Whats the usual warranty here for electronics?

[banagan]

Bought a mac charger new, less than 3 months ago. It's toast. Shop is saying its only covered for 30 days.

 

No receipt, as I had to buy with PayPal (I was down on the islands at the time)

 

Ironically, I didn't use ebay or lazada as I was worried about knock offs. Also, I've given this place a lot of business with no problems. 

 

Just wondering if 30 days is standard in Thailand.

 

[KittenKong]

From a shop you would be lucky to get 7 days warranty. In fact some of them try to wash their hands of you as soon as you walk out of the door. The manufacturer may offer a much longer warranty and the big brands would normally offer a year or more, but that warranty may not be the best.
I bought an oven from Powerbuy and when it blew up (literally) just a couple of weeks later all they could do was point me towards the manufacturer's local service shop. And even in that official service shop it took me more than a week to get them to agree to replacing the oven with a new one rather than just repairing the damaged one which would have taken weeks. In similar circumstances in the EU I know that the vendor would have replaced the oven with a new one instantly, or offered a complete refund. And it would have cost less there too.

Moral: buy as little as possible in Thailand.

[2008bangkok]

If you used paypal juts tell them you are going to use paypal refund policy if the shop wont do anything about it.

30 days is pretty much standard unless its made by a reputable company then you should be able to claim off there warranty but of course you have the inconvenience of sending it back and waiting for a replacement.

[petermik]

Sadly 99% of "warranty,s" here are worthless.........

[EricTh]

Most of the small Thai shops give 7 days warranty because those are imported made-in-china products.

 

You might want to go to bigger electrical shops like Powerbuy where they have one or more years warranty depending on brand and appliances. 

 

The reputable shop has in-house warranty from 7 days up to 30 days and then after that period, you have to send to the manufacturer such as Samsung, Panasonic, Sony for longer warranties.

 

You get what you paid for, buy reputable brands from reputable companies.

Edited April 3, 2018 by EricTh

[Peterw42]

Its worth buying at the large mall/retail shops like IT City, Banana IT etc. I have returned things to both these shops, and the shop took care of the warranty repair. I returned an android box to IT City a month after purchase, original box and reciept etc, a couple of weeks later they called and it was back from repair.

I have noticed that IT city etc will often put a warranty/purchase date sticker on the device. They honour the warranty on your behalf and send it to the manufacturer, not hand you over to the manufacturer.

Edited April 3, 2018 by Peterw42

[EricTh]

2 minutes ago, Peterw42 said:

Its worth buying at the large mall/retails shops like IT City, Banana IT etc. I have returned things to both these shops, and the shop took care of the warranty repair. I returned an android box to IT City a month after purchase, original box and reciept etc, a couple of weeks later they called and it was back from repair.

Where is this IT city and Banana IT?

[Peterw42]

12 minutes ago, EricTh said:

Where is this IT city and Banana IT?

In just about every mall in Thailand.

 

5 x IT City in Chaing Mai

 

2 x Banana IT in chaing Mai

 

https://www.google.co.th/search?client=opera&hs=VvZ&q=banana+IT+chiang+mai&npsic=0&rflfq=1&rlha=0&rllag=18788542,98996256,3079&tbm=lcl&ved=0ahUKEwiw6MnKkp3aAhWGsY8KHRcIBukQjGoIWw&tbs=lrf:!2m1!1e3!3sIAE,lf:1,lf_ui:4&rldoc=1#rlfi=hd:;si:;mv:!1m3!1d20538.609270995057!2d98.99625605!3d18.7885423!2m3!1f0!2f0!3f0!3m2!1i280!2i261!4f13.1;tbs:lrf:!2m1!1e3!3sIAE,lf:1,lf_ui:4

Edited April 3, 2018 by Peterw42

[impulse]

Given the dodgy quality of the electricity in some areas, I can't really fault local businesses for limiting their warranty to 7 or 30 days. 

 

Anything longer is more of an insurance policy than a warranty, against getting hit by a surge, a spike or a brownout, especially in remote locations and where the building wiring looks like it was done before WWII and before electrical codes were written down.  (Even if the building is only a few years old)

 

Edited April 3, 2018 by impulse

[banagan]

Never thought of the manufacturer warranty.

 

It's a macbook charger, new, so, if it's not a knock off, it should be covered.

 

Cheers.

[EricTh]

1 hour ago, banagan said:

Never thought of the manufacturer warranty.

 

It's a macbook charger, new, so, if it's not a knock off, it should be covered.

 

Cheers.

 

There should be a warranty card in the box when you purchase it.

 

You can go to the manufacturer together with the receipt of purchase.

 

[canthai55]

2 hours ago, impulse said:

 getting hit by a surge, a spike or a brownout

Isolate your valuable electronics from the Grid.

Problem solved.

[bkkcanuck8]

9 minutes ago, canthai55 said:

Isolate your valuable electronics from the Grid.

Problem solved.

Yes, unplug everything and it will be safe 

 

Just call it Schrödinger Insurance policy, your electronics will continue to work unless it is observed to not work (if you are a glass half full type).

Edited April 3, 2018 by bkkcanuck8

[impulse]

14 minutes ago, canthai55 said:

2 hours ago, impulse said:

 getting hit by a surge, a spike or a brownout

Isolate your valuable electronics from the Grid.

Problem solved.

 

That's true, but easier said than done.  And more expensive than just buying a $10 power bar with surge suppression.

 

And besides, the topic is warranties and being able to return equipment that's failed within a specific period after purchase.  Thai vendors can't be expected to accept the risk of a customer frying their electronics through abuse.  Even if that abuse is caused by the power grid and crappy building wiring, as opposed to willful acts on the part of the customer.   Especially at the cutthroat margins forced on the vendors by competition from the 1000 other vendors selling exactly the same product in the same building. 

 

If it's a brand name charger like a Belkin or a genuine Apple where the wholesale price has enough margin built in, the manufacturer may carry the insurance against early failure- and call it a warranty.  And in those cases, the Thai vendor just passes the warranty risk to the manufacturer.  But not on the cheap crap where nobody even knows who the manufacturer is.

 

[Nemo.]

Standard SE Asia Warranty.

 

Break "tough shit"

[TheFishman1]

I usually get a year one year had some parts put in another one and think it was 6 months. TIT

[watcharacters]

 

 

Did you buy it from the "official"  online Apple Store of Thailand or at an Apple reseller?

 

Big difference!

[Thian]

4 hours ago, KittenKong said:

From a shop you would be lucky to get 7 days warranty. In fact some of them try to wash their hands of you as soon as you walk out of the door. The manufacturer may offer a much longer warranty and the big brands would normally offer a year or more, but that warranty may not be the best.
I bought an oven from Powerbuy and when it blew up (literally) just a couple of weeks later all they could do was point me towards the manufacturer's local service shop. And even in that official service shop it took me more than a week to get them to agree to replacing the oven with a new one rather than just repairing the damaged one which would have taken weeks. In similar circumstances in the EU I know that the vendor would have replaced the oven with a new one instantly, or offered a complete refund. And it would have cost less there too.

Moral: buy as little as possible in Thailand.

In Europe the electricity doesn't fall out as often as in thailand which damages electronics.

 

Also there are not that many insects/ants/gecko's and so on which like to go in equipment.

 

In Europe they also don't sell all those crappy brandnames and sure no made in Thailand.

 

I bought a combi-oven which was broken and very dangerous according to homepro...it had damage on the metal grid from sparks, i knew immediatly that the staff had used the microwave with that grid inside (which one should never do)..it's 10 years old now and still works perfect.

 

I guess this all contributes to shops not giving warranty. And when you buy quality brands from japan (panasonic or so) you don't need warranty cause they are good and tested.

 

[elektrified]

It depends on the item. A number of years ago we took a Panasonic shower water heater to be repaired at Sahapanich. It was already about 4 years old at the time. The guy entered the serial number, looked in the computer and told us (to our complete surprise) that we still had almost a year warranty remaining on the heating element but that the warranty on other parts had expired. They told us to take it to Niyom Panich who are the factory reps for Panasonic. We took it there and had to wait about a month for them to get the parts as they had to be ordered from Bangkok. A month later they called to say that we were in luck as the only thing wrong was the heating element (under warranty) and that we only had to pay 300 Baht for a relay and a couple of other small parts. They even offered to return it to us and re-install it.

 

So, you never know.

 

And yes, you will get the best service at the big shops.

[elektrified]

29 minutes ago, Thian said:

In Europe the electricity doesn't fall out as often as in thailand which damages electronics.

 

Also there are not that many insects/ants/gecko's and so on which like to go in equipment.

 

In Europe they also don't sell all those crappy brandnames and sure no made in Thailand.

 

I bought a combi-oven which was broken and very dangerous according to homepro...it had damage on the metal grid from sparks, i knew immediatly that the staff had used the microwave with that grid inside (which one should never do)..it's 10 years old now and still works perfect.

 

I guess this all contributes to shops not giving warranty. And when you buy quality brands from japan (panasonic or so) you don't need warranty cause they are good and tested.

 

Wrong! Next time you are in Europe take a look at your refrigerator and see where it was manufactured. Many brand name refrigerators sold in Europe are made in Thailand.

[henry15]

I bought an Lenoveo all in one Ideacentre at Banana IT wit a 3 year on site warrynty 

I bought an  LF OLED55 inch  TV at Powerbuy Central with a 2 year On Site  warranty

I bought an Aconatic 55 Inch  UHD 4K   at Powermall at The Mall witjha 3 year On Site warranty

 

As mentioned before, you get what you paid for. If you buy,  A brands at  Reputable shops, you get a first class service

 

[PeterA]

If you buy from Lazada, most items have no warranty. You usually get a 7 day return privilege though.

[elektrified]

42 minutes ago, PeterA said:

If you buy from Lazada, most items have no warranty. You usually get a 7 day return privilege though.

It's true. My wife bought a Mitsubishi A/C on Lazada from a seller in Bangkok. When it was delivered you could see that the bottom of the compressor box had been damaged/dropped in shipping and it was all bent. When the wife looked in the boxes there was no paperwork, no manual, no warranty card - nothing. She called Lazada to complain and during the conversation learned that the A/C was sold WITHOUT a warranty! No warranty? How can that be? Yes, no warranty on a new Mitsubishi A/C. The wife was so upset about the whole thing that she got up early the next morning while I was asleep and loaded both boxes into the car all by herself and took the thing over to Nim See Seng to return it to Lazada. Cost her 500 Baht to ship it back.

[khunPer]

10 hours ago, banagan said:

Just wondering if 30 days is standard in Thailand.

30 days are luxury, if not a brand name bought from an authorized reseller – normally you can return or change or... within 7 days if most major shops – brand name warranty could be that you yourself shall send the item to a service center, and wait some month for its return, in some cases the shop you bought it in, will send it for you; talk from couple of experiences...

[Dante99]

27 minutes ago, khunPer said:

brand name warranty could be that you yourself shall send the item to a service center, and wait some month for its return, in some cases the shop you bought it in, will send it for you; talk from couple of experiences...

There are some stores that have inhouse service departments that do many repairs and much warranty work and send mechanics to your home to repair there if possible.  Saha Panich and Neyom Panich do.  Other big name stores do not provide that, not sure which but possibly Home Pro and probably most of the building supply places that sell appliances too.

[KittenKong]

You might want to go to bigger electrical shops like Powerbuy where they have one or more years warranty depending on brand and appliances.

The reputable shop has in-house warranty from 7 days up to 30 days and then after that period, you have to send to the manufacturer such as Samsung, Panasonic, Sony for longer warranties.

I suggest that you read my post just three above yours where you will discover the true nature of these "reputable shops" that you mention.

https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1031959-whats-the-usual-warranty-here-for-electronics/?do=findComment&comment=12857077

[KittenKong]

In Europe the electricity doesn't fall out as often as in thailand which damages electronics.

In Europe they also don't sell all those crappy brandnames and sure no made in Thailand.
......
I guess this all contributes to shops not giving warranty. And when you buy quality brands from japan (panasonic or so) you don't need warranty cause they are good and tested.

Actually my electricity supply in the countryside in Europe was much less reliable than it is in my condo here. And the manufacturer of my oven was one of the world's biggest brand names in domestic appliances. The oven was a direct import and was not manufactured in Thailand. Also it was the top of the range model but that didnt stop it exploding after just a few hours use.

The manufacturer did finally honour the warranty correctly, but with very poor grace and only after I complained for several days. I was very unimpressed.

The local shop that sold it to me washed their hands of the thing completely. They will certainly never have my custom again.

[khunPer]

2 hours ago, Dante99 said:

There are some stores that have inhouse service departments that do many repairs and much warranty work and send mechanics to your home to repair there if possible.  Saha Panich and Neyom Panich do.  Other big name stores do not provide that, not sure which but possibly Home Pro and probably most of the building supply places that sell appliances too.

»...send mechanics to your home to repair there if possible.«

Yes, if it's a laundry machine and like – for example Samsung did that in my home – but not for a charger of mobile smart phone, or other smaller stuff, including a TV from for example Samsung; however the do have local repair workshops...

[observer90210]

As much as you can, avoid buying in Thailand unless it's from a world class brand store like Apple or similar...the other chinese unknown crap...at your own risk and don't expect any service whatsoever from the sales staff...

[CMKiwi]

A friend visiting from Aussie had brought  an Apple phone that ceased to charge.  He took it back to the Apple authorised dealer/seller and was told 'It not work, you buy new model'

 

He was somewhat astounded with this reply so he did his own research on line and contacted a Apple rep back in Oz.

 

The end result was that he returned to the shop and demanded they either exchange the phone for a new one, or give a refund as they said 'No can fix'. 

 

After a long conversation which included my friend suggesting that If they did not honour the brand policy, then they may be reported to Apple HQ which may end up with said shop losing its authorised status.

 

He was given a new phone....under protest from the shop staff.

 

It was later learnt that this was a ploy (By aforementioned store) to get visitors (tourists) to spend more money.

 

Perhaps he should have informed Apple HQ regardless?