Hi, I'm new to this forum and I'm having a bit of a nightmare with my Sigma warranty. I've recently returned my Sigma 150-500mm APO lens to Sigma due to a product recall. Today I received a letter from them demanding £38 for a focusing issue repair. When I rang them to tell them that I only bought it last June and it was still under warranty I was told that the shop where I'd bought it from must have been selling imported Sigma lens' and that the warranty wasn't valid. I've been onto the camera shop (a reputable store) and they told me that they bought the batch of lens' from Sigma Europe and not Sigma UK. They are going to chase this issue up with Sigma UK. I don't think either side have exactly covered themselves in glory. I'm annoyed that the shop have sold me a lens without a valid UK warranty and under false pretences, I'm also annoyed with the reaction from Sigma, aren't Sigma UK and Sigma Europe the same company? Can anyone help me with where I stand legally or has anyone else had this sort of trouble?
DPR Forum
Welcome to the Friendly Aisles!
DPRF is a spin-off of dpreview. We are a photography forum with people from all over the world freely sharing their knowledge and love of photography. Everybody is welcome, from beginners to the experienced professional. From smartphone to Medium Format.
DPRF is a community for everybody, every brand and every sensor format. Digital and film.
Enjoy this modern, easy to use software. Look also at our Reviews & Gallery!
Sigma customer service?
- Thread starter chrisfg1
- Start date
tc95
Well-Known Member
I would contact Sigma UK and ask them if you can fax or email a copy of the receipt to them...explain how you purchased the lens from what you thought was a reputable company...and what recourse you have in getting this issue resolved...I would then see if they will ship the lens to Sigma Europe to get fixed under warrantee...and then ship it back to you...remember that you are the customer...you might have to rattle a few branches...I have been told something was out of warrantee...and called and raised enough stink that they just fixed it anyway...
Good Luck and let us know what happens..
Tony C. :z04_cowboy:
Good Luck and let us know what happens..
Tony C. :z04_cowboy:
Thanks for the advice Tony. I sent a copy of the receipt when I sent off the lens. Sigma customer service seem very unhelpful and just continue to blame the shop. I'm pretty disgusted with the way that Sigma are operating a warranty system for different regions. I'll be speaking again to both Sigma and the shop tomorrow and I hope by then it's been rectified.
Here in the US, if you buy what is known as "grey market" lenses or cameras, the manufacturers will not honor the warranty. Reputable shops will let you know what you are buying and will handle shipping for warranty coverage. But even Canon and Nikon will refuse to handle grey market items here. The courts here back them because they warn buyers in their ads to look for a US warranty. Your seller needs to step up and do the right thing.
I don't much like the warranty game the manufaturers play, but they all do it. Allows them to charge higher prices where they can get it. Which means we are either paying more than we really should, or subsidizing countries where they sell for less. Neither makes me happy, but when every camera and lens maker does it and the courts back them, what can we do?
I don't much like the warranty game the manufaturers play, but they all do it. Allows them to charge higher prices where they can get it. Which means we are either paying more than we really should, or subsidizing countries where they sell for less. Neither makes me happy, but when every camera and lens maker does it and the courts back them, what can we do?
In EU, all products sold to private customers, are under two year warranty (of course manufacturer can extend it). Internet sources point to directive 1999/44/EC. I personally have no legal nor practical knowledge about that subject, but I think you can find enough information on the net.
Now that is a rule I wish we had here in the US. There is nothing about the language used on a warranty card, that should make the item any more reliable in one country or another.
I don't have a gripe with the warranty duration. I'm just not thrilled about how "grey market" equipment is handled by all the manufacturers. It's not just Sigma that does this. If you build it, and you warranty it, you should repair it wherever it is. I could see them only honoring the duration of the warranty from the original county. So if you bought a camera in say, the US that was intended for market in Spain, and the Eu warranty was 2 years, then you should not expect them to cover repairs for 3 years, if the US market warranty is normally 3 years.