Vitec Group (Manfrotto, Gitzo, Lowepro, etc.) Warns of Voided Warranties When Purchasing from Unauthorized Retailers

Manfrotto US (a Vitec Group company) has posted the following warning to its site:

Buy only from US AUTHORIZED DEALERS and get the benefits of our WARRANTY program.

If you buy from an unauthorized dealer you will not receive any US warranty or technical support. View full list of NON-AUTHORIZED DEALERS.

In the warranty section of Manfrotto's site, the company provides a supplemental warning:

Additionally, if you purchase any Manfrotto product from an unauthorized dealer via Fulfilled By Amazon you will not receive any U.S. warranty or technical support.

Third-party lens manufacturers have adopted similar policies in the past (e.g., Tamron), but what's unique about Manfrotto's warning is that they specifically list unauthorized retailers in addition to the usually-provided authorized retailers.

While the authorized retailer warning isn't necessarily included on their other brands' websites, a Vitec Group representative I spoke with clarified the policy. I was told that the authorized retailer requirement for warranty claims / technical support applies to all the Vitec Group brands, including:

• Avenger
• Bowens
• FeiyuTech
• Gitzo
• Gossen
• Joby
• Lastolite
• Lowepro
• Manfrotto
• Metz
• National Geographic

So, if you want warranty protection, make sure you only purchase from authorized retailers.

Vitec Group US Authorized Retailers: B&H | Adorama | Amazon US (3rd party sales excluded)