I bought a DS-2DF8236I-AEL from a third party Amazon seller Discount ID for $1100. Obviously I was skeptical of the price and suspected that it might be the Chinese import but the description did not say this so I decided to roll the dice. Worst thing that could happen is I get a free shipping label to send it back. At the time I placed the order, I didn't realized that Hikvision will not RMA a unit to an end user.
The next cheapest price I could find online from an actual authorized reseller is $2600 from B&H Photo. Adorama has it for $1700 but unlike B&H photo it seems they're not authorized? To be fair, B&H photo doesn't show up on the Hikvision list but I've seen plenty of posts here that says they are.
The camera was two day prime but came overnight.
So far it passed the smell test for all the things that make it USA or at least European. Came sealed in a Red and White box. The serial number in the camera matches the box. The Serial number in the device info screen has WR in it. It has the latest firmware release for US cameras. It as the UL sticker on both the box and the camera.
I messaged the seller asking them for the distributor in case I ever have a warranty issue. This is their response:
"I understand your concern. Unfortunately, we are in the same position where we cannot direct an end user to our distributor as they only communicate about orders with authorized resellers. At this time, we are an authorized reseller and we will always have access to your order information as well as your serial number. If you had a failure under warranty, we would recommend you call Hikvision for confirmation that your item is defective and get a case number from their Technical Support team (1-866-200-6690) - this is not an RMA, just proof for our distributor that troubleshooting occurred. Then you could provide us with that case number, and we can get a return/replacement for you as per your warranty. Please let me know if I've answered your questions fully! Thank you for your patience.
Best Regards,
-Discount ID Web Team"
What do folks think of their response? What would you do?
The next cheapest price I could find online from an actual authorized reseller is $2600 from B&H Photo. Adorama has it for $1700 but unlike B&H photo it seems they're not authorized? To be fair, B&H photo doesn't show up on the Hikvision list but I've seen plenty of posts here that says they are.
The camera was two day prime but came overnight.
So far it passed the smell test for all the things that make it USA or at least European. Came sealed in a Red and White box. The serial number in the camera matches the box. The Serial number in the device info screen has WR in it. It has the latest firmware release for US cameras. It as the UL sticker on both the box and the camera.
I messaged the seller asking them for the distributor in case I ever have a warranty issue. This is their response:
"I understand your concern. Unfortunately, we are in the same position where we cannot direct an end user to our distributor as they only communicate about orders with authorized resellers. At this time, we are an authorized reseller and we will always have access to your order information as well as your serial number. If you had a failure under warranty, we would recommend you call Hikvision for confirmation that your item is defective and get a case number from their Technical Support team (1-866-200-6690) - this is not an RMA, just proof for our distributor that troubleshooting occurred. Then you could provide us with that case number, and we can get a return/replacement for you as per your warranty. Please let me know if I've answered your questions fully! Thank you for your patience.
Best Regards,
-Discount ID Web Team"
What do folks think of their response? What would you do?
