Fenix Warranty Service

[AA#5]

I sent my Fenix TK75 to their warranty repair in NY. After a month, I asked them when I could expect it back. They responded, "We had to send it to China for further repair." I think that's ridiculous. I probably won't see the light for months. Does that sound normal?

 

[Labrador72]

I think it is for Chinese brands if the issue can't be serviced by the distributor. From what I've read, some manufacturers even expect you to ship the light to China directly regardless of the problem, which might shorten times by a few days but adds to the cost. I think it might also depend where you bought the light and which distributor is coming from but I'm not too sure.

In any case, good customer service, in my opinion would have been them e-mailing you that they had to ship the light to China rather than you having to ask a month later because you hadn't heard from them!

 

[AA#5]

After complaining to the main Fenix place in China, I received a reply. They said the distributor doesn't just ship my flashlight, they wait until they have several defective lights to ship to save shipping costs. Maybe I'm spoiled, but I've never heard of a company that doesn't have warranty centers in the U.S.

 

[ven]

I will speak from a" if it was ME" point of view as i have had no experience regarding Fenix in warranty issues.IMHO it is absolutely unacceptable in every way,i also think it depends on the seller/retailer in your state.If good they will check it over,give you a replacement(helps keep customers too) and send light off themselves.

Anything less is not acceptable,i believe nitecore is bad,but this has to be on a par or worse..............

Only time i have had to deal with a company is led lenser(yes that company,the one thats "crap").I spoke to ledco(uk distributor) free switch and carrier posted for next day delivery,all free,no questions on age,where bought etc and it was my fault which i told them.

If i had an experience as you are,i can tell you i would never ever buy another light from them or whoever the manufacturer would be,waiting a week or so is acceptable,month is a no no,longer well...........

Its not like a $5 light(not that it should matter) so i would be getting my money back,and fighting it too over principle but thats me and my opinion.

Maybe ask on the dealer section,as each case varies,not saying your wrong,but you need the full picture,i dont know age of light,where it was bought etc .

My comments are if purchased new from a shop,buying over seas changes things........depending on brand of course.

I have heard many praise from Fenix in past,capolini is one of them who had issues and had excellent customer service.

So maybe a message on the dealers corner part of the site,maybe that might get things moving,good luck and sorry to hear of problems,it would drive me mad too...

 

[LupinIII]

Did you ask or did Fenix indicate when the light would be back in your hands in either of the two conversations you had with them?

 

[mcnair55]

It pays off to be familiar with your countries sale of goods act as many try pulling your chain.In the UK the contract is with the seller and one large bunch of muppets in white goods always tries it on giving out false information.I recently had to sort an electrical item out for my daughter because she was told she had to send the goods back to the maker.

 

[AA#5]

Did you ask or did Fenix indicate when the light would be back in your hands in either of the two conversations you had with them?

They told me it would take 3-6 weeks. I got an e-mail confirming that they received it a month ago. Their "customer representative" (in India) tried to tell me they received it 12 days later than they did....until I forwarded the e-mail from UPS.

 

[LupinIII]

If they can get the light back into your hands in the max six weeks from when you sent it, that does not seem all that unreasonable to me. I have never had to send one of my lights in for work but service times for the overseas makers seem to generally fall in that time range (ie Jetbeam, Nitecore, etc).

I have sent knives in for work and the service time ranged from about six weeks (production knives like Spyderco and Benchmade) to as short as one week (customs). Obviously cannot expect the super fast turnaround you'd get from a small, custom maker.

Otherwise just not seeing why you are so surprised that a company that produces lights overseas has to repair its products there as well. That is a key aspect of why you can get these nice lights at such a good price point no? This certainly would not turn me off to the entire brand permanently as Ven suggests but I admit making a habit of keeping my expectations in check.

 

[mcnair55]

If they can get the light back into your hands in the max six weeks from when you sent it, that does not seem all that unreasonable to me. I have never had to send one of my lights in for work but service times for the overseas makers seem to generally fall in that time range (ie Jetbeam, Nitecore, etc).

I have sent knives in for work and the service time ranged from about six weeks (production knives like Spyderco and Benchmade) to as short as one week (customs). Obviously cannot expect the super fast turnaround you'd get from a small, custom maker.

Otherwise just not seeing why you are so surprised that a company that produces lights overseas has to repair its products there as well. That is a key aspect of why you can get these nice lights at such a good price point no? This certainly would not turn me off to the entire brand permanently as Ven suggests but I admit making a habit of keeping my expectations in check.

To you it seems ok to me that is totally unreasonable and as they have sold goods not fit for purpose i would require a full refund.

Copy UK

When you buy something, consumer law says the item must be fit for purpose.
For example, a toaster must be able to make toast and a washing machine must be able to wash clothes.
As well as being fit for their normal purpose goods must also be fit for any specific purpose that the seller told you they would be fit for.
The law which gives you this right is called the Sale of Goods Act 1979.
This right only applies when you buy something from a business, not from a private seller.

 

[smokinbasser]

I'd say that once you get a pacemaker or defibulator implanted make sure it's made in the country you are temporarily living in. The ship times might be a real killer.

 

[ven]

I'd say that once you get a pacemaker or defibulator implanted make sure it's made in the country you are temporarily living in. The ship times might be a real killer.

:laughing:

 

[LupinIII]

To you it seems ok to me that is totally unreasonable and as they have sold goods not fit for purpose i would require a full refund.

Copy UK

When you buy something, consumer law says the item must be fit for purpose.
For example, a toaster must be able to make toast and a washing machine must be able to wash clothes.
As well as being fit for their normal purpose goods must also be fit for any specific purpose that the seller told you they would be fit for.
The law which gives you this right is called the Sale of Goods Act 1979.
This right only applies when you buy something from a business, not from a private seller.

How long does that toaster have to toast until the Sales of Goods Act terms are satisfied? If my toaster stops working after one year of normal use am I still entitled to a full refund? What about 5 years? And 10? Does that refund come from the retailer or the manufacturer? How long do I have to wait until I actually have the refund in hand?

I only ask because it is unclear what situation the OP is in. If he purchased the TK75 recently (the past month or two), I agree a prompt refund or replacement is appropriate. Longer than that and most return policies with the retailer expire in the US and common practice is for the manufacturer to then provide any warranty service.

The 6 weeks Fenix indicated is not even up yet and OP already created this thread. So my question to AA#5 (and even Ven or Mcnair55) is: what kind of timeframe would be satisfactory to you in this situation?

How many of us would purchase these overseas brands if prices were 25% or more higher but allowed them to open servicing centers here in the US and reduce turnaround time to 2 to 4 weeks? I would wager that the target market for these lights would rather wait a little longer and get the light at the cheaper price point.

My collection used to be made up entirely of overseas brands such as Fenix, Jetbeam, Nitecore, and the like. To me, they provided a quality light at a very competitive price. Reading up on the lights here at CPF before purchasing, I quickly realized that in order to hit the low price points, there might be issues with QC (still very good) and lengthier warranty turnaround (4 to 6 weeks). I knew what I was getting into having shipped back and forth to Asia in the past.

 

[ven]

If i purchased a light from china,and had to return then a 2 week each way would have to be acceptable,then maybe a week on top or so so yes 6 weeks seems about right.

However i am sure the op purchased from the states or thats how i read it sending it to NY,so the supplier imo should sort the issue as capolini had his sorted (tk75 also) and a another light was sent out.

I may be wrong on that,and did say in *4 towards the end

quote-"Maybe ask on the dealer section,as each case varies,not saying your wrong,but you need the full picture,i dont know age of light,where it was bought etc .

My comments are if purchased new from a shop,buying over seas changes things........depending on brand of course."

 

[LupinIII]

Got ya Ven - I missed that part of your post. Agree with you about a new light. That is on the retailer to replace or refund in my experience.

Anyway will just have to see if the OP chimes in with more details.

 

[ven]

Got ya Ven - I missed that part of your post. Agree with you about a new light. That is on the retailer to replace or refund in my experience.

Anyway will just have to see if the OP chimes in with more details.

:thumbsup:

 

[mcnair55]

How long does that toaster have to toast until the Sales of Goods Act terms are satisfied? If my toaster stops working after one year of normal use am I still entitled to a full refund? What about 5 years? And 10? Does that refund come from the retailer or the manufacturer? How long do I have to wait until I actually have the refund in hand?

I only ask because it is unclear what situation the OP is in. If he purchased the TK75 recently (the past month or two), I agree a prompt refund or replacement is appropriate. Longer than that and most return policies with the retailer expire in the US and common practice is for the manufacturer to then provide any warranty service.

The 6 weeks Fenix indicated is not even up yet and OP already created this thread. So my question to AA#5 (and even Ven or Mcnair55) is: what kind of timeframe would be satisfactory to you in this situation?

How many of us would purchase these overseas brands if prices were 25% or more higher but allowed them to open servicing centers here in the US and reduce turnaround time to 2 to 4 weeks? I would wager that the target market for these lights would rather wait a little longer and get the light at the cheaper price point.

My collection used to be made up entirely of overseas brands such as Fenix, Jetbeam, Nitecore, and the like. To me, they provided a quality light at a very competitive price. Reading up on the lights here at CPF before purchasing, I quickly realized that in order to hit the low price points, there might be issues with QC (still very good) and lengthier warranty turnaround (4 to 6 weeks). I knew what I was getting into having shipped back and forth to Asia in the past.

Very simply if i have 12 month warranty (365 days) and my toaster stops on day 364 the shop i bought it from is getting it back and i would allow them a reasonable time to fix it of approx 7 working days.

 

[AA#5]

If I owned a company in the U.S. that manufactures products in China, I'd have at least one warranty station in the U.S. so if warranty repair is needed, it won't take six weeks. In fact, I'd be more concerned about a customer who needs his light every day & I'd send him a replacement. In my case, I can't be without a powerful light for even ONE night, so I had to purchase another flashlight.

 

[mcnair55]

If I owned a company in the U.S. that manufactures products in China, I'd have at least one warranty station in the U.S. so if warranty repair is needed, it won't take six weeks. In fact, I'd be more concerned about a customer who needs his light every day & I'd send him a replacement. In my case, I can't be without a powerful light for even ONE night, so I had to purchase another flashlight.

And you would probably go out of business very quickly due to unnecessary costs.We live in a global village and nothing should take six weeks unless they have hundreds or thousands of lights needing work.A fair time would be 21 working days and no more and that is being very generous personally 14 days would be fair and ideal.

 

[Xmldriver]

Dealer should replace the light. It's on them. If they have any chance of surviving in a competitive market and want to keep their customers. No more to say.

 

[mcnair55]

Dealer should replace the light. It's on them. If they have any chance of surviving in a competitive market and want to keep their customers. No more to say.

In the UK you are covered for replacement or a refund for a month(your choice).After a month it becomes the sellers choice as to refund/replace or send it for repair.

As you know many items are not cost effective to repair and the more honourable retailers will generally replace or refund.I bought a laptop once and took it back the next day,the assistant wanted to send it back and i told him quite straight of how he was breaking the law i walked out with my money