warranty period.
