Warranties and Buying from an Importer (a Canadian perspective)

Hi all,

I live in Canada, and was thinking about buying a Vaio Z from a Japanese importer to take advantage of their 1yr international warranty. I called Sony USA first to see if I would be covered by their international warranty. Their response was a firm "no" as Canada is not listed on their list of countries (See this list).

I looked at importing from Japan because their list does include Canada. However, speaking with Sony Canada, it looks like any warranty provided by Sony Japan would not be honored. Of note is this paragraph on the page linked above:

The warranty applies if the laptop was purchased in your "Home Country", and warrant service is required while in a participating "Service Country". That is, importing from Japan does not make the home country Japan.

To further hammer this point home and put the final nail in the coffin (I've been doing renos lately), IRSP will only work after you register your laptop. The registration drop-down list does not include Canada as a participating country.

So, it looks like if we want any options on the Z that are available in other countries - most notably, the HD screen - we have to get by without any warranty, unless you can find a 3rd party warranty service like SquareTrade in the States (I haven't found any yet for Canadians).

I hope that clears things up,

-Peter

 

So, sounds like it's a "travelling warranty" that simply works when the owner is abroad. Which, if you think about the name of the program makes sense.

 

Yup - I guess, in my heart of hearts, I knew this was the case. My desire for an HD screen, though, influenced me to see things selectively. It's tough to swallow that there are no options for Canadians who want an HD screen and some sort of warranty.

-Peter

 

That's a pity. Looks like it's no better than Acer's International Travelers' Warranty, then.

Still, I wonder what kind of proof they would require of your home country.

 

The importer, Users-side, will help you ship the Z back to Japan and then back to you if the need ever pops up. Unfortunately, you will have to pay for shipping both ways...