GH1 GH1 - Is the charger supposed to be covered under warranty?

[tbirdparis]

Hi all,

Quick question. The battery charger for my GH1 (still under warranty) has stopped working. I took it into the chain store where the camera was originally purchased, and they gave me a blanket response that "chargers are considered accessories", and so aren't covered by the warranty. Seems a bit suspect to me, so I tried calling Panasonic directly but their call centre keeps saying to try again later as they have too many callers..

So in the meantime I thought I'd ask here. Anyone ever have their battery charger die, and if so did it get replaced under warranty?

Cheers.

 

[cut2052]

so I tried calling Panasonic directly but their call centre keeps saying to try again later as they have too many callers.

Go to the Panasonic site applicable to your country and use the support/contact us email feature and send them your question.

Maybe it will take a day or two, but at least you won't have to sit on the phone waiting.

 

[MR Fanny]

if it comes in the box then its covered under warranty, or maybe that's too rational. it's a fundamental piece of equipment in operating the camera. even if you bought it separately it should have its own warranty on it right? my two cents on it.

 

[tbirdparis]

if it comes in the box then its covered under warranty, or maybe that's too rational. it's a fundamental piece of equipment in operating the camera. even if you bought it separately it should have its own warranty on it right? my two cents on it.

Yep that's what I was thinking. It's not like the charger is an optional accessory - the camera is completely unusable without it. And yes, it's the original charger out of the box with the camera as delivered. Only ever used with the original battery as well.

Thanks for all the input, I'll try emailing Panasonic after sales service today if I still can't get anyone on the phone.

 

[tbirdparis]

OK just to close this off, I got through to Panasonic today. Turns out it would have been covered under warranty, but apparently it's only a 1 year manufacturer's warranty.. I thought it was 2 years. So the extra year of warranty I have must be from the retailer's warranty extension plan, and that only counts for the camera body and lens, not the charger. Also, since I bought the camera 2nd hand, it's a grey area as to whether the warranty should technically be transferable to me anyway..

So, looks like I need to buy a new charger or get the one I have repaired. I've seen a few unofficial 3rd party ones around on eBay and so on, but am a bit nervous about getting one of those. Since you tend to leave them on overnight to charge, I'm very wary of some el cheapo thing catching fire...

Thanks for the input everyone.