Dave Williams
Well-known member
Let's clear up a couple of mistaken beliefs about grey imports, at least here in the UK.
Purchased from a UK dealer you get a 2 year Canon warranty but depending on who the grey importer is you can get a 3 year warranty that is funded by the dealer.
A common misconception is that should anything go wrong Canon won't touch a grey import. Absolute rubbish! I have sent equipment for repair and it has never been questioned as to the origins of the product.
A week last Saturday my Canon R5 died on me whilst on a trip to Lesvos in Greece. I went online and filled in the necessary forms to return it to Canon and they in turn emailed a UPS prepaid postage form to stick on the parcel. As it's my only camera body at the moment I requested urgent repair , which, parts being available is estimated to take 3-6 days from receipt. This service costs £45. As my R5 is a grey import and 2 years and 6 months old it was still covered by Panamoz's warranty which had I bought it in the UK I would be paying out myself.The communication with Panama was first class and they clarified I was free to send my camera to any authorised repair shop. Canon's in Elstree is the obvious choice in my opinion.
I posted the parcel from home on Monday, got regular updates and a phone call to tell me what needed doing and the cost by Canon. Price agreed they repaired the camera and sent it back on Thursday and I received it early Friday morning.
The invoice was enclosed , a receipt as I had already paid the bill which is needed to release the camera.I scanned the invoice , sent it to Panamoz and the money was paid in to my account within 24 hours.
Outstanding service from both Canon and Panamoz who not only paid for the cost of the repair but also the express service from Canon. Panamoz had even offered me a £200 allowance towards renting a camera while it was being repaired.
Not only did I save a four figure sum when I purchased the camera but now an additional three figure one.
So, to all you doubters stick with your beliefs by all means and I'll keep on smiling.
Purchased from a UK dealer you get a 2 year Canon warranty but depending on who the grey importer is you can get a 3 year warranty that is funded by the dealer.
A common misconception is that should anything go wrong Canon won't touch a grey import. Absolute rubbish! I have sent equipment for repair and it has never been questioned as to the origins of the product.
A week last Saturday my Canon R5 died on me whilst on a trip to Lesvos in Greece. I went online and filled in the necessary forms to return it to Canon and they in turn emailed a UPS prepaid postage form to stick on the parcel. As it's my only camera body at the moment I requested urgent repair , which, parts being available is estimated to take 3-6 days from receipt. This service costs £45. As my R5 is a grey import and 2 years and 6 months old it was still covered by Panamoz's warranty which had I bought it in the UK I would be paying out myself.The communication with Panama was first class and they clarified I was free to send my camera to any authorised repair shop. Canon's in Elstree is the obvious choice in my opinion.
I posted the parcel from home on Monday, got regular updates and a phone call to tell me what needed doing and the cost by Canon. Price agreed they repaired the camera and sent it back on Thursday and I received it early Friday morning.
The invoice was enclosed , a receipt as I had already paid the bill which is needed to release the camera.I scanned the invoice , sent it to Panamoz and the money was paid in to my account within 24 hours.
Outstanding service from both Canon and Panamoz who not only paid for the cost of the repair but also the express service from Canon. Panamoz had even offered me a £200 allowance towards renting a camera while it was being repaired.
Not only did I save a four figure sum when I purchased the camera but now an additional three figure one.
So, to all you doubters stick with your beliefs by all means and I'll keep on smiling.
