wjm@lcuxc.UUCP (B. Mitchell) (01/29/85)
<gulp>
Again, beware of "gray market" goods. These are items that are imported into
the US (or other Western countries) by other than the factory authorized
distributor. Therefore, they do NOT carry the factory warranty. They are
OK, provided you don't have any problems, but if they break, you're on you're
own. The authorized service centers (remember they are authorized by the
authorized distributor) MIGHT fix the unit (of course, you'll have to pay the
out of warranty service charge) and then again they might not - remember since
it is a gray market unit, they don't have to touch it.
Also, units that are not intended for sale in a particular country might not
meet the safety standards of that country - e.g. items not intended for sale
in the US might not have UL (or equivalent) approval, items not intended for
sale in Canada might not have CSA approval, etc. The use of such non-
approved devices MAY violate electrical codes in some cases (and get you into
trouble with your insurance company should they start a fire) - you should
check with your local electrical inspector to be on the safe side.
Admittedly, it is unlikely that a *reputable* manufacturer is going to market
two versions of a product, a safe version for North America, Europe, and Japan
and a less than safe version for the Third World, although it has been done
by less than reputable companies as a cost reduction measure.
Again, CAVEAT EMPTOR
Bill Mitchell ({ihnp4!}lcuxc!wjm)