Digital Camera Help--Who has best in store warranty?

[BrendaK]

I'm going to be buying a new digital camera soon (the Canon s2 as soon as it's released) My question is, is there a Best place to purchase something like a camera? I'm of course going to shop around for the best price but bearing that they're all pretty similar, is there any place that offers the best in store warranty etc?

Canon.ca told me that Walmart was my local Canon dealer so I'm thinking they might be a good place to get it (theyre local at least and I live in a small place so I don't have the big retailers close to me) Otherwise I'll probably have to order online from somebody.

I've also heard that Costco has an Excellent return policy, so if anything went wrong with it warranty wise they might be a good place buy from (My sister lives close to one but I don't even know if they order stuff in that they don't have in stock so that may not even be an option).

Any opinions on where to buy?

[rookie]

Could you not order online from Futureshop and have it delivered? They will likely have this on sale if you keep a close eye on their website.

[BrendaK]

I probably won't wait for it to go on sale. Since it's a brand new camera, just released, I think the sales could take a while and I really want the camera as soon as possible. What I'm really looking for is if some company has great warranties--ie: if the camera were to be defective in any way they would take it back and replace it instead of waiting for Canon to replace it (which I've heard could take a while)

I was told that Costco has a great in-store warranty--if anything goes wrong for the first year they just replace it for you. I was wondering if anybody could confirm this or tell me of any other retailers with similar policies.

[DISH]

Future Shop + the extended warranty

[BrendaK]

Thanks, I will definately check that out. Walmart has NO extended warranty so I'll definately be ordering online somewhere. Is futureshop the only place you know that offers the extended warranty or do any other online co's?

[Hugh Jass]

A lot of credit cards give you an extra years warranty on top of the manufacturers.

[rvs007]

You could also check out Henrys. They have a 14-day no hassle return policy and a 30-day exchange policy. They also offer extended warranty in addition to the manufacturer's standard warranty. And frankly, the salespeople at Henrys are much more knowledgeable than the salespeople at Futureshop.

They also offer trade-ins of old equipment.

[biznatch]

I'll tell you that Best Buy has one of the worst warranties I have ever seen. Getting anything from them is like pulling fingernails - and usually requires the device to be sent away a minimum of 4 times before replacement. Best Buy owns FutureShop now, so who knows what that means - but I stay away from them, regardless.

I wish Costco carried the SD300/400/500 because I would buy from them in a heartbeat - their exchange policy is very good. Costco doesn't seem to get Canon's brand new lines very quickly though.

A friend of mine swears by Staple's extended warranty. I'm not positive of the details and want to read through his before I buy from them

[BrendaK]

Hmm, OK--thanks for the advice on BB! Henry's was one of the places I was considering buying from online so I'll definately look into that more.

I had no idea that Staples offered an extended warranty and that's one of the few places that is here locally. If they Do have a good warranty then that would probably be better than ordering online somewhere. I'm going to go ask them about it in the next few days. Thanks!

[rvs007]

If you're thinking of buying from Henrys and can easily get to any of their retail stores, I suggest going into the stores to buy it. You can often negotiate a better deal when you shop in person (and if you're grabbing accessories with your new camera). Also, you can work up a good relationship with the salesperson, which may help you get a better discount later when you go back for service, upgrades and accessories in the future.

[BrendaK]

I live in the middle of nowhere so I'm probably about 4 hours away from Most bigger retailers. The only stores we have locally are Staples, Walmart, and some smaller (expensive) camera stores.

Henry's online seems to be pretty good though--They've already agreed to lower their price to a competitors and throw in shipping which I thought was not too bad considering the camera hasn't even been released yet. (Canon S2)

Since the camera isn't even available till May 17th I was thinking of waiting till Staples gets it in and see what their price is but if Henry's has a good rep for customer service then I think I might just go ahead and pre-order there.

[ck1]

Costco has best return policy I have ever seen. If you have receipt and even if you don't it can become defective YEARS after purchase and they will refund money. They have a database that htey can look up your purchases and will do it if no receipt ... just gotta find the right staff member. I took back something awhile ago that was about 6 years old and the nicely gave me my money back. Satisfaction guaranteed ... that's worth the price of membership for me.