Thread: Vortex "Grey market product" warranty

Originally Posted by ChrisW

So you’re saying what if the NZ sellers info prompted them to order it overseas / a grey market?


Under Nz consumer law, you’re only responsible for things you actually sold, in NZ.
If the person imports something themselves, then there is no one in NZ who has any responsibility towards that product / person. It’s not covered by NZ consumer law in any way as it wasn’t purchased in NZ from an Nz person or company.

If the OP purchased from a grey market NZ based retailer, then the retailer would still have to help the OP, however they managed to do that without the support of the official channels (nz distributor) is their business.


Basically anything not purchased in NZ is not covered by the consumer guarantees act in any way.
Anything purchased in NZ is covered by the consumer guarantees act. Anything that isn’t, isn’t..


As far as the law goes it no different from buying a Sony TV off eBay. The listing from legit NZ retailers, say PB Tech, says it’s got a 5 year warranty. It stops working a month later. PB tech and Sony NZ would have no responsibility towards you as they didn’t sell you the product and it wasn’t purchased in NZ, so it’s got absolutely nothing to do with them.

If the legitimate NZ retailer talks about the warranty, then that text only applies when you’re dealing with that company whose listing it is. Eg if hunting and fishing advertised that vortex had a lifetime warranty, if you purchase it through them then it’s got a lifetime warranty. But you can’t then purchase something from overseas, have it break, then return it to H&F where you didn’t buy it from, or the distributor who also didn’t sell it to the retailer. No one in NZ would have any responsibility towards that product that wasn’t purchased in NZ, from them.


An NZ retailer is only responsible for handing warranty etc for products that they actually sold to the person.
The NZ distributor is only responsible for handing warranty etc for things that they sold. Their customers are usually the retailer and not end users.

No, was commenting on your statement that the wholesaler had zero responsibility to the buyer, only to the retailer. Have had to bi-pass the retailer more than once to gain satisfaction due to the store not wanting to know. Well aware that the local wholesaler isn't responsible for overseas purchased products.