Advice on buying Imported C300 at DVinfo.net

Mark Dobson · April 4th, 2012, 10:55 AM

A UK pro-video dealer that I bought a Miller Tripod System from yesterday has said he would be able to sell me a C300 next week.

However he says it is an imported model ( from Hong Kong ) and therefore only has a one year warranty rather than a two year one.

Does anybody have any experience of buying imported equipment.

I have raised the issue with the leasing company but have not heard their response yet.

Do I have any reason to be concerned?

Nigel Barker · April 5th, 2012, 03:35 AM

What dealer is it? Presumably not a proper Canon dealer or he wouldn't be offering a grey import. Currently in the UK you can't find any legitimate stock of C300s as sales have far outstripped Canon's expectations & you need to get on a waiting list.

Your decision is the same as whenever you purchase a grey import. Will the money I save (or in this case jumping the queue) be worth it taking into account the inability to get warranty or CPS support from Canon UK. Any problems & you will be reliant on the dealer who sold it to you.

Personally I would rather have the assurance of support from Canon UK for any warranty issue. Three years ago I bought a grey import 5D2 & saved a few hundred pounds & have never had to call on the retailer's 'warranty'. I suspect that it would have been a big hassle if a repair had been necessary & have always kept my fingers crossed that nothing would go wrong. Subsequently I have always purchased from a proper Canon dealer & been able to register for them for the enhanced support you get under CPS.

Mark Dobson · April 5th, 2012, 06:09 AM

Thank's for that Nigel,

The lease company have got back to me and they don't have any problems with the deal but as you say if there were any problems it could get tricky.

My other concern would be if I had to sell the camera, it might be harder to shift without a UK warranty.

The company does have an account with Canon UK but like everybody else is having difficulty getting hold of stock.

Peter D. Parker · April 5th, 2012, 08:56 AM

Mark, if anything goes wrong with the camera, your contract is with the dealer, not the manufacturer, so he would be the first port of call. How much do you trust him and is he willing to perhaps extend the warranty to two years as you are a valued customer?

If a fault develops after the 12 month warranty, you have to ask, is the fault one which is likely to have occurred in the period you have had it. If you had a car and the tyres or silencer wear out, this is fair wear and tear but if the engine developed a major oil leak this is not fear wear and tear and should not have been expected on a vehicle of that age (this is the case when I took a local Volvo dealer to court with an oil leak after the warranty and expired and won my case. Nice lady judge whose first words to the dealer was "Do you rely on the reputation of Volvo?" so I thought I was on a winner right away).

As Nigel says, you may not have any problems and if the dealer is willing to help you, go ahead but if you have any doubts, save and wait.

Peter

Peter

Mark Dobson · April 5th, 2012, 09:43 AM

Peter you are right about the contract being with the dealer.

I actually phoned up Canon UK and they said that their guarantee is only 1year anyway and that as long as I buy in the UK from a UK dealer everything will be OK.

They also said that they are getting a lot of calls about whether its ok to buy imported models and that this becoming a pretty standard transaction.

So with both the lease company and Canon UK giving a thumbs up I feel pretty reassured.

Thanks for your response.

Nigel Barker · April 5th, 2012, 10:21 AM

That's interesting to hear that Canon UK appear to be giving the nod to grey imports.

Maybe they can't easily tell where you bought it as unlike camcorders like the XF105/305 etc there is a single model worldwide of the C300 there's no nonsense about charging you a few hundred quid just to upgrade the firmware so you can shoot 24p or 30p.

I just looked at CPS qualification details & see that the I now qualify for Platinum Photographic (3 qualifying bodies plus 4 qualifying lenses) which is supposed to provide loaner kit if a 2-day turnaround time for repairs is exceeded. Sadly Video membership (1 qualifying camera) does not have any of those perks.

Just out of interest is the camera any cheaper as an import?

Mark Dobson · April 5th, 2012, 10:53 AM

I thought the camera might be cheaper but unfortunately not.

It's £9,800.00 + Vat @20%

Same price as one of those nifty little cars you see zipping around and equivalent of quite a few mortgage payments.

If I do buy it you'll hear all about it as I'll be posting 'duh' questions.

April 4th, 2012, 10:55 AM	#1
Mark Dobson Major Player Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Horsham / United Kingdom Posts: 328	Advice on buying Imported C300 A UK pro-video dealer that I bought a Miller Tripod System from yesterday has said he would be able to sell me a C300 next week. However he says it is an imported model ( from Hong Kong ) and therefore only has a one year warranty rather than a two year one. Does anybody have any experience of buying imported equipment. I have raised the issue with the leasing company but have not heard their response yet. Do I have any reason to be concerned?

April 5th, 2012, 03:35 AM	#2
Nigel Barker Inner Circle Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Norwich, Norfolk, UK Posts: 3,531	Re: Advice on buying Imported C300 What dealer is it? Presumably not a proper Canon dealer or he wouldn't be offering a grey import. Currently in the UK you can't find any legitimate stock of C300s as sales have far outstripped Canon's expectations & you need to get on a waiting list. Your decision is the same as whenever you purchase a grey import. Will the money I save (or in this case jumping the queue) be worth it taking into account the inability to get warranty or CPS support from Canon UK. Any problems & you will be reliant on the dealer who sold it to you. Personally I would rather have the assurance of support from Canon UK for any warranty issue. Three years ago I bought a grey import 5D2 & saved a few hundred pounds & have never had to call on the retailer's 'warranty'. I suspect that it would have been a big hassle if a repair had been necessary & have always kept my fingers crossed that nothing would go wrong. Subsequently I have always purchased from a proper Canon dealer & been able to register for them for the enhanced support you get under CPS.

April 5th, 2012, 06:09 AM	#3
Mark Dobson Major Player Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Horsham / United Kingdom Posts: 328	Re: Advice on buying Imported C300 Thank's for that Nigel, The lease company have got back to me and they don't have any problems with the deal but as you say if there were any problems it could get tricky. My other concern would be if I had to sell the camera, it might be harder to shift without a UK warranty. The company does have an account with Canon UK but like everybody else is having difficulty getting hold of stock.

April 5th, 2012, 08:56 AM	#4
Peter D. Parker Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Preston England Posts: 147	Re: Advice on buying Imported C300 Mark, if anything goes wrong with the camera, your contract is with the dealer, not the manufacturer, so he would be the first port of call. How much do you trust him and is he willing to perhaps extend the warranty to two years as you are a valued customer? If a fault develops after the 12 month warranty, you have to ask, is the fault one which is likely to have occurred in the period you have had it. If you had a car and the tyres or silencer wear out, this is fair wear and tear but if the engine developed a major oil leak this is not fear wear and tear and should not have been expected on a vehicle of that age (this is the case when I took a local Volvo dealer to court with an oil leak after the warranty and expired and won my case. Nice lady judge whose first words to the dealer was "Do you rely on the reputation of Volvo?" so I thought I was on a winner right away). As Nigel says, you may not have any problems and if the dealer is willing to help you, go ahead but if you have any doubts, save and wait. Peter Peter

April 5th, 2012, 09:43 AM	#5
Mark Dobson Major Player Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Horsham / United Kingdom Posts: 328	Re: Advice on buying Imported C300 Peter you are right about the contract being with the dealer. I actually phoned up Canon UK and they said that their guarantee is only 1year anyway and that as long as I buy in the UK from a UK dealer everything will be OK. They also said that they are getting a lot of calls about whether its ok to buy imported models and that this becoming a pretty standard transaction. So with both the lease company and Canon UK giving a thumbs up I feel pretty reassured. Thanks for your response.

April 5th, 2012, 10:21 AM	#6
Nigel Barker Inner Circle Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Norwich, Norfolk, UK Posts: 3,531	Re: Advice on buying Imported C300 That's interesting to hear that Canon UK appear to be giving the nod to grey imports. Maybe they can't easily tell where you bought it as unlike camcorders like the XF105/305 etc there is a single model worldwide of the C300 there's no nonsense about charging you a few hundred quid just to upgrade the firmware so you can shoot 24p or 30p. I just looked at CPS qualification details & see that the I now qualify for Platinum Photographic (3 qualifying bodies plus 4 qualifying lenses) which is supposed to provide loaner kit if a 2-day turnaround time for repairs is exceeded. Sadly Video membership (1 qualifying camera) does not have any of those perks. Just out of interest is the camera any cheaper as an import? Last edited by Nigel Barker; April 6th, 2012 at 01:12 AM.

April 5th, 2012, 10:53 AM	#7
Mark Dobson Major Player Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Horsham / United Kingdom Posts: 328	Re: Advice on buying Imported C300 I thought the camera might be cheaper but unfortunately not. It's £9,800.00 + Vat @20% Same price as one of those nifty little cars you see zipping around and equivalent of quite a few mortgage payments. If I do buy it you'll hear all about it as I'll be posting 'duh' questions.