Nikon USA in Southern California Is Moving

On Saturday I sent my 3-month-old SB-800 flash back to Nikon for

service. According to FedEx's tracking record, there is an "incorrect

address exception" on my package. Well, it turns out that they are

moving and will be at their new location tomorrow, July 19.

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Their new address is:

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<I>

841 Apollo Street, Suite 100

<BR>

El Segundo, CA 90245-4721

</I>

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The old Hamilton Avenue in Torrance address is no good any more.

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I called FedEx, and they told me that they have the new address on file and will automatically forward any packages.

From the Nikon USA web site:

 

In Nikon's continued efforts to supply quality service and support to our dealers and consumers, we are moving our Western Regional Service Facility to a new state-of-the-art location just minutes from the Los Angeles Airport in the heart of the city.

 

Effective July 20, 2005, our new address will be:

 

841 Apollo Street, Suite 100

El Segundo, CA 90245-4721

This new facility will house our repair facility for both instrument and photo service groups. Additionally, our consumer relations department and service relations department will be assisting our customers from this new location.

 

Please note that this change will be in effect starting July 20, 2005. We look forward to servicing our customers from this new location.

 

Please note the following changes to our phone and fax numbers:

 

 

New Phone 310-414-8107

New Fax 310-335-9242

 

Our toll-free numbers will remain the same:

 

1-800-NIKONUS (for technical support)

1-800-NIKONSV (for service support)

Their new building is about the same distance from my house here in So. Cal. as the old place on Hamilton.

 

Considering a nagging problem I had with an F4s a few years ago (they replaced it for free with a brand new one), I'm glad I can still see someone face to face when I occasionally need service.

 

Do you suppose they might lower their prices a little, as their new building is "State Of The Art"? ;-)

 

Joe McDonald

I was wondering why my D2H was checked in last Monday at the old address and I had not heard anything (ecept from the FedEx tracker). I was driving home from the office tonight and thought with all the D70's they are selling, and with what has to be a significantly higher incidence of SLR failure with digital versus film, that they must be out of control with warranty work. I had, since 1974, a Nikon FTn, an F2, a F4 and F5's and this is the first Nikon SLR body I have had in for service.

The last time I sent anything to Nikon for repair was back in 1999. At that time I was living in New Jersey (near New York City on the East Coast) and that was sent to their Melville, Long Island repair center. With my kind of luck, somehow I managed to send them something for repair for the first time in 6 years and they are moving this week.

 

Some people have to be paying for this new "state of the art" facility and unfortunately it is those of us who use it. But hopefully this means Nikon USA is doing well. However, I wouldn't be surprised if repairs may take a little longer while they move and settling into the new building.

Wow. That is walking distance from my home, I live in edge of Hawthorne which is the next town. In fact, when I moved here, I used to work in 840 Apollo St.

 

 

BTW El Segundo location is much "upscale" than Torrance. Either they are splurging the profits they are making by selling truckloads of D70's or positioning themselves like a "upscale boutique manufacturer", like Lieca:-)

I got back my D2H today, only eight calendar days after it arrived. That was quick!

Just got the FedEx charge to my account. Although they told me over the phone that the package would be forwarded without any additional cost, there is now an extra $10 on my bill. I called them up and that is indeed for forwarding. So please make sure that you use the new address.

To wrap up this thread, I got my SB-800 back from Nikon yesterday (August 4). The whole thing took about 2.5 weeks, including the wrong address forwarding. I tested the flash on my DSRLs and it seems to be ok now. According to Nikon's receipt, they replaced the flash tube, FPC (whatever that is) and osciallation circuit. (I live in Northern California so that shipping takes two days to Southern California each way.)

i was wondering since they're close to me now, if i were to talk in there with my camera and warranty and told them it needed to be serviced would they service it with my warranty or do i need to go through the site? just curious

<p>Abigail and anyone who happens to read this thread: update Nov. 2009.<p>

I frequently visit the El Segundo Service facility.<p>

I see how they take in repair orders from others, including warranty repairs.<p>

If you bring into their service facility your Nikon product, and it is a Nikon USA product, either marked on those that carried such markings, or its serial number is consistent with 'official imports' through Nikon USA, they will honor your warranty from the USA only, whereas a USA warranty will be honored throughout the world at Nikon repair facilities. This assures a sort of monopoly for 'official imports' as service for those that are 'gray market' (unofficial imports, or unsanctioned imports) will not be serviced per Nikon USA policy. (Again, however, your USA warranty will be honored in other countries providing you have necessary documentation.<p>

What I have observed is that they typically ask to see the warranty, but it appears a sales receipt or a copy of the sales receipt is enough so long as it sufficiently identifies the item for which warranty repairs are being sought.<p>

The counter people there are busy and do not tend the counter full time, all the time, but appear to have other duties that are outside the display/counter area/waiting area, which is quite large.<p>

But the door to the front is quite noisy and although you will NOT hear a bell or anything when you enter, it is almost certain someone 'in charge' knows you are in the counter area waiting. (I have observed many people wondering if they were known to be waiting, because there's no buzzer, no obvious sounds when you enter beyond the noisy door opening then closing HARD. Be assured with rare exceptions, they do know you are there.<p>

Many people may (person) the counter, but there are two women who do it mainly at my last visit and over the several years I have been visiting regularly.<p>

If treated well, they can be VERY helpful. Do not assume they are 'mere clerks' as they know their products extremely well and generally can pick up just about any Nikon product and figure out where to attack it to figure out what might be wrong and how to analyze it and categorize it for repair, warranty or not.<p>

These people can be extremely helpful to you, and they are professionals; some may assume they are not so highly skilled because they (person) the counter, but they are. On the same hand, they are not techs, and only in the rarest circumstances will you ever have an opportunity to talk directly to a tech . . . . as they are constantly busy and that's why they have such good reception/counter personnel with high technical skills, but without specific knowledge of how to disassemble each and every camera, etc.<p>

They are often aware of 'issues' and are quite knowing in how to tackle problems, and sometimes take them into the back area to discuss them with techs. For instance, if your camera has faulty readouts relating to something that involves a lens, you may be asked if the problem is replicable with all lenses or not, or if a specific lens, they may ask to take that lens in also to see how to replicate the problem, especially if intermittent.<p>

These people are good, intelligent problem solvers, and if not 'techs' themselves, they are a good gateway to the techs -- I rely on them with complex problems and if a problem gets way too complex, I may find a tech coming out to explain or explore a problem (or issue) with me, and just as often or more, the tech will explain it to the counter person who is almost always quite capable of explaining it to the customer.<p>

You can appear directly at the address on Apollo Street and get service. You need proof of purchase, which can be a sales receipt.<p>

One note: Nikon USA sells its lenses with a 5-year 'sort of warranty' but specifically it's not a warranty for the remaining four years, (or so they say, though a court may differ).<p>

The first year on an official new import is one year parts and labor for defects, and for lenses there then (from memory) is something called a 'service contract' or some such, which to my law school and former lawyer's mind is just another way of saying 'warranty' but in a way the corporate accountant does not have to enter a debit on the balance sheet, then 'amortize it'. If the additional four years is only in the USA (an issue to explore) that may also be a reasons for not calling the remaining four years a 'warranty' - though if it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, quacks like a duck . . . . well you get the idea and so do most judges in California, but that should never be an issue as almost all problems brought in get resolved quite amicably.<p>

So, there is in my mind an unresolved issue of whether or not that additional four years will be honored in Nikon repair facilities in foreign countries, so be sure to read your entire 'warranty' with lenses and look at it carefully. You may or may not be covered for four years after the initial one-year WARRANTY PERIOD, when you are abroad for your Nikon lens (again, official imported USA lens only).<p>

My recollection of California law from when I last practiced (and intermittent reviews) was that in California specifically for California residents, you do not have to present the warranty so long as you can show proof of purchase, the Nikon product identified in the proof of purchase, and request repairs. <p>

California has a special warranty law in that regard, and my experience in the El Segundo facility seem to show that they take a 'common sense' approach to whether an item is 'in warranty' or not, provided you can show you are an initial purchaser (or a warranty card, if you are a gift recipient, I would presume).<p>

At one time Nikon warranty cards were blank, and did not identify the product; you could fill in any product, and the cards were sometimes traded or sold with cameras and buyers would 'fake' being the real purchaser. But if you show a sales receipt for a non-authorized retailer, you may be denied service . . . . rightly or wrongly . . . I won't offer an opinion.<p>

Nowadays (at least for currently produced Nikon items that I have seen) there are warranty cards that identify the product and serial number. <p>

(Since Nikon - and retailers - sell cameras that were manufactured sometimes a long time ago, and the same with lenses - some of which have been produced for ten years or longer without change, your box may come with an old-style warranty, even though you bought the item new a few weeks earlier. Just be prepared for the issue of 'proof of purchase' to come up, especially with a product that was produced a long time ago, even if the same product is produced identically today, especially if the serial number reveals an 'old' product. For instance, you bought a lens that was either sitting in a Nikon warehouse for several years, or was in the retailer's inventory for a long time, and thus had an older serial number, even though identical to a product being produced from the factory(ies) today.<p>

There are several lenses (especially primes) that fit that description. I also understand the F6 film camera has ceased production (but cannot state that for certain) and Nikon is filling all orders with cameras produced some time ago . . . . .<p>

The people in El Segundo are reasonable and helpful. <p>

I have seen people yell at them, or do other maneuvers in order to try to bludgeon them into fixing something for which they have no responsibility, but that is a form of abuse, and no one who really wants good service should engage in such tactics. <p>

For one thing, that is their home, and you will be remembered, though not treated badly . . . . if you throw a fit there (like anywhere) you could hardly be expected to be greeted with effusive warmth if you return after making outrageous demands or yelling (as the rare person does).<p>

I know these people cannot say these things, and I am only just another customer, but sometimes I will wait a long time and let other customers go ahead of me, so I get the personal service I seek, in an unhurried environment, and at the same time make room for those with busier schedules, so I have had an opportunity to observe these things much more than the average bear.<p>

A word for the wise; there is some 'discretion' to handle repairs for a short period after the 'warranty' officially expires, and although it may be company policy, if your item dies on the last day of warranty, it does not hurt to give Nikon USA a call to let them know, so there won't be a future 'time' issue.<p>

This is important to me, as I am often overseas, and a warranty may expire while I'm there, but not before my camera or lens needs a warranty repair . . . and I'll be returning after expiry (on paper) of the warranty. A notification to them of your products failure during the warranty period and its delivery soon (within a month after warranty expiration) often will result in its being handled on a no charge basis (if actually defect-related).<p>

These counter personnel are also skilled in spotting damage, so if you have not noticed that your kid dropped your lens, but it malfunctions, they may show you how and also how they know. If there is broken glass over the 'range indicator' showing number of feet to focus, they will ask for certain how that glass got broken and often presume it's from being mishandled.<p>

Sometimes that may void a warranty, but in other cases, it may be unrelated to the issue at hand. Even if some item has damage, in my view, that damage may be irrelevant to the 'warranty' issue you are bringing the camera in for.<p>

Repairs prices are figured in 'classes' or 'ranges' depending on extent of damage and product if you are asked to pay, so you will not be asked to pay a specific amount for parts and labor, but instead a 'flat fee' - almost always in advance if you authorize a non-warranty repair and occasionally not so if they have to analyze the item first. I think that's at their discretion. They will not, however, fix something then ask you to pay when you pick it up, under any known circumstances.<p>

I do not know of the procedures of the New York office, so I won't presume to write anything at all. Also warranty law there is certain to be different.<p>

Because California' warranty law applies (I recall) specifically to California residents seeking repair, if you bought your item out of state, or are a non-California resident, the CA facility may have the right to apply more stringent request for documentation for you and your product for which you are seeking repair, so be aware there is a legal difference - and I have not specifically inquired about it, nor do I have access to 'official policy'<p>

I hope these remarks help anyone who seeks repair at Nikon El Segundo repair facility; they have always given me friendly, personal service, and I have absolutely no complaints. Many pros drop by and they tell me when we speak of similar good treatment. But it is sometimes very rushed, so if you do not get your hand held, that is expectable, especially during very busy times.<p>

I doubt that others have such specific knowledge, at least on this forum, so I am providing it in the hopes of helping maintain their quality service by fostering good relations between customers and staff.<p>

Again, I am a private, amateur photographer who has no relationship with Nikon of any sort except as a steady customer who occasionally needs repair work.<p>

John (Crosley)</p>

<p>It looks like Nikon in Los Angeles is moving again: <a href="00ay51">http://www.photo.net/nikon-camera-forum/00ay51</a></p>