Razer Refuses to Honour Warranty As Purchase Not Made from Authorised Dealer

Hi folks, bought a Razer Kiyo Pro from titan_gear on eBay. It had some issues with autofocus which should be resolved by updating the firmware, so I tried that. The update didn't go through and said to contact razer support.

Razer support tells me to replace it with titan_gear and buy another. I ask what happens if it has the same issue and they told me to contact them again. I returned that one and bought another one from wireless1 on eBay and it had the exact same issue. I go back to support and this is what they say.

I forwarded your proof of purchase from titan_gear via eBay to our warranty team and have failed to proceed with a warranty claims as they have validated that it's not part of Razer's authorized reseller. I would highly recommend contacting your reseller for the warranty claim. It would be best to contact them for a replacement or refund. We understand that you need your Razer device for your gaming sessions. However, Razer will not be able to honor a Limited Warranty on Products not purchased from an authorized dealer or ones that are outside the Limited Warranty period. If you have purchased the product from an unauthorized dealer, all support and Limited Warranty issues should be directed to that dealer.

I'm going to ask them about wireless1, but can they refuse support for a product sold by an unauthorised reseller? I would think a large portion of their stuff is sold via these channels.

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Comments

  • +3

    For any Limited Warranty claim, a valid Proof of Purchase is required. A valid Proof of Purchase is defined as one of the following:

    • A dated sales receipt from an authorized Razer Dealer or Reseller. The receipt must show the Product description and price.
    • A dated official e-mail from an authorized on line Razer Dealer or Reseller confirming purchase and shipment of Product. The confirmation e-mail must show the Product description and price.
    • An order number from the Razer.com web site

    https://www2.razer.com/au-en/warranty

    You will need to go through the sellers.

    • +1

      And just a note… Years ago, I spent almost a month trying to purchase a laptop from their website.

      Amex stopped the credit card payment the first time thinking it was fraud and after that RAZER refused to allow any order I made to go through. Hours on the phone to US trying to sort them out. In the end gave up and walked away

      They are complete A*^%#holes to deal with… Just don't bother

    • +1

      The importer is deemed the manufacturer in Australia.

      Razer are not obliged to honour any warranty claim for grey imports sold by unauthorized dealers (if that is the case) since they are not deemed the manufacturer

      • Thank you for introducing these concepts/info

        Actual manufacturer not relieved of liability if there is a deemed manufacturer

        The definition of a manufacturer under the ACL means that a person can be deemed to be a manufacturer, and therefore potentially liable for problems or defects in the goods, even if they had no role in or control over their manufacture. A person can also be both supplier and manufacturer (deemed or otherwise).

        The categories within the definition are not mutually exclusive and, importantly, the actual manufacturer of the goods will not be relieved of liability because there is also a deemed manufacturer.

        https://www.cbp.com.au/insights/insights/2014/march/supplier… (Quick legalese search of content that appears to be authored by a partner of an established law firm)

        Sounds tedious to chase them down, though.

        • Its dangerous to take quotes out of context as you have done!

          This applies in cases where there is no local manufacturer
          To prevent such importers from avoiding their obligations the importer is deemed to be the manufacturer.
          We have 2 importers in this case.but neither is the actual manufacturer
          The authorized one and the grey imports
          Each is responsible for the products which they import.

  • +9

    Authorised dealers is a thing- It is a way for them to rule out grey importers for e.g.

    • -4

      This!
      But I believe if it is manufactured and is the genuine product, they should warrant it. It's about the buyer getting the best price for the same product
      How many different prices can you buy from the same product locally?

      • +3

        Why should Razer in Australia bear the cost of repairs if the profit from the sales was to Razer somewhere else?
        Those profits that would have been for the potential warranty processes and whatnot.

        I think that'd be a question that the companies would ask.

        Of course there are companies that provide international warranty, but I assume they do things differently.

        • -3

          I believe that now ppl pay GST for items that they purchase from OS (AFIAK) from ebay where before they didn't. So if that is the case, then the consumer should have ACL & warranty honoured here

          • +7

            @vinni9284: GST is a tax …not sure it's related to a warranty or ACL …

            • -8

              @resubaehtgnolhcs: So what. That was the rationale of purchasing products from OS. To buy it cheaper and tax avoidance. They are mostly made in the same factory in China, imported it here for a bloated price. So they should honour it. We always pay top dollar for stuff here.

              • +2

                @vinni9284:

                We always pay top dollar for stuff here

                Wouldn't part of that top dollar price be reserved for warranty purposes.

          • +2

            @vinni9284: GST is a tax that goes straight to government that the companies collect on the behalf of the government. It has nothing to do with who gets the profit.

            The reason why we started collecting GST on goods that we used to not is I think is a complicated matter. Regardless, nothing to do with Razer in Australia.

              • +6

                @vinni9284: GST goes straight to the government, collected by eBay on behalf of the government. It has nothing to do with the manufacturer.

                The money that the manufacturers would have gotten would have what the reseller paid the manufacturer. That money would have gone to whoever is operating in the region you've bought the goods from.

                Besides Australia has laws on how the companies should honour warranty. We get 2 years vs 1 year from Apple because of the law etc. Companies that sell in Australia has to abide by that law. If you get things from overseas, they don't follow that rule.

                There are also issues with who does the repairs, how much it costs to repair (repairing things in Australia would be more expensive because higher wages, higher rent), operational costs, they would have had to pay tax beyond GST. Different places have different operation cost. That is part of the reason why different places have different prices. All which would not be included in the price you paid if you bought it from overseas.

                Whoever operates in Australia would have not received a single cent to cover any of that. They can have a special arrangement to do international warrranties, but that's rare and it's clearly not the case in terms of Razer here from what I am seeing.

                You cannot expect someone to have an international warranty unless they specifically say they have an international warranty.

          • +1

            @vinni9284: GST has nothing to do with the Australian distributor getting paid.

          • +13

            @vinni9284: It doesn't matter what you beleive.

            ACCC Parallel imports

            If the product comes with a manufacturer’s warranty - that warranty may not apply in Australia, or depending on the terms and conditions may not apply to products sold as parallel imports.
            Although your products may carry a particular or popular brand name - if it is sold to you as a parallel import, the local manufacturer is not required to help you if the product develops a fault. You need to contact the seller.
            You may not be able to get assistance such as product/technical support or repair/spare part facilities from the local manufacturer or their representative. For example, the software of your product may not be suited for the Australian market. You need to contact the seller.

            • @dizzle: Upvoted you. Some moron downvoted you for quoting the actual rules.

        • Razer Australia is just the importer
          Not the manufacturer
          Each "importer" is responsible for honoring warranty on the products they import

      • What you believe and what is THE LAW are totally different

        The importer is deemed the manufacturer in Australia.

        Razer are not obliged to honour any warranty claim for grey imports sold by unauthorized dealers (if that is the case) since they are not deemed the manufacturer.

        Go back through the dealer you purchased from

      • Not when its illegally imported!

  • +9

    https://www.accc.gov.au/consumers/sales-delivery/buying-para…

    Razer can opt out of supporting non authorised reseller after sales support according to ACCC.

  • I’m having the same problem with the AirPods Pro ebay plus deal.
    AirPods stopped working after 11 months of purchase, contacted Apple support via chat and they all told me it’s out of warranty. I ended up going in store and showed them the Titan Gear receipt in order to claim warranty repair

    • +4

      That is different. The physical presence of you in store usually overrides the chat policy I find.

      I had to do similar with Beats headphones - firmly state my case in the Apple store so they would fix it under acl or have a Karen that would upset the feng shui calm of the store.

      • rofl

    • 11 months and its out of warranty? Thanks for reminding me why I will never buy an apple product ever again

      • Read what they said - 11 months after they bought them. They bought them from EBay, most likely not from an authorised seller. So the warranty may have started whenever the reseller stocked them, as opposed to when the OP bought them.

        Apple has one of the best warranty processes I've ever seen and I've had to use them a few times (for my job), and it's effing seamless and you walk out that day with a replacement product.

        Tell me which brands you use where you can experience this? I'm pretty sure you gotta send your shïtty Oppo phone overseas for warranty, yeah?

  • +1

    Gaming sessions lol

    • +2

      I cracked up also

  • +1

    Curious why you didn't go through the seller again?

    Razer are very aware of social media. Try mentioning you've researched the issue and have contacted other people with the same issue and they are very receptive to organising something collectively via Reddit or similar.
    You might get their alternate cut and paste response about a one off exception in this instance.

  • I had a similar issue with Ring (Amazon!) security camera sensor flood light. Bought one from ebay and I could not activate it, with an error to say the previous owner needs to deactivate it first. The previous owner said he never activated it as it was an opened item from a bunnings sale that he bought and never got around to installing. I called Ring and they refused to help at all. If it was stolen I wanted to return it to the rightfull owners, but I was convinced it was not stolen and they refused to let me register that one because it was not bought from an authorised reseller!!! The seller refunded me, but I was furious as it all took weeks! And the error email always said an email was generated for the original owner to approve transfer and I was assuming someone would get that. I now have a Eufi equivalent security light and am really happy with it, and two neighbours got the Eufi one too! Stuff Ring!

    • The previous owner said he never activated it as it was an opened item from a bunnings sale that he bought and never got around to installing

      And you beleived that? The fact that the ebay seller refunded you hints to me that it may not be the first time it's happened (and you'll probably find your returned one went back on sale soon after).

      From what I can see none of that was rings fault.
      If it was an opened item from Bunnings (maybe a display unit, maybe a customer return), then that was bunnings fault.
      If it was previously used or stolen, then that was the sellers fault. The fact that the refund took weeks, was the sellers fault. Having brought a used item from a non-authorised reseller I can understand why they wouldn't let you register it again.

  • Grey imports deserve no warranty, authorized dealers are there for a reason, people who cheap out by buying OS not only don't support local markets, but leave a lot to be desired for warranty.

    Saving money now can cost you a lot more in the long run, this is why I buy my Pizzas locally, they take too long to be delivered from OS and leave me hungry.

  • Merged from Razer Laptop warranty

    Anyone got warranty experience with Razer laptop from ebay's seller,such as wireless1, titan_gear, mobiciti etc… ??

    They all provide tax invoice for item, but according to Razer's web site, their warranty only offer to product which purchased from authorised dealer or reseller.
    So, if you not buying from Razer's online shop or authorised sellers, you wont cover by any manufacturer warranty. Even you have tax invoice from seller.

    • -1

      Makes sense as they're not authorised sellers on their behalf. They couldn't guarantee that the product has not been altered in anyway prior to its resale. Warranty would be through the seller then they can follow up with the company as required.

    • -1

      Despite claims to the contrary, just because it wasn't purchased from an "authorised dealer" doesn't mean Razer doesn't have liability under Australian Consumer Law. It's illegal for a manufacturer to fob you off to a dealer just as it's illegal for a dealer to fob you off to a manufacturer.

      Check to see if the product you have is Australian stock and not parallel imported, if it is Australian stock then both Razer and the dealer are on the hook for repair or replacement REGARDLESS of how "authorised" the dealer is, and the limited warranty isn't worth the paper it's printed on (or the bits that form the PDF it's embedded in).

      • -1

        I don't believe anyone in this thread has incorrectly asserted what you state to be illegal above.

        Razer is within their rights to deny handling your warranty. They are not denying your warranty, you just simply have to take it up through the retailer you purchased from. The retailer will then deal with Razer Australia or whichever distributor they obtained the units from and it goes up the food chain. It all ends up back at Razer anyway but the speed, consistency and overall experience will definitely vary between the two

        • -1

          You just incorrectly asserted it right there. The manufacturer and dealer both have liability under Australian Consumer Law. Razer Australia is not within their rights to deny addressing your warranty claim for any product either manufactured or imported by them.

          It is the consumer's choice who they take up a faulty product claim with, not the business'.

          • -1

            @[Deactivated]: That is not correct

            https://www.accc.gov.au/consumers/consumer-rights-guarantees…

            Products
            You can claim a remedy from the retailer if the products do not meet any one or more of the consumer guarantees, with the exception of availability of spare parts and repair facilities.

            The remedies you can seek from the retailer who sold you the product include a repair, replacement, or refund and in some cases compensation for damages and loss.

            The retailer can’t refuse to help you by sending you to the manufacturer or importer.

            You can claim a remedy directly from the manufacturer or importer if the goods do not meet one or more of the following consumer guarantees:

            acceptable quality
            matching description
            any extra promises made about such things like performance, condition and quality
            repairs and spare parts - the manufacturer is responsible for ensuring that spare parts and repair facilities (a place that can fix the consumer’s goods) are available for a reasonable time after purchase unless you were told otherwise. How long is ‘reasonable’ will depend on the type of product.
            You are only entitled to recover costs from a manufacturer or importer, which include an amount for reduction in the product’s value and in some cases compensation for damages or loss.

            As mentioned above, any sort of deal where an "authorised dealer" means that Razer is happy to provide the same service directly to you as if you had taken it to a responsible retailer, bypassing admin and expediting the replacement process. It would now turn into
            1) Consumer => Razer => Consumer
            instead of
            2) Consumer => Retailer => Razer => Retailer => Consumer
            This is obviously ideal as it means less handling, chances of things getting lost and overall costs. This is a "benefit" of the authorised dealer network. When you purchase via a non-authorised dealer then you must go with option 2, except in circumstances as outlined above but contrary to what you are spouting out, they are not

            on the hook for repair or replacement REGARDLESS of how "authorised" the dealer is

            as you can only claim costs from them

            • -1

              @peter05: No, you're still wrong. You can absolutely go back to the retailer or importer/manufacturer. There is absolutely no requirement to go to an "authorised" dealer. Why do you keep spouting this rubbish?

              • @[Deactivated]: You go to whoever you bought the laptop from, doesn't matter if it's the retailer or razer direct or authorised dealer. If you choose to go with importer/manufacturer, as from the above excerpt you can only request monetary recompense. You cannot demand that an importer or manufacturer repair or replace your device, like you are suggesting.

  • So, the only way just go back to find your seller,

    If they are welling to replace or repair the product for you, you are luck.
    Otherwise, cost your owner money to repair!!

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