>*Sigh* I think some still miss the point. Electronic consumer goods (which >I originally brought up anyhow) are very suseptable to a variety of things. >Moisture damage, breaking when dropped, and malfunctioning. One can then >assume that a consumer digital camera or DSLR would also be that way, >because it's a consumer electronic good. The other point was that many of >these consumer goods are cheaper to replace than fix, and what would happen >to a DSLR after warranty is up. I posed the question, didn't give an >answer.
This entirely depends on where you live. Here in the UK, we have laws that say that if trouble arises after the purchase of an item, then the buyer (and warranty holder) has an issue with the seller, not the manufacturer. In practice, this means if I buy a TV from a retailer and it breaks (which I did, and it did), then I take it back to the retailer and say 'My good man, this television device that you sold me is broken, now what are you going to do about it?' They are then under a legal obligation to repair or replace the item. It is entirely possible for this to be enforced *even after* the warranty has expired. There's a very good letter in this week's AP that puts the case very well: ...'What people forget [in the UK], to the benefit of the suppliers, is that any warranty in in *addition* to your statutory rights. The main point of a 12 month warranty is usually to try to fool the buyer into believing there is no point in expecting service after that time. 'However, the Consumer Protection Act gives all purchasers [in the UK] three basic rights: * The goods should be fit for the described purpose. * They must be of merchandisable quality. * They must last a 'reasonable amount of time'. 'Take a recent example from our local small claims court (names have been changed but the facts stand). Mr Smith bought a washing machine from a well-known high street chain store. 'He declined the, ahem, generous offer of an 'extended' warranty but was disappointed when the machine broke down after only 15 months, outside the 12 month guarantee period. He called out the store's repair service and was told that he needed a new water pump, and would have to pay for it. After much arguing with the shop staff, he eventually did pay for the repairs but then pursued the store through the small claims court. 'The court agreed that 15 months was not a 'reasonable amount of time' for a washing machine to last and ordered the store to refund the cost of repairs. It also insisted that the staff were appraised of the finer points of the Consumer Protection Act. 'One point to notice here is that it is the *seller* of the goods that is liable, not the manufacturer. The selling company would have its own protection, under the same Act, from the manufacturer or distributor, and so on, up the line.' 'Kenny Miller, email (Copyright AP)' *** This obviously differs from what our US brethren, and indeed lots of others worldwide, have to contend with, and may not be much use for that reason. As for the original thought from Brad about the robustness of DSLRs versus other items of a similar nature, I would only say that if I dropped an MZ-S, or a PDA, or even a wristwatch, I would not expect much from any warranty. If it was my fault, I would claim on my insurance, or I would cry, or both. As for DSLR longevity, I would assume that it would be similar to other items of a similar nature. I'm typing this on a computer originally sold in 1999 and it is still going strong. My SO uses one from 1998, and my son one from 1995. I know computers are *not" DSLRs, but I have no reason to doubt that a DSLR should expire any quicker...? I guess only time will tell. HTH Cotty ____________________________________ Oh swipe me! He paints with light! http://www.macads.co.uk/snaps/ ____________________________________ Free UK Macintosh Classified Ads at http://www.macads.co.uk/ ____________________________________
