Warning Regarding Sofirn Products Warranty!

[NT2C]

Recently I had a problem with a Sofirn SC31 Pro that I bought from a shop on AliExpress.  When I tried to get it fixed or replaced under Sofirn's Warranty they refused.  The warranty (see the link) says within the first 30 days you should contact the place you bought it from for replacement, after that, Sofirn's one-year warranty applies... except it doesn't.  They absolutely refuse to honor their warranty on any item unless it is purchased directly from their website (and you need to provide a copy of the order) or from their official store on AliExpress (and no other store, anywhere), furthermore, the two are run by different teams and will not honor the warranty on a product sold by the other.  What's printed on the box, in the instructions, and on their website is not what it seems to be.

This is the most recent email exchange I've had with Sofirn Customer Support from their website:

Hello,

If you purchased the product from our website, please tell the person who received the gift along with the screenshot of the order or the order number when giving it away. If the order is purchased on the official website of sofirn, we will carry out after-sales as long as we have the order number.
Because we are the customer service of the official website of sofirn, orders from other websites are not our responsibility.
Different sites have different people in charge.
Thank you for your understanding.

Regards

B.W. Behling <redacted email address> 于2023年4月21日周五 07:11写道：

    So, what you are saying to me then is that unless I buy it directly from Sofirn, the warranty on your products is void.  What if I give it as a gift to someone, or as a prize in a contest?  Does it have no warranty then?  In the past few months I have purchased hundreds of dollars worth of Sofirn products to use as prizes in contests on my website.  Some were purchased direct from the Sofirn site, some were purchased from Sofirn on AliExpress, and some were purchased from other sellers and places.  I now feel like I have been cheated and that Sofirn products are not worth buying because Sofirn does not stand by its warranty. 

<snip> 

Thank you for making this clear so that I may pass along correct information to my readers.

    B.W. Behling

    On 4/9/2023 22:20, Sofirnlight wrote:
>     Hello,
>
>     Please check whether the store you purchased from is the official store of AliExpress, because the staff of AliExpress replied that you did not buy it from the official store.
>     Please buy on the official website next time to get better service. (emphasis mine)
>     Thanks for your understanding.
>     Regards
>
>     B.W. Behling <redacted email address> 于2023年4月9日周日 04:13写道：
>
>         Yes, I understand that Sofirn and AliExpress are two different companies.  Sofirn is the manufacturer, AliExpress is a website with individual sellers.  It does not matter where I purchased the light from, Sofirn is still the manufacturer and still the company that offers the warranty on their products.  I am requesting that you stand by your warranty and repair or replace this defective light.
>
>         On 4/4/2023 01:39, Sofirnlight wrote:
>>         Hello,
>>
>>         But we and AliExpress belong to different companies, and the person in charge is different. So we can't provide you with after-sales.
>>         Sorry for the inconvenience.
>>
>>         Regards
>>
>>         B.W. Behling <redacted email address> 于2023年4月4日周二 12:13写道：
>>
>>             As I stated, I have tried getting this issue addressed on AliExpress but without success.  I keep getting sent to an AI system that has no options for this kind of defect.  I've reached a dead-end there.  It was my understanding that after 30 days from purchase I could contact Sofirn directly for warranty service.  Is this not correct?

I think that at this point I am done being a Sofirn customer and I plan to spread this information far and wide so that others will be warned.

[Moab]

What is it that you bought? 

[NT2C]

What is it that you bought?

One of these.

[majorhavoc]

That's a shame. Sofrin seemed like the smart shopper's budget alternative to the better known, more expensive brands. 

Unless you buy it directly from Sofrin, their warranty doesn't appear worth the paper it's printed on.

[Z.O.R.G.]

Thanks for the warning, I'll take them off my whish list.

[12_Gauge_Chimp]

Thanks for the warning, I'll take them off my whish list.

Looks like I'm sticking with Streamlight and Olight then.

Sofirn just sounds like a massive pain in the ass to deal with.