As you may know, products sold by unauthorized distributors are often referred to as “gray market” products. The phrase “gray market” refers to the trade of a product through distribution channels that are unofficial, unauthorized, or unintended by the original manufacturer. Although it is not necessarily unlawful to purchase, sell, or distribute gray market products, an unauthorized distributor is not trained nor certified by us and cannot provide the support you may need.
Gray market distributors will often source Bender products that were originally manufactured in Germany and are sold in a foreign country afterwards. The product is then brought into your country through various channels, sometimes changing hands numerous times. By purchasing your Bender products from a gray market dealer, we cannot guarantee that you will receive genuine Bender products that were handled and stored in optimal conditions to meet your specific requirements and to ensure the well-known Bender quality made in Germany.
By purchasing from an authorized Bender distributor, you are guaranteed that your purchase will be protected by the manufacturer's warranty and that you get the local support provided by the Bender distributor in your country and there will not be any linguistic barriers.
Why is this important? Before you purchase from an unauthorized third-party reseller claiming, "lower prices", you should also consider the following:
- All authorized Bender distributors are qualified to use, install, commission and even troubleshoot our equipment. Usually fast troubleshooting is no problem, e.g. if an installer made wrong parameter settings or no settings at all were made by the installer. They are your first level support, locally – in your country, and in your time zone.
- All authorized Bender distributors have to go through intensive trainings and seminars in order to qualify as a Bender distributor. Their knowledge is updated regularly, as learning never stops. That kind of advanced seminars / trainings our distributors have to participate in are not available for wholesalers, middlemen or end-users.
- The advanced knowledge of an authorized Bender distributors allows them to consult you from the design phase until the project has been done, giving you the most suitable solution for your project. They have in-depth practical knowledge from different kind of projects and can rely on the shared experiences of the complete Bender network.
- In some projects you may need documents like Certificates of Origin issued by the Chamber of Commerce, which are only provided by Bender for purchases via authorized distributors. An unauthorized dealer/reseller cannot offer/or provide such documentation.
Placing orders via an authorized Bender distributor ensures that you will receive latest state-of-the-art devices that come ex-works out of our factory.
Why is this important? If electronic products are stored on the shelf for a long period, their characteristics, performance, calibration, battery lifespan, etc. would be affected, even if the products are not used.
Software or firmware versions could have changed, and therefore may not be compatible with the most current version or new features and improvements may be missing.
Unauthorized distributors are not able to supply such products out of the factory.
Also, statements of third parties, that claim longer delivery times if you buy from authorized dealers - as we have seen lately during Corona Crisis - are just not true.
Our authorized distributors can give you an answer about lead times, delivery times for your country. They can tell you how long your order may need. All they need to know, is articles, volume, requested mode of transportation (important for e.g. transformers) and expected order date. Last but not least, they supply you with products out of the factory.
Bender’s authorized distributors high level of service continues after you have made your purchase, and they can assist you with consulting, commissioning, the shipment, exchange or repair services.
Before you purchase from an unauthorized third-party reseller claiming, "lower prices", you should also consider the following:
- Some unauthorized resellers sell Bender products with the serial numbers altered, or entirely removed so that the manufacturers cannot track how they obtained these units. This voids the warranty.
- Some unauthorized dealers sell "gray goods" or "parallel import" versions of the products. These are similar versions that were not intended for distribution in your country as these products may have different characteristics, firmware, or software installed.
- Some of these products can have different voltages, different parameters, different accessories, or instruction manuals.
- Some resellers will sell refurbished products without informing you of this. Please be aware of these potential pitfalls and buy from an authorized dealer.
- Buying from another country is easy to do, but getting stuff repaired under warranty or even without warranty across borders can constitute a blocking factor. It is, therefore, guaranteed to receive the highest quality, authentic Bender products and the support that you expect only by purchasing products through our authorized distributors. Quite simply, you want professional consulting, warranty or repairs to your equipment without fear of problems, buy within your country’s border and make sure the distributor is authorized before you buy.
What is an “Unauthorized” Dealer?
An unauthorized dealer does not have official rights to sell a Bender product, or merchandise.
Also known as gray market dealers, unauthorized retailers generally try to obtain genuine products overseas and bring it back to their homeland for sale.
However, their merchandise can be acquired from questionable sources including damaged, defective, used, or stolen goods, or even being pirated products that do not offer the functionality of a genuine Bender device.
What is an “Authorized” Distributor?
On the contrary, an authorized distributor has a contractual relationship with Bender. Simply put, authorized distributors are granted official rights to sell Bender products in their assigned sales area.
Our authorized distributors for each area can always be verified on the Bender homepage.
https://www.bender-apac.com/contact/bender-worldwide
Bender has been serving our customers since 1946. We will be here after you have made your purchase, while many others will be a memory. When you buy from us, you do so with peace of mind.