Advice on buying 'Grey Import' over UK bought I need someone to sway me to a decision

[ham]

In the UK, warranties mean very little. You're covered most by the Sales Of Goods Act, which covers any goods sold to the UK market, i.e. including grey import goods. The responsibility lies with the vendor to provide repair or replacement in the event of a malfunction due to design or manufacturing (i.e. not your fault cos you dropped it in a river).

Check it out, it lasts for approximately 6yrs, but generally the more expensive the item, the longer you'd expect it to work fine i.e. free from any manufacturing defects.

[Andy Stringer]

The Sale of Goods Act is great if the vendor is still trading when you need to return the goods. Unfortunately, some shops are not going to be there when you need to claim, so you are just left with the warranty.

The protection from the Act depends on the expected lifespan of the item, and the type of use to which it has been put. Strictly speaking, a professional photographer could have difficulty claiming for repair of a Rebel camera because it is intended for consumer use, in the same way that a hotel couldn't claim for a broken dishwasher if they bought a model that was intended for domestic use, even if it's only a week old.