I am in the process of reading reviews on the net with the intention to purchase a camcorder but have heard so many rumours that if purchasing electrical items here in BKK often the quality is ofen of a low quality and sections break off easily..

Are these rumours unfounded or have I been informed correctly???

Please advise..

Thanks-booty

Go to Powerbuy and you won't have any problems. If you buy from markets you pay less but ltake more of a chance - same as anywhere else in the world.

About PowerBuy, read the huge sign above the sales people's desks. Their refund and exchange policy doesn't seem to leave much elbow room... I ve bought stuff there though, still works.

I am in the process of reading reviews on the net with the intention to purchase a camcorder but have heard so many rumours that if purchasing electrical items here in BKK often the quality is ofen of a low quality and sections break off easily..

Are these rumours unfounded or have I been informed correctly???

Please advise..

Thanks-booty

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I don't suppose the quality of a camcorder will be any different according to where you buy it (I mean, a Sony is a Sony...) but you *may* get better after-sales service from a major store. That's something I have never had to put to the test so I cannot confirm. Another thing to watch out for is that some items are specially imported and sold with a shop-only guarantee or no guarantee at all. I discovered this when buying a Nokia mobile phone (MBK) and Canon digital camera (Pantip Plaza). On neither occassion did they try to mislead me about the warranty, but I did have to enquire in Thai. On this basis, I guess that very many people have unwittingly bought brand name items with no warranty at all.

I hope that helps.

Name-brand camcorders are supposed to be the same quality world-wide... I've bought 5 camcorders (3 canon, 1 panasonic, 1 Samsung) in Thailand in the last 3 years, and everything has performed normally.

Lots of fakes electrical goods from China, but mostly obvious, with names like 'casiko' (for casio) and the like... But China also makes fake Sony stuff, too. Tons for sale in Mae Sai.

And not all cheap fake stuff is terrible quality, either...

In any case, Buyer Beware, as always

I am in the process of reading reviews I don't suppose the quality of a camcorder will be any different according to where you buy it (I mean, a Sony is a Sony...)

Not entirely correct. I've been in a store with 2 Sonys side by side, the same model with two different prices. The more expensive one was made in Japan and the cheaper one made in Malasia.

The salesman said "Japan made is higher quality"

Yeah i bought a DVD/Kareoke machine in a Big C and the ###### drawer would not open at all; untill I smaked the top of the thing after messing with the remote and the eject button for about 10 minutes.

Now it works just fine

If you go to the japanese department store, Isetan, they sell japanese produced products, as well as locally made ones. The locally made ones are often cheaper, but you can compare the two. For camcorders, i'd go for the japan one, if possible.

I think a genuine model is fine, as someone said a Sony is a Sony. The big difference here is that Thais can't see past "well we have your money, so go away" if i goes wrong. I bought an expensive camera from a large store and when it broke after 19 days they just shrugged and told me to go to the comapny. I did go and see them and was stunned to hear that they would only fix it if i paid a large sum of money. It seems that taking photos was the cause of my camera to go wrong. So it was my fault. I am not joking.

I bought an all region DVD player and TV for 6000B at Powerbuys three years ago now and it still works a treat!

I am in the process of reading reviews I don't suppose the quality of a camcorder will be any different according to where you buy it (I mean, a Sony is a Sony...)

Not entirely correct. I've been in a store with 2 Sonys side by side, the same model with two different prices. The more expensive one was made in Japan and the cheaper one made in Malasia.

The salesman said "Japan made is higher quality"

Ask any Thai salesperson on salary and commission based wages which product is the best and they'll point you to the highest priced item.

For the OP. As I understand it, name brands that are made here are of a higher quality than no-name brands. The likes of Sony will have QA and QC managers at their Thai factories to ensure their reliability and quality reputations.

Even companies that supply materials to someone the likes of Sony would have to be ISO registered, meaning that the same quality of material(s) supplied would have to be maintained at all times.

So any difference, if any, as to the overall quality between something made in Japan or in Thailand by the same manufacturer I would say would be minimal.

I personally go for Sony products whenever possible because they have a repair shop close to me. There's nothing worse than having to take something still under warranty to get repaired at a shop on the other side of the city. Yes, the warranty is free but they don't reimburse you for travelling costs.

I've bought no-name products here before, and while at first you think it's great to have saved a few thousand baht here and there, they just don't stand the test of time or usage.