As published in Emirates 24/7...



Samsung has removed free international warranty on television sets imported from the UAE and a few other countries in an effort to protect dealers there against bulk and parallel imports.



According to latest available information, Indian retailers have been told that henceforth warranties will not be applicable in India on any of the imported sets.



Apart from the UAE, Thailand and Singapore have also been included in the list of destinations from where television sets will not have warranties in India.



A Samsung official told Emirates 24|7 during a recent exhibition that there has been intense pressure on Samsung by retailers in India.



There has been constant moaning by them with regards to cheap imports from Dubai, he said.



The latest communication from Samsung India to retailers states that this measure will be the first in a series of measures to protect Indian traders.



As you know, India receives a lot of parallel imports of panel televisions from countries such as Thailand, Singapore and Dubai etc. As a first step in addressing this problem, we are pleased to announce that India has been removed from International Warranty Policy for Samsung Panel Televisions. Hence, standard one year free warranty with free installation support will no longer be applicable in India for any Samsung Television imported from Thailand, Singapore or Dubai. This policy has already come into effect and we wanted to inform you of the same.



Retailers in India have been complaining not just about Samsung but all major TV brands as imports from the UAE and other countries offer major price discounts compared to retail prices in India.



Customers from India usually flock to Dubai during the Dubai Shopping Festival and Gitex specifically to shop for electronic goods and mainly television sets.



On some occasions, buyers have managed to purchase a TV at almost Dh1,000 to Dh1,500 cheaper than what it is priced across retail stores in India.



It is still not clear if the Indian retail lobby will succeed in convincing other brands to follow suit.



Samsung also in its memo said that the issue is faced by all major TV brands and it affects customer perception as well as channel confidence in the brand.



We are taking many other steps as well to address the problem of parallel imports and will inform you of the same as and when they are finalised, the communication added