Purchased Brand New Unit with Two Round Pins - Is This a GREY Import?

cat06969 on 06/04/2014 - 21:12

Hey Fellow OZB's,

I just purchased a brand new live band mixing desk yesterday from a real music shop here in Australia, and I opened up the box to find the electrical power plug only had 2 round pins. Does this mean this is a grey import? How could it be Australian stock with a power plug that's not AS rated? Just wondering if I have grounds to return it for a refund? I know I can just replace the cable, but that's not the issue - I just feel like I've got something other than what I expected..??

Thanks,
Cat

Electrical & Electronics

Comments

  • PissLUR on 06/04/2014 - 21:31
    -3

    check your tax invoice for the 10% GST component. If they charge, then your purchase is fully covered under Australian warranty and therefore, its not a grey import.

    whats your main concern here? is the product defective? not suitable for use?

    • cat06969 on 07/04/2014 - 00:43

      No, it's not defective in any way, but I now wish I'd bought another product - one that would have suited my needs somewhat better. I guess I'm stuck with it, no probs. But just curious to know if it was legit. Thanks for your advice, Piss.. I'll check it out..!

    • c64 on 07/04/2014 - 07:13
      +3

      i don't think that advice is correct. it can still be a grey import. grey import has more to do with whether it came through the australian manufacturer's or distributor's channels and comes with australian manufacturer's warranty. i can import a container full of canon cameras from hong kong, pay import taxes, gst etc and then sell them and charge gst. they are still grey imports. canon australia won't touch them.

      if it only has a US plug then it appears to be a grey import. how are you supposed to use it in australia? that is grounds for a return.

      does the power cord go in to an "international" (110-240v) power adapter or straight in to the device?

      • cat06969 on 07/04/2014 - 09:44

        Thanks Mattgal. Yeah.. the plug is just a separate 3-foot long cable. It then plugs straight into the 110-240v power adapter, which then goes into the unit. So not sure if this is a grey import or not. I'm not keen to find out when a warranty claim happens and they tell me it's gotta be sent back to Hong Kong for service!!!!!!!

  • eug on 06/04/2014 - 23:38
    +1

    I bought an Asus all-in-one desktop from a real store (umart) last week. It came with two American power cables. Two! There must have been a mistake at the factory. Umart definitely doesn't deal with grey market stuff, so I guess things like that happen here and there.

  • sm007h on 07/04/2014 - 13:02
    +1

    If someone imports a product to resell, they must conform to electrical safety standards. Drop shippers get around this by shipping stock directly from overseas to the customer, and so the customer acts as the "importer".

    If this product does not have the proper adapters and electrical markings, you have every right to return the product to the store. Mention that this product does not conform to Australian standards.

    • eug on 07/04/2014 - 13:06

      If the factory stuffed up the packaging process and included the wrong power cable, I wouldn't be too fussed about it. What really matters is the warranty service. If it's handled by the manufacturer locally then it's all good!

  • cat06969 on 07/04/2014 - 16:16

    Update: Further to the wrong plug, I've also found a label stuck on the box that states it's an EU unit (which would explain the plug), so presumably, this has been imported from the EU, somehow parallel to the authorised sole Aussie importers in Melbourne????? Anyway, the music shop was cool - they just refunded me.

  • [Deactivated] on 07/04/2014 - 16:23

    I have seen a lot of IT equipment come with overseas plugs by default but local distributors usually pack AU plugs to make sure they work here. This is equipment being sold by authorised distributors with valid AU warranties etc.

    Ask the seller for an Australian plug and to verify it is covered by manufacturer warranty. If it is brand new and bought from an Australia business you are covered by consumer law anyway so you should be good for 12 months. They might be getting them cheap enough from overseas that wearing a few broken units themselves might be worth it.

    • sm007h on 07/04/2014 - 16:33

      With branded products, the manufacturer has already applied for safety approvals (C-tick/EMC etc), so there isn't an issue swapping over plugs, as long as the plugs also comply. Obviously, authorised distributors will know if the manufacturer has already applied for the required approvals.

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