Re: Enterprise Photo and Repair Tech Inc:

I ordered over $7000 worth of HD gear, mainly a Sony HDTV and a Panasonic AG-HVX200 HD camera. They posted a charge to my credit card on 5/31/07 and the merchandise arrived on 6/15/07. The invoice was dated 6/5/07. I was not in a hurry for anything, so 10-15 days was okay for me.

The Sony TV was not grey market but the Panasonic was, so I was able to register the Sony for the manufacturers warranty but not the Panasonic. I had also purchased a two-year extended warranty for both products. The warranties state that the product must have at least a 90-day factory warranty in order for the extended warranties to be good (also, the extended warranties must be registered within 30 days of the invoice date and take effect starting with that date...doesn't matter when the items are actually received). So I called Repair Tech Inc (warranty co.). They said the would still honor the two-year warranty and sent me a written confirmation of this exception to their written contract.

Also, the extended warranty contract stated it was for merchandise under $2500 in value. I paid $4100 for the camera so I asked them about this as well. Again, in writing, I received a notice that the $2500 limit did not apply to this camera. However, I noticed that the extended warranty does not cover factory defects (present when camera is received), so I called Enterprise Photo. They said everything they sell is covered by a 1 yr warranty (it's on the website and I printed it), so I have nothing to worry about. The camera and HDTV are both working great so far, but still, it would be nice to have the safety of a factory warranty on the camera, too.

I received manuals and everything else that was supposed to come with the units, but I ordered an extra battery for the camera and the seam was cracked so I called and got a return authorization. They offered to replace it but I had already purchased a replacement and didn't trust this affer-market brand, so they agreed to refund what I paid, but I am still awaiting a credit to post to my account as of today 7/5/07 (they acknowledged receiving the defective battery the week before last).

The invoice I received was not itemized, just a total. I called to get an itemized invoice which they emailed me a few days later (but at first they tried to argue that the order was a package deal which is not itemized). The shipping was supposed to be $100 for the camera and $90 for the HDTV (per their website). The itemized invoice stated $330 for shipping so I called them. They acknowledged that they was an error and that I would be creditted for this, but I am still not seeing a credit posted to my account.

I called billing today and they acknowledged the credits and that they should be posted to my credit card account "soon".

I have never had any trouble reaching them by phone, but sometimes you have to wait just as for any other company.

I have been trying to research Repair Tech, the warranty company. Everything seems on the up-and-up and they advertise that they have been in business for over 25 years. I registered one product via their website without a hitch; the other product I couldn't register it without calling them on the phone. I could only find one negative comment about them on the web.

If Enterprise Photo handles the refund properly, then my only complaint would be that they sometimes sell products not intended for the US market. Per Panasonic, my camera was intended for sale in Japan only and had to have entered the US without going through customs and duty-tax. It would be too much trouble to return a camera that is working fine this late in the game. Whether Enterprise Photo knew some product was grey market is unknown, but their response when I told them I was unable to register the product was that they covered everything for a year anyway (i.e. I didn't get "Really? That shouldn't be! We'll contact our supplier and in the meantime send you a legal US camera, right away!". It seems it wasn't an issue at all).

So you really need to insist on products that can be registered for factory warranties, insist on itemized invoices, verify they the shipping charges are going to be what is advertised on the web site (and match the invoice), and don't buy aftermarket batteries from them and if you purchase extended warranties, double-check and read everything you receive regarding those warranties. For me the extended warranty is an experiment and I will be reporting back any trouble encountered, if any.

Pack Guardian,
Biker Dogs Motorcycle Club
Oakland, California