Abbott Schindl
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 p.2 #5 · First-time Gitzo buyer - Systematic or Mountaineer for a Series 2? | |
Yeh: I find a lot of warrantees to be laughable. For a real giggle, read some mattress warrantees. In addition to being prorated, they have pretty severe definitions of what some defects are—basically, regardless of warranty, the [expensive] mattresses I've looked at can't possibly wear out during their very long warranty periods, but they sure can get awfully uncomfortable! And most warrantees exclude claims if there's a stain anywhere on the piece.
Gitzo's current "limited" warranty looks to me pretty much like others, except they offer an extension to 7 years vs the 5 year limited warrantees provided by RRS, Kirk, ProMediaGear, and probably others. Based on the very small number of gripes I've seen and guessing at the relative numbers shipped, I've concluded that all four of these vendors make darn good, durable products that will exceed most users' needs, including mine. So for me it comes down to looking at features.
Quoted from Gitzo's warranty document:
"Gitzo products are warranted to be fit for the purpose for which they have been designed, and to be free from defects in materials and workmanship.
"This warranty does not cover any defects or costs caused by:
- misuse and subsequent damage. Misuse is defined by, but not limited to, the cases described here below, in the additional documentation and in the instruction manual included with the product.
- modification, alteration, repair or service of this product by anyone other than Gitzo;
- physical abuse to, overload of, or misuse of, the product or operation thereof in a manner contrary to the instructions accompanying the product;
- any use of the product other than that for which it was designed;
- shipment of the product to Gitzo for service;
- failure to comply with care and maintenance instructions accompanying the product."
From the wording, I assume that if a leg broke because, say, one tripped on a rock and fell against the leg, that Gitzo wouldn't cover it. What's not clear is what happens to a 6-year-old tripod that's got some paint worn off in several places, or if the legs are scratched from being lugged repeatedly through heavy brush. But the [old] broken spider castings photos I saw online should have been covered (not that it helps the gear or photo opps that might have been lost, or the trip that might have been ruined).
So in the end, it's up to the Gitzo (or other manufacturer) to determine whether the damaged product is a materials/workmanship issue or misuse. I guess they could consider any paint wear to indicate misuse, but I sure hope they're more honorable than that. B&W pulled that one on me several years ago, claiming that a CPL filter was user-damaged in a way that was extremely easy to measure (out-of-roundness). I measured the filter and it was round to as close as I could measure (0.0001"), but they said I must have dropped it. I'd even told them before sending it in that it was stiff when I initially received it sealed from an authorized dealer. I also had to pay to get the filter sent back to me!
In the end, I find most "limited warrantees" (which seem to be pretty much standard these days) to be useful only as an indicator of the manufacturer's faith in their product. Experienced companies tend to know their gear's failure modes and durability and, I believe, assign time limits to their warrantees so that the odds of a product breaking prematurely are pretty low.
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