My problem seems to be how to know a camera purchase will have support from Dahua as in the past they ask for serial number and all the ones I bought were not serial numbers USA/Canada and said no support. Drives me crazy on where to buy knowing it is the real deal and supported by the Dahua support
Hi Ron,
I've seen numerous complaints from users that they expect better customer service from the vendors in the USA of Hikvision OEM, Dahua OEM products.
( LaView, Lorex, Q-see,... )
Certainly those companies provide customer service, as well as extended warranties - yet somehow they manage to really frustrate a number of people when they are requesting help.
This entire industry segment is interesting to watch as it matures - as I believe there is a considerable demand for some sort of security camera solutions - as clearly is evidenced by Amazon's entry in the field as well as the success of sales Ring, Arlo, Nest,...
Unfortunately it seems that quality and reliability is significantly missing by those popular consumer brands.
During the BF - cyberweek deals here in the USA I did notice some kits which were very well priced compared to prices from ordering similar products from China directly.
The challenge is finding the particular models you may want as each vendor seems to have only a small selection - and those with larger selections ( like B&H ) are rather pricey.
The price difference of the BF price of the Montavue MTB8870 4K 8MP HD IP Bullet Camera - compared what seems like a similar international Dahua model purchased from China did not seem too much higher for a single unit. So if they do provide good service for you it maybe useful for you to purchase from them imho.
I know a number of people enjoy working also with Nelly's Security from what I have read.
If you are looking for a particular type of camera ( such as the Starlight models ) - then it is hard to just find them from US vendors, and purchasing them directly from China is a very compelling option if you're willing to accept more DIY support ( as Looney2ns points out is readily available here
