Buying a D200 - not easy!

[cawdor]

Hi all,
as I previously mentioned I'm looking to buy a D200 and have looked around. I want an extended warranty with it that covers things like burned out motors, broken sensors and non-working command dials. So I came across this offer:
http://www.printercartridges.com.au/store/prod2675.htm

and I emailed the guy. He says the warranty they provide is a Mackcam warranty and that I just take it to my local approved repairer to get things fixed. In Perth, one of them is Hartland, which this guy mentioned in his email. So I go there today on unrelated business and query them about Mackcam warranties, ask them if they have dealt with any. They say they've never heard of it! Dodgy. Another point was that Mackcam states they cover "manufacturer's faults" - if something breaks 2 years down the track surely it can't be manufacturer's fault so it's not covered - what's the point of the 3 year warranty then???
And also, it looks like I have to pay upfront for warranty repairs and then claim back from Mackcam - they send a US cheque which may takes ages to clear, nevermind the deposit fee for foreign currency.

All this makes me wonder if it's really worth getting the grey import and extended Mack warranty....any comments?

Oh and how do I buy from Poon (either here or on ebay)? I hear so many good things about this guy but have no clue how to actually buy from him.

[Yi-P]

Oh and how do I buy from Poon (either here or on ebay)? I hear so many good things about this guy but have no clue how to actually buy from him.

He is known as "etefore" on ebay.

Do a search by user or by shop name "Hong Kong Supplies"

Or simplier, search for D200 and it should come up fairly easy with his popularity.


To buy form Poon here, you must quality to become a member first. Read the FAQ for details.

Cheers,

[Blackspear]

I came across this offer: http://www.printercartridges.com.au/store/prod2675.htm

I know Mark personally, his office is just around the corner (well about 10 minutes around the corner – long corner ) I purchased my 2nd D200 with extended Mack Warranty for both the camera and lenses, through Mark (1st one was purchased in the USA). Marks main website is here: http://www.camerasdirect.com.au

Mack has been around since 1938 and their home page is here: http://www.mackcam.com/index.html I'd take a run through their FAQ's section.

They say they've never heard of it! Dodgy.

Not at all, not everyone has heard of well known American brands, and there are hundreds of brands that the Yanks know and trust, and that we have never heard of.

Cheers

[cawdor]

Not at all, not everyone has heard of well known American brands, and there are hundreds of brands that the Yanks know and trust, and that we have never heard of.

Cheers

Hi Craig,
the reason I thought it was a bit dodgy was that Mark mentioned Hartland specifically in relation to the Mack warranty. So seeing as they are an authorised repairer with Mackcam I would assume they have heard of it. Imagine my surprise when they said they hadn't.

I have read the Mackcam FAQ, the point I find debatable is that they only cover "manufacturer defects". They could turn around and say a broken sensor or malfunctioning motor is not a manufacturer defect but rather a result of wear and tear, which would make the whole point of getting an extended warranty pointless.

[Blackspear]

Mark mentioned Hartland specifically in relation to the Mack warranty.

Probably because Hartland is the Official Nikon Warranty repairer? and thus Mack would require any claims to go through there or another authorised Nikon repairer.

They could turn around and say a broken sensor or malfunctioning motor is not a manufacturer defect but rather a result of wear and tear, which would make the whole point of getting an extended warranty pointless.

I would email Mack your concerns and see what they have to say, I’d be very surprised if they said such instances were not covered if there wasn't any physical damage displayed, as there would be an uproar from a lot of disgruntled people across the world; you don’t get to be in business for 60 years providing dodgy warranties.

Cheers

[cawdor]

I will email Mark and see what he says. Sure Mack has been around 60 odd years, but they are a US company and thus may not have been in the Australian market for too long. The fact that very few people on this board seem to have any personal experience with it makes me cautious as well.

And when it comes to such a big investment (and to me it is the biggest one this year) I want to have peace of mind in writing. People can say (and I have heard a lot of salespeople do this) "oh yes this will be covered, this is the procedure blablabla" but if it's not in writing it's not worth anything.

To me, a warranty is a statement from the manufacturer saying "this product will work as described fo a period of x years" and if it doesn't, I want to be able to take it somewhere to get fixed free of charge, without any expense to me. What worries me is when they start writing "we will cover parts a, b and c but not x, y, z, and only if we deem it too be a manufacturer defect will we fix it". This is just a general point I'm making and doesn't refer to my current case.

I'll stop rambling now and go back to the drawing board

[Blackspear]

I would email MACK not Mark, and advise them of your concerns.

Let us know how you go...

Cheers

[gstark]

I will email Mark and see what he says. Sure Mack has been around 60 odd years, but they are a US company and thus may not have been in the Australian market for too long. The fact that very few people on this board seem to have any personal experience with it makes me cautious as well.

Perhaps that's a testament to the quality of the cameras as well.

To me, a warranty is a statement from the manufacturer saying "this product will work as described fo a period of x years" and if it

While they call these things warranties, in fact they're just insurance polices.

[Onyx]

Cawdor, you've stumbled onto an issue IMO that hasn't been explored much before in the realm of extended warranties. Most warranty policies (if not all) somewhere in the fine print, would mention cover for manufacturer's defects only - not wear and tear or failure due to use or age.

It could very well be the case that plenty of Mack warranty policies are sold at point of purchase, but very rarely does a claim case arise at the repair facility - hence Hartland not having heard of it. It does not suggest there's any dodginess on the part of Mack, but IMO it does point out the (lack of) usefulness of having such a policy.

Likewise, I'm sure you will hear anecdotally of praises of vendors who offer aftermarket warranties, but very few if any people having gone through to the stages of making/receiving a claim...

Australia is about a decade behind North America when it comes to this new business service - that of peddling extended warranties with electronics purchases (at high retail margins with fat commissions to the salesperson). It seems ridiculous IMHO - eg. a friend of mine recently purchased a digital camera (Kodak, I could not persuade him otherwise) for $250. It came with a 'standard' 12 mth manufacturer's warranty, and he was offerred an aftermarket extension of 2yrs bringing the total to 3 yrs, for $60. After his refusal, the salesman dropped it to $30, and again $15.

Then again, I am employed by a company that offers supply chain solutions and aftermarket services to manufacturers (ie. outsourced warranty/repair services), so I personally would like this trend of consumers paying extra for perceived warranties to continue to keep me gainfully employed and fund my expensive hobbies...

[cawdor]

Well after a bit more thinking and looking around I'm not so sure that I need the additional warranty, since it may not cover me completely anyway.

So I emailed Poon yesterday morning about getting a D200, haven't heard anything back yet...

[MHD]

If you relax a bit, post a few shots etc... you will be able to buy it through this site... at a very nice price....

[cawdor]

I was meaning to post some of my shots a while ago actually, just to see what the crowd here thinks. I may come off as being frantic about this, the reason is that time is not exactly on my side, as I'm going away in december and want to have my new toy by then. So in the meantime I don't want to post meaningless dribble just to get my count up to 50 - you know, the sort of one-line "nice shot!" reply to shots being posted.

I mean it depends on how strict the "50 posts or you don't belong to the club" rule is enforced....

Tim

[Yi-P]

Its not about the post count nor time being here, most valuable is contribute what you can to this little community

We all appreciate other's contribution and effort to help out other members.

[Glen]

Tim, Yi-p has hit the nail on the head. Many deliveries from HK are taking 3 days at the moment, even allowing a week for customs you are looking ok.

[cawdor]

Sounds good. Well I have posted some of my photos and will certainly keep contributing, even if it is with questions Hey, they may be useful for other people too...

How will I know when I "qualify"? Do I have to contact a mod (who?) at some stage?

Edit: Ok I read through the FAQ again


Looking forward to finally getting my new toy organised!!

[amarkin]

Oh and how do I buy from Poon (either here or on ebay)? I hear so many good things about this guy but have no clue how to actually buy from him.

He is known as "etefore" on ebay.

Do a search by user or by shop name "Hong Kong Supplies"

Or simplier, search for D200 and it should come up fairly easy with his popularity.


To buy form Poon here, you must quality to become a member first. Read the FAQ for details.

Cheers,

I bought Nikkor 85mm F/1.8D AF off him on eBay recently, not realising he's such a popular dealer in this forum.
Had I known, I would have purchased 50mm f/1.4D AF from him too. This one, I ordered from Khea-photo.
By the way, a member of which group do I have to become to buy off this guy here?

I am planning to buy Seconic L-308S soon; he sells it for a good price on eBay.

[gstark]

Hi, and welcome.

By the way, a member of which group do I have to become to buy off this guy here?

As it says in the section of the post that you quoted in your message, you need to qualify as a full member first, and as it also says in the section of the post that you quoted, this is all explained in the FAQ.

The basic requirement is active community membership. Nothing is set in stone, but the basics, as described in the FAQ, are around 50 posts, an image post, and a minimum of one month's membership.

While we view our bargains as being an important - vital, even - part of our forum, they are very much a secondary aspect of what we do here.

So please, enjoy what we have, and before you know it, you'll be seeing prices from Poon that are even better than dealing with him via ebay.