Amazon UK supplied me with a grey import - what to do?

Box Brownie said:
In which case don't Amazon have a duty of care/obligation to state on the item purchase page that for UK buyers is non UK stock i.e. a grey import?
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I don't think they do. Amazon will supply all around Europe and there may be a difference in the manufacturers terms for rebates, gifts warranties in each country. If they advertised that the item qualified for rebates etc then you would have a point

With regard to cashback & gifts I think it is incumbent on the purchaser to check out the terms on the manufacturers website before buying
 
I got the extra warranty from Sigma for my 150-600mm sport which was purchased from Amazon. I also had a (very) small warranty claim (retaining screw fell out the hood) and Sigma fixed that as well.
Sigma did ask me the serial number first as it was purchased via Amazon but did the work once they had verified that it was a UK lens.
 
Thinking more about this I wonder if Sigma are on shaky ground under EI law. Is there such a thing as a UK import, wouldn't everything be an EU import? Perhaps they need to change their terminology if they are being quoted accurately and say 'not imported by us'!.
 
sphexx said:
Thinking more about this I wonder if Sigma are on shaky ground under EI law. Is there such a thing as a UK import, wouldn't everything be an EU import? Perhaps they need to change their terminology if they are being quoted accurately and say 'not imported by us'!.
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They do.

Sigma’s extra value now comes extra guaranteed!
You’d expect the world’s number one independent lens designer and manufacturer to offer you something extra, and that’s just what we’ve done - extending the traditional one year European Warranty of our world class lenses by two years free of charge, to provide Sigma UK customers with an unrivalled three years of cover in the UK.

Before purchasing your Sigma lens, please check with your retailer that the lens has been imported by Sigma Imaging (UK) Ltd.
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https://www.sigma-imaging-uk.com/index.php?route=product/warranty&years=1
 
taxboy said:
I don't think they do. Amazon will supply all around Europe and there may be a difference in the manufacturers terms for rebates, gifts warranties in each country. If they advertised that the item qualified for rebates etc then you would have a point

With regard to cashback & gifts I think it is incumbent on the purchaser to check out the terms on the manufacturers website before buying
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Fair comment.......but bearing mind the buyer will always(?) purchase using either £ Sterling or € Euro it is easily worked out the currency and home/delivery address as to whether the buyer is in the UK for the purposes, in this instance, of local registration and the 'terms' that might be associated with that locale.
 
I have had a reply from Amazon, will contact Sigma tomorrow and update this post.

I agree that the purchaser should understand the terms of any offer but buying from a UK retailer I would expect the product to be UK imported. I am not the importer.

In this case I am only talking about an extended warranty. If this warranty is European wide then the requirement for it to be UK imported seems harsh. Perhaps I could get the warranty from whichever country Amazon used to import the goods. I assume that they have checked compliance with EU law.
 
Archie747 said:
I have had a reply from Amazon, will contact Sigma tomorrow and update this post.

I agree that the purchaser should understand the terms of any offer but buying from a UK retailer I would expect the product to be UK imported. I am not the importer.

In this case I am only talking about an extended warranty. If this warranty is European wide then the requirement for it to be UK imported seems harsh. Perhaps I could get the warranty from whichever country Amazon used to import the goods. I assume that they have checked compliance with EU law.
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The extended warranty is offered on Sigma UK items only.
 
Archie747 said:
I have had a reply from Amazon, will contact Sigma tomorrow and update this post.

I agree that the purchaser should understand the terms of any offer but buying from a UK retailer I would expect the product to be UK imported. I am not the importer.

In this case I am only talking about an extended warranty. If this warranty is European wide then the requirement for it to be UK imported seems harsh. Perhaps I could get the warranty from whichever country Amazon used to import the goods. I assume that they have checked compliance with EU law.
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Slightly off topic, but this is no different from cars. Although a global manufacturer will provide a certain level of cover, in a lot of cases the UK importer adds cover over and above this. Warranty legislation is different across the channel.
 
ChrisHeathcote said:
Slightly off topic, but this is no different from cars. Although a global manufacturer will provide a certain level of cover, in a lot of cases the UK importer adds cover over and above this. Warranty legislation is different across the channel.
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OK but why are Amazon not the UK importer?
 
ChrisHeathcote said:
Because that would be Sigma UK. Nothing to stop Amazon from providing a warranty but that would come out of their profits and not those of Sigma UK
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Thanks, so would you not expect a product sold by Amazon in the UK to be a UK imported/supplied product?

If I bought from say John Lewis or Wex how do I know if they bought the goods from outside the UK? The natural assumption is that they are UK imported goods.
 
ChrisHeathcote said:
Because that would be Sigma UK. Nothing to stop Amazon from providing a warranty but that would come out of their profits and not those of Sigma UK
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Thanks, so would you not expect a product sold by Amazon in the UK to be a UK imported/supplied product?

If I bought from say John Lewis or Wex how do I know if they bought the goods from outside the UK? The natural assumption is that they are UK imported goods.
 
Archie747 said:
Thanks, so would you not expect a product sold by Amazon in the UK to be a UK imported/supplied product?

If I bought from say John Lewis or Wex how do I know if they bought the goods from outside the UK? The natural assumption is that they are UK imported goods.
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Personally I would always be cautious of any retailer which didn't have a physical high st presence. I would always checked with the manufacturer if I was unsure.

https://www.sigma-imaging-uk.com/where-to-buy/
 
Archie747 said:
Thanks, so would you not expect a product sold by Amazon in the UK to be a UK imported/supplied product?

If I bought from say John Lewis or Wex how do I know if they bought the goods from outside the UK? The natural assumption is that they are UK imported goods.
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They are legal and correctly imported goods from the EU, that is the whole idea of the common market but hey ho. Amazon could, for example, get a better deal from a distributor in another part of the EU and that is that[*]. The UK distributor may not give Amazon as good a price but may very well make their own offers to their customers (via the dealers who buy from them). Send the goods back to Amazon and tell them to stick them (then someone else can buy them as opened boxes). The problem as has been said before is that Amazon is head quartered in Lux. anyway so in theory if it suited them all their stuff could be sourced from anywhere in the EU.

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[*] If all distributors sold at agreed prices they would be running a cartel (which of course they do) but maybe one here or there does not play ball.
 
Amazon have offered a full refund or a replacement UK lens. If I want an explanation of why they are selling grey goods and not making it clear on their listings, I will have to consult a different dept, which I am not going to do. Sigma confirmed the extended warranty offer was only applicable to goods purchased from Sigma UK, I do not have a problem with this. The issue with Amazon and grey imports is allegedly common, particularly at the beginning of this year when they were short of stock.

I am still debating whether to return the lens for a replacement. It was not that expensive, approx £350 and as I am satisfied with its quality I will probably keep it.

Thanks for all the replies.
 
Archie747 said:
Amazon have offered a full refund or a replacement UK lens. If I want an explanation of why they are selling grey goods and not making it clear on their listings, I will have to consult a different dept, which I am not going to do. Sigma confirmed the extended warranty offer was only applicable to goods purchased from Sigma UK, I do not have a problem with this. The issue with Amazon and grey imports is allegedly common, particularly at the beginning of this year when they were short of stock.

I am still debating whether to return the lens for a replacement. It was not that expensive, approx £350 and as I am satisfied with its quality I will probably keep it.

Thanks for all the replies.
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Send it back for the extended warranty and to put a scratch in amazon's tax dodging profits.
 
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