5D Mark II service problems, can I just sell it?

<p>Hi everyone. After talking to a couple pro photographers on the net, and then asking Canon if they would just replace the camera(it's going to an engineer to be 'evaluated') I have decided to jump ship and sell all the Canon equipment. When the camera comes back, what do you think would be a fair asking price for the body(all the lenses are fine), with also disclosing that it had been in for service? I was thinking $1500, but that might be a pipe dream at this point. I could also use suggestions for where to sell the lenses, and they and the body are still under warranty(the 85 1.8 was a refurbished item, so it's not).<br>

David</p>

 

<p>BTW for those who missed my previous posts, this is the 4th time Canon is getting the camera, since March.<br>

David</p>

<p>If your camera is going back to Canon for the 4th time, I would ask to talk to a manager in their repair department and demand a replacement camera. It also costs Canon a lot of money to keep fixing this lemon so that it is cheaper for them to just replace it.</p>

<p>While the 5D II does not have the best AF system, a lot of people have used the 5D and 5D II and get good results while using them within the limits (those are not sports cameras, e.g.). You'll run into some lemons regardless of which camera brand you use. I don't think jumping to another brand is the answer unless you have some compelling reason, e.g. the other brand makes a body or lens that Canon doesn't have but you really need.</p>

<p>BTW, who in the right mind is going to spend money and buy your lemon (problem) anyway? Ask Canon to replace it instead of repair is the right approach after 3, 4 repair attempts.</p>

<p>I would phone and insist on a replacement.<br>

4th time - your joking!</p>

 

<p>Seriously, you want 1500 for a body that doesn't work? While I feel your pain, you can't simply resell this thing while disclosing it has been "serviced" when the fact of the matter is that the body has been serviced four times without the problem being resolved. If you are willing to disclose that the body is broken and Canon cannot/will not fix it, feel free to sell it for whatever price someone is willing to give you. If you are not willing to disclose this fact, keep it as a paperweight or whatever. </p>

<p>I suspect that someone will be willing to pay a pretty penny for a limited body... but please be honest in your disclosure. It sucks that this has happened to you, but that doesn't give you the right to just pass the problem onto someone else. </p>

<p>I said that I would be disclosing what is going on with the camera, so don't assume please. I did demand a new camera, several times, and they said no, no,and no the 3 times I asked. And that was a question about the price, not that I was going to do that. This is why Posting here can be a problem sometimes.<br>

David</p>

 

<p>David, again, it is very closly for Canon (or Nikon, Sony ... whoever) to keep fixing that same camera. I wouldn't be surprised that it costs them at least a couple hundred dollars in terms of labor, processing, and shipping every time your camera goes back.</p>

<p>I have only read one side of this story and am assuming that there is some real problem that Canon isn't able to fix.</p>

<p>When they realize that you aren't just going to go away, their approach will change. Also always get the name of the person you talk to. Record the name and date of each conversation and the dates the camera goes back. Let them know that you are going to write to the president of Canon (Canon USA?) to complain and provide all those details. As long as you have a real case, Canon will have to deliver. There are plenty of happy 5D II users out there, so I am sure they can give you a working replacement.</p>

<p>P.S. A lot of you know I moderate the Nikon Forum here and have been using Nikon for over 3 decades. While I don't have such problems myself, occasionally people have similar complaints about Nikon repairs. Even Toyota and Honda make some lemons once in a while. Passing the problem to someone else (even with discount and disclosure) and/or switch brands isn't really the answer.</p>

<p>Thanks Shun, good advice. Like I said these are just questions, and I am not going to burn anyone with this camera. So, thanks.<br>

David</p>

 

<p>David,<br>

what is wrong with it?</p>

<p>The focus is really weird and really wrong. I have 1 big and 1 small post here with pics to explain the whole thing. Seems that Canon has issues with some of their cameras with the AF, that's why you see some of the posts you do here. Then again, some of the cameras are fine. If Canon just listened to people I think a lot of this could be mitigated but they like to blame the user a lot. Anyway, that's just my opinion.<br>

David</p>

 

<p>BTW, I consider this thread done, as it has accomplished only half of the question I had asked, and a whole lot of animosity because of assumptions that were incorrect.<br>

David</p>

 

<p>David,<br />I understand your frustration, I bought a Canon MKII in late Dec 2008 and the shutter failed in less then 24 hours, it was an intermittent issue so I had a very hard time returning it to Frys electronics where I bought it from, the sales person was uneducated and was claiming camera was incompatible with my lenses, yet I did not sell all my Canon gear.<br>

<br />I will give it a final shot, if the issue was not resolved to your satisfaction then do whatever you feel is best. In that case I would not sell the MKII on eBay. Contact your credit card company and explain the issue, some credit cards will honor defective merchandise policy in which case they will refund you the money you paid but you have to send them the "defective" merchandise, I would also follow up with BBB. I had a similar issue with a product that was defective and manufacturer failed to repair/replace it, I filed a complaint with California BBB, after 3-4 months I was contacted by the company's manager and was given a full refund! You will lose a lot trying to sell a defective body on eBay.<br>

<br />FYI, I switched to Nikon for some of my work since late 2008, Nikon is not without quality control issues either.</p>

<p>David, I am not sure what country you are in (I assume the USA) but I think you can demand a replacement or you money back under consumer protection legislation. You will find that the Magnuson Moss Warranty Act (Federal lemon Law) should cover you here. In addition many States have a State Law that will also cover you. In essense in most developed countries a product that has undergone four warrenty repairs in the first few months of it's life will be deemed to be unfit for sale. Simply the threat of legislation at the right level in a company should be enough to get a refund or your money back. Have you tried contacting the president of Canon USA. The only issue you may have is if the "fault" you have found is not actually a product fault but is a user issue.</p>

<p>David, I'm sorry to have offended you... there are so many dishonest people out there it is hard to know who is virtuous and who is not. Having been burned before, I am a bit suspicious and unfairly took it out on you. However, I would like to point out that as for your equipment being under warranty, unless you have one of those third-party warranties (which may or may not be transferable) the Canon warranty expires the instant you sell your camera (or lens). From your post, you seem to believe that the warranty is transferable. </p>

<p>All that being said, you might easily find someone willing to take on a 5Dii with a broken AF system. Someone who is interested strictly in video may take it off your hands for you.</p>

<p>To be fair, David, you <em>said</em> :</p>

 

<blockquote>

<p> also disclosing that it had been in for service?</p>

 

</blockquote>

<p>Which isn't at all the same as "it's been in for several unsuccessful services and is still on the fritz..."</p>

<p>I read what Craig read, and thought the same thing. It wasn't based on a poor assumption, it was based on your own words.</p>

<p>Here's the basics of Magnuson-Moss Warranty act......</p>

 

<p>The Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act is a Federal Law that protects the buyer of any product which costs more than $25 and comes with an express written warranty. This law applies to any product that you buy that does not perform as it should.</p>

<p>Your car is a major investment, rationalized by the peace of mind that flows from its expected dependability and safety. Accordingly, you are entitled to expect an automobile properly constructed and regulated to provide reasonably safe, trouble-free, and dependable transportation – regardless of the exact make and model you bought. Unfortunately, sometimes these principles do not hold true and defects arise in automobiles. Although one defect is not actionable, repeated defects are as there exists a generally accepted rule that unsuccessful repair efforts render the warrantor liable. Simply put, there comes a time when “enough is enough” – when after having to take your car into the shop for repairs an inordinate number of times and experiencing all of the attendant inconvenience, you are entitled to say, ‘That’s all,’ and revoke, notwithstanding the seller’s repeated good faith efforts to fix the car. The rationale behind these basic principles is clear: once your faith in the vehicle is shaken, the vehicle loses its real value to you and becomes an instrument whose integrity is impaired and whose operation is fraught with apprehension. The question thus becomes when is “enough”?</p>

<p>As you know, enough is never enough from your warrantor’s point of view and you should simply continue to have your defective vehicle repaired – time and time again. However, you are not required to allow a warrantor to tinker with your vehicle indefinitely in the hope that it may eventually be fixed. Rather, you are entitled to expect your vehicle to be repaired within a reasonable opportunity. To this end, both the federal Moss Warranty Act, and the various state “lemon laws,” require repairs to your vehicle be performed within a reasonable opportunity.</p>

<p>Under the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, a warrantor should perform adequate repairs in at least two, and possibly three, attempts to correct a particular defect. Further, the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act’s reasonableness requirement applies to your vehicle as a whole rather than to each individual defect that arises. Although most of the Lemon Laws vary from state to state, each individual law usually require a warrantor to cure a specific defect within four to five attempts or the automobile as a whole within thirty days. If the warrantor fails to meet this obligation, most of the lemon laws provide for a full refund or new replacement vehicle. Further, this reasonable number of attempts/reasonable opportunity standard, whether it be that of the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act or that of the Lemon Laws, is akin to strict liability – once this threshold has been met, the continued existence of a defect is irrelevant and you are still entitled to relief.</p>

<p>One of the most important parts of the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act is its fee shifting provision. This provision provides that you may recover the attorney fees incurred in the prosecution of your case if you are successful – independent of how much you actually win. That rational behind this fee shifting provision is to twofold: (1) to ensure you will be able to vindicate your rights without having to expend large sums on attorney's fees and (2) because automobile manufacturers are able to write off all expenses of defense as a legitimate business expense, whereas you, the average consumer, obviously does not have that kind of economic staying power. Most of the Lemon Laws contain similar fee shifting provisions.</p>

<p>You may also derive additional warranty rights from the Uniform Commercial Code; however, the Code does not allow you in most states to recover your attorney fees and is also not as consumer friendly as the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act or the various state lemon laws.</p>

 

<p>Instead of guessing a price, just put it on eBay with your description of the problem. I'm sure there are many people who would live with that limitation for a price. Some may be technologically inclined or some may be able to live with limited AF (I think that was the problem.) They'll bid their price, so you don't have to guess. <br>

I'll bet you get more than you'd guess. You seem very thorough & honest, so people will value the in-depth description to know what to bid.</p>

<p>Hey David,<br>

Could you start out low on Ebay - $1,000 or so, and list out exactly the issues you've had with the camera? Put a reserve price on the camera so you can pull it if it isn't going for what you were hoping. It's been a long time since I've sold on Ebay, so I could be totally wrong in this, but I didn't think you had to pay anything unless it sells? I think that would give you a really good idea of what people will pay for it. I know there are a lot of camera geniuses out there that would probably snatch the thing up and be able to repair it themselves.</p>

<p>Please don't assume and use quotes to prove someone meant something they did not. I already stated that. And that is why I don't want to continue this thread, thought it seems to want to continue itself...<br>

David</p>

 

<p>And I did not know that about the warranty, thanks for telling me that.</p>

<p>One last thing, 'disclosure' by definition mean to disclose everything, and with me also stating that the price would be low, and that I did not expect to even get that, don't you think that means I did not intend to defraud? My point of this rant, is ASK what someones intent is if it seems fuzzy, don't assume, attack, and then justify it with quotes that do not show the entire context of the post. Now I am sure someone is going to counter this, and that is why I only post here every 6 months or so because I also get tired of that. And Craig, thanks for your second post, were only human. I just wish assumptions would not be taken to such extremes.</p>

<p>David you have been going on and on about this camera problem to the point of insanity I would like to see you scan and post the service information that canon sent to you for all of the 3 times that you have sent the this unit back for repair.That way we can all see just how you are being treated by canon service. Do this as soon as possible because we would all like to see it. It can only help you in your quest for a new camera or a refund so the sooner you do it the better.</p>

<p>Hi Mike. Since going on and on is a problem, I will no longer post here. Takes care of that.</p>

<p>Yet an other case of the exotic "unhappy Canon costumer flu" Im running now to take my shot and put al my gear on quarantine before the erratic AF attacks.</p>

<p>I think you have been through enough and agree with the "pro photographers" on the net you talked to that you should sell out immediately for your own peace of mind and go into another product. You have been through too much turmoil.<br>

As to price, considering the problems you have with this unit, I think I might go $1000 if you can deliver it with warranty, original packaging, all accessories, documentation, bill of sale, and all the correspondence and repair details and who you talked to at Canon.<br>

And since you no longer need the lenses, I might go half price on any "L" units still under warranty selling here or on E-Bay.</p>

<p> </p>