Dead on Arrival – and their customer service policy to match
Ordered a Yongnuo YN968N II directly from Yongnuo's German website. The flash arrived completely dead: AF assist not working, new batteries shown as empty or at ¼ capacity, unit shuts down after two test flashes. A textbook Dead on Arrival.
But let's start at the beginning. The build quality alone should have been a warning sign. The plastic feels cheap, and the integrated bounce card – a white pull-out panel on the reflector – sits in the unit like an afterthought. Flimsy, ill-fitting, and about as confidence-inspiring as the electronics turned out to be.
Yongnuo agreed to a refund – how generous – but only if I ship the defective unit back to China at my own expense. We're talking €30–50 in shipping costs for a product that was never functional to begin with. For reference: Yongnuo has a distribution partner based in Cologne. Apparently, European logistics exist – just not for the benefit of European customers.
Here's the irony: Yongnuo operates a German-language website actively targeting German consumers, yet somehow expects those same consumers to bear the costs of returning a defective product. Under German and EU consumer law, that's not how it works. A defective item is the seller's problem, not the buyer's.
In the end, PayPal stepped in where Yongnuo fell short. Refund received – no thanks to the seller.
If you're considering buying Yongnuo directly: don't. Buy from a local retailer with a functioning return policy. The price difference isn't worth the risk of becoming an unpaid beta tester for their quality control.






