Sigma USA Charging $250.00 Minimum Fee for Servicing Gray Market Lenses

Sigma Corporation of America recently clarified its Gray Market Service Policy which went into effect January 1, 2017. In it, Sigma USA warns that not only will it refuse to repair gray market items for free under warranty, but that it will charge a $250.00 service fee on top of the parts and labor costs for repairing gray market goods. See below for Sigma USA's new official Gray Market Service Policy (we bolded part of the last sentence for emphasis).

From Sigma:

Gray Market
As of January 1, 2017, any product that is not imported by the Sigma Corporation of America or purchased from an unauthorized Sigma USA Dealer will not be serviced under warranty regardless of the service required. The Sigma Corporation of America Service department will service these products for a minimum $250 charge in addition to the required parts and labor charges at the owner's expense.