That's a good point.
The general rule is that it's better to buy from an authorized dealer.
The exception is where the retailer already has an established reputation for good after-sales service, then it doesn't matter whether he is authorized or not, or whether the unit is gray or not.
The rationale behind buying an authorized unit is to get an assurance that a warranty will be honored. But if a retailer already has a reputation for excellent after-sales service, then what advantage can buying an authorized unit give us?
Take the case of sir duncanfranchise, who bought a Nokia phone from an authorized retailer at the Podium. When the buyer discovered a defect less than 24 hours after purchase, he requested a replacement unit from the retailer. Nokia Philippines, citing its "no return for any defective unit" policy, refused to replace the phone, but was willing to repair it.
Eventually, the retailer replaced the phone with a new unit at his own expense. But Nokia Philippines adamantly refused to replace it, despite numerous email complaints from the customer to Nokia Phil. and the DTI (Dept. of Trade and Industry).
http://pinoydvd.com/board/index.php?topic=65450.0Compare that with spyderman. Just call and he will replace the unit, no questions asked.
Testimonials:
but for me, Vic still offers a great service, aftersales service that is. Nagkaproblema ang pv70 ko, isang text lang, walang tanong tanong, ang sagot lang nya " let me know kung kailan mo gustong palitan yung tv". 
yeah nangyari rin sakin nagka problem pv70 ko isang tawag lang palit agad.... ang tanong lang kung kelan mo gusto palintan....
meron bang ganyan sa iba?
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its really hard to communicate with big chain stores for warranty issues .. conversations would usually start with, "sir, baka naman nabagsak nyo?" wtf 
Hindi na uso yan, sir. Eto ang bago ngayon ----
"Sir baka naman nag-calibrate kayo..."
