Free Maintenance Service Initiative

<p>Nikon just sent me a message saying that my relatively early D800 (with a 3007xxx serial number) had been "selected" for Nikon's "Free Maintenance Service Initiative."</p>

<blockquote>

<p>What will this Free Maintenance Service include? This Free Maintenance Service will include the free inspection of your camera and its operation by a Nikon trained technician and if Nikon’s trained technician identifies any service necessary or desirable to perform on your Nikon D800 camera, we will perform that service free of charge to you (excluding normal warranty exclusions such as misuse, abuse, alteration, negligence or accident). We will also clean and return your Nikon D800 camera at no charge to you.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Has anyone else received one of these? If so, what's your serial number? Cynical me wonders whether this might be a repair campaign in lieu of a recall, or maybe just that they want to bring earlier D800s up to speed on engineering changes for some reliability-related reason. Any thoughts? (Or, better yet, does anyone know what motivated this?)<br>

Unfortunately for me, I'm no longer living in the U.S., so it's a little inconvenient to take advantage of this before the deadline. However, I'm seriously considering it.</p>

<p>I too rec'd this today. I've an early D800 (3009xxx). Was Google searching to make sure it was legit when I found this thread.<br>

<br />My guess is that because there are fewer existing warrantied owners (vs. all owners - open-ended recall) out there, it makes some sense to reach out. Maybe the recent Honda airbag recall mandate got them off their duffs?</p>

<p>Wish they would do that on the D4.</p>

<p>I'd call Nikon USA to confirm at least before I sent it anywhere!</p>

<p>I agree it sounds a little unusual, but why be cynical? I am sure Nikon is doing this for a reason, but why not just accept this gesture at face value? As long as I can deal with the turn around time, I like sending my cameras to Nikon for a tune up now and then.</p>

Not cynical, but cautious. Anyone can say they are Nikon and ask you to send your expensive camera to some adress somewhere, possibly never to be seen or heard of ever after.

<p>Q.C., it's legit from all indications.<br>

but...</p>

<p>Why are they really doing this? I agree with Thom Hogan on this. What's behind it?</p>

<p>I received the message today, as well, for my early production D800. I'm a little annoyed (with myself) because, for the first time in the three plus years I've owned it, I just paid to have the sensor cleaned 2 days ago. It sounds like sensor cleaning would have been done for free.<br>

I do have black specks inside the viewfinder which I'd love to have removed for free. I wonder if Nikon would do that for me. If so, I'll definitely take them up on this offer. </p>

<p>Auto dealers run these "free" service frequently. They'll inspect your car for free, and if they find something wrong, they will recommend a (usually expensive) repair. Of course, not every car that goes through this free service will end up having an expensive repair. However, it is not surprising that they target some higher-end, somewhat older body but not something very old. Very few people would spend money to fix a D1 by now, or even a D300. They are simply dirt cheap in the used market. A D800 is something that maybe still worth fixing. The D810 is, of course, too new. Pretty much all of them are still under warranty.</p>

<p>The objective is simple: make money from repairs.</p>

<p>I have a very early D800E (had to wait two months for it back in June 2012), but I haven't received any such e-mail.</p>

<p>I don't think that's it, since it seems to be targeted at a narrow S/N range of two specific models. Also, Nikon has not done this in the past.</p>

<p>Mark, my D800E has an early serial number 3002nnn and yet I haven't received any such notification. Of course Nikon is only going to target a small group, by invitation only. Otherwise, they could have easily been flooded by lots of free repairs. This is not like auto repair where you make an appointment in advance and bring your car over at a scheduled time slot. If this suddenly becomes a long 6-week wait to get this free inspection completed, it will be yet another PR nightmare for Nikon.</p>

<p>Essentially, if Nikon needed to recall some cameras, they would have done so by serial number, as they did last week for the D750: <a href="/nikon-camera-forum/00dNjy">Nikon D750 Service Advisory July 9</a>. When Nikon asks people to send their D800 in for free inspection, they have no control of which camera gets sent. Moreover, if there were still some remaining D800 issues, it would have been all of the internet by now.</p>

<p>My recommendation has always been: If it ain't broke, don't fix it. That was why I totally ignored the first D750 recall. If your D800 is still working perfectly, I wouldn't let someone take it apart. If it has some issues and you get the invitation, take advantage of it. However, I would wait a bit to see how long the turn-around time is. If all of a sudden you are out of your camera for a month or two, the wait could be very frustrating.</p>

<p>I just received the exact same notice today on my early (2 yrs ago) D7100. So, it's not just FX cameras. I have a big project next week, so will wait until that is over before I decide whether to take them up on it (probably will.) <br>

Duane 'ac5aa'</p>

Does free inspection and service include repairs? Other manufacturers have offered 'up-to-spec' services too, which were no more than a clean and adjust to factory specifications/tolerances. If anything was found needing repair (or for which a 'repair advice' - "i would have that get fixed if i were you" - was deemed to be in order), you had to pay. It is a marketing thing that, though offering a welcome service for customers, also generates paid work for the repair centres.

<p>My email was addressed to me and stated the SN of my D7100. Here is part of the text of the note:<br>

"What will this Free Maintenance Service include? This Free Maintenance Service will include the free inspection of your camera and its operation by a Nikon trained technician and if Nikon’s trained technician identifies any service necessary or desirable to perform on your Nikon D7100 camera, we will perform that service free of charge to you (excluding normal warranty exclusions such as misuse, abuse, alteration, negligence or accident). We will also clean and return your Nikon D7100 camera at no charge to you."<br>

At the risk of seeming naive, what's not to like about this? They state turnaround time is 5-6 work days.<br>

Duane 'ac5aa'</p>

<p>Duane - I think I would be inclined to send <em>my</em> camera to Nikon, <em>if</em> I received such an email. However, Shun's point is well taken: if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Sending a camera to Nikon is a little bit of a hassle and sometimes can take longer than anticipated. I think it is unlikely anything bad would happen to your camera, though. However, if your camera is clean and fully operational then maybe it isn't worth it. I like the idea of a "tune up" even if there is no specific problem, so I would take advantage of Nikon's offer.</p>

<p>I drive a fairly old year 2000 Honda Accord. For most of my repair work, I take it to an independent repair shop. They are not cheap, but they never ask me to make unnecessary repairs, as it has always been the case since a friend recommended them to me over 10 years ago. The problem is that they are only open Monday thru Friday.</p>

<p>For oil changes, my Honda dealer sometimes offers those $30 specials, and I take my car there on Saturdays. After the repair, the dealer usually recommends some other $200, $300 repairs. I tell them no thank you. And the next time I take my car to the other shop, they tell me the repair is unnecessary.</p>

 

<blockquote>

<p>At the risk of seeming naive, what's not to like about this? They state turnaround time is 5-6 work days.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>So I would turn it around and ask: what do you have to gain?</p>

<p>If your D800 or D7100 is in perfect condition, at best you get it back still in perfect condition. However, there is always some risk in round-trip shipping. There is a tiny chance that your camera will be lost. What if it is damaged during shipping and Nikon tells you that it now needs to be repaired. Who is going to pay for that?</p>

<p>And there is always a small chance that the Nikon technician screws up your camera ....</p>

<p>Of course, the risk that something goes wrong is small, but if it ain't broke, don't fix it. However, if your camera has some small things that can take advantage of some maintenance, I would take advantage of it.</p>

<p>Now, if Nikon find a list of items to fix and the bill will be $500, are you going to approve repair?</p>

<p>I don't think you're thinking hard enough about why this approach might be better than a recall in the case of one or more known defects in early versions of a particular camera model. A recall amounts to admitting fault, which may have legal implications. A recall requires that they treat everyone the same with respect to fixing problems, and probably has a higher response rate. Doing this, they can spread repairs out over a period of time and decide to issue a recall later. Also, it may well be that they suspect there's a recall-level problem with the cameras in question, but they're not sure, and wish to use a program like this to collect information about them.<br>

<br /> I think that keeping an eye, over the next couple of months, on reports from people who do take them up on this offer will probably yield useful information about what they're doing. If, as Shun suggests, they are simply using it to drum up repair business, then we should hear people reporting that they're being asked to pay for repairs after sending in their cameras. My prediction would be that they return many cameras with significant part replacements for free.</p>

<p>Edit: One motivation for this may simply be to collect data on the performance of cameras that didn't have certain engineering changes. Even that seems more likely to me, given Nikon's history of not using repairs as a profit center, than scaring up repair business.</p>

<p>I think it is quite simple. Nikon is trying to improve their reputation regarding service quality and by offering free inspection and maintenance they hope customers will be happy (and be more confident in buying new Nikon equipment).</p>

<p>I suspect a lot of customers don't send their cameras in regularly for service unless they notice an obvious problem, but a DSLR does contain moving parts and sometimes its operation can be improved by maintenance on a regular basis (which Nikon does recommend). In some cases there are improved calibration procedures for the AF (D800), and/or parts replacements that Nikon puts in place when the customer has the camera serviced or cleaned (this was the case with the D7000). By issuing this kind of a suggestion for users to send their cameras in for free service they can fix the remaining cameras which may be improved by some newer components even though the user hasn't been active in this regard. Also, as suggested above, they can monitor how much wear there is in the cameras and what kind of durability issues may have arisen.</p>

<p>A recall of all cameras is a drastic measure and impractical because in that case most will send their cameras in for service at the same time, overloading the service centers. By making this kind of an initiative Nikon can carry this kind of improvement / maintenance work at a time when they are not being overloaded by some other mass repair.</p>

 

<p>I'm not saying there's any risk anywhere in this.<br /><br />I am saying that I suspect that there is some kind of "secret recall" or some such that Nikon is trying to pull off with this. Or some kind of "test market" thing.<br /><br />Wouldn't it be better to say WHY they want to fix your perfectly good camera?</p>

<p>Peter, a DSLR is a bit like a car, it should be regularly checked and serviced even when seems to the user to be running fine. There are moving parts which are subject to wear and may be misaligned over time. This wear depends on how the camera is used over a period of time. Without having a look at the individual camera (or car), how could they know what is (may be) wrong with it? It's an offer to check and perhaps improve the camera if they find something that can be improved/adjusted. One thing that is nice about having service center take a look is that the camera usually comes out much cleaner than it was and the sensor stays clean for a longer time instead of when I clean it there are quickly a few new spots coming up after a short while (I guess they use a vacuum which might explain the difference). Generally speaking I've had excellent experiences with Nikon (authorized) service in my country, while I understand that in some places people have had less good experiences so I can understand that if you've had bad experiences you might be reluctant to use that same facility again if it is not something mandatory. Personally I'd happily take the offer.</p>

<p>Ikka,<br /><br />But they are singling out a very small number, and very specific. There are others they are ignoring.</p>

<p>You gotta wonder why?</p>

<p>I think they need to phase the invitations so that not every camera is sent into service at the same time. If there are (say) one million D800's and they sent an invitation to all those customers, how exactly would they be able to service those cameras quickly? Recruit 50000 new people and train them as service techs? It's not realistic. They need to work with the personnel they already have and this means any major invitations to service should be made in such a manner that the load of the service centres is evenly distributed over the course of the year.</p>

<blockquote>

<p>But they are singling out a very small number, and very specific. There are others they are ignoring.<br /> You gotta wonder why?</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Peter, I am afraid that you have been reading too much from rumor sites and Thom Hogan, etc.</p>

<p>Nikon is selecting a small group for a simple reason: repair capacity. When you offer something for free, people tend to take up the offer. As Duane wrote earlier, "what's not to like about this [offer]?" If you open the flood gate to everybody, you will be overwhelmed and would be very costly.</p>

<p>Nikon has a long history of recalling products. There are mostly two categories:</p>

<ol>

<li>Hazards: Unlike automobiles that can crash and kill people, for Nikon, the highest risk is battery overheating during recharging. The highly unlikely scenario is that the battery gets very hot and starts a fire. Once you have a fire, it can burn down a house and kills some people. While that is extremely unlikely, Nikon's liability could be huge. That is why Nikon has had several battery recalls: EN-EL3 and EN-EL15: <a dir="ltr" href="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.photo.net/nikon-camera-forum/00aJHo&sa=U&ved=0CAYQFjABahUKEwjgq4CU09rGAhUJo4gKHQfsAO4&client=internal-uds-cse&usg=AFQjCNG5jmWeRKsxBUYBA4Vwh5GQL0k6GQ" target="_top" data-ctorig="http://www.photo.net/nikon-camera-forum/00aJHo" data-cturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.photo.net/nikon-camera-forum/00aJHo&sa=U&ved=0CAYQFjABahUKEwjgq4CU09rGAhUJo4gKHQfsAO4&client=internal-uds-cse&usg=AFQjCNG5jmWeRKsxBUYBA4Vwh5GQL0k6GQ"><strong>EN-EL15</strong> Rechargeable Li-ion <strong>Battery</strong> Service Advisory</a></li>

<li>Some serious problems that would really affect Nikon's reputation. We found out that essentially all early D5000 were recalled. Since that is a consumer-grade DSLR sold in much larger numbers, the scale of that recall was huge: http://www.photo.net/nikon-camera-forum/00U1LR</li>

</ol>

<p>Otherwise, Nikon would issue a service advisory and tell people that if your unit has problems, send it back for free repair. That was their initial approach to the D600 oil issue, which eventually became a huge deal. The problem is that whether a particular camera is "affected" is often not very clear cut, leading to a lot of confusion. Since then, Nikon has been more forthcoming about recalls and they have gone to the other extreme. IMO, the D750 recall is really unnecessary.</p>

<p>Unfortunately, some rumor sites like to sensationalize such events. For example, they described that the D750 having some "silent recall" back in January, while in fact Nikon issued a service advisory with a serial number checker. For those D750 affected, Nikon provided a free shipping label for repair. It was anything but "silent."</p>

<p>For the current "Free Maintenance Service Initiative," we now know that it covers at least two different models: D800/D800E and D7100</p>

<ol>

<li>So somehow you believe that both the D800 and D7100 have some "secret" problems Nikon needs to fix.</li>

<li>This initiative is only from Nikon USA. Therefore D800 and D7100 sold in Europe, Asia, South America ... are not affected?? That cannot be the case.</li>

<li>This problem is so serious that Nikon has to fix it preemptively, but for those who choose to ignore this initiative or their D800/D7100 have changed hands so that Nikon USA no longer has info on the current owner, such "serious problem" will suddenly show up after 2, 3 years and hurts Nikon's reputation.</li>

</ol>

<p>The fact of the matter is that if the problem is so serious that Nikon needs to repair/replace something preemptively, it will have to be an outright recall. They cannot possible do it silently (such that people may ignore the initiative) and cannot do that in only one country.</p>

<p>Besides potentially generating some profit from paid repairs, maybe Nikon USA is studying how their cameras fare after 2, 3 years. Note that both the D800 and D7100 were introduced 2, 3 years ago but both have been superseded by newer models: D810 and D7200, respectively.</p>

<p>P.S. Besides an early D800E, my D7100 is also a fairly early model. However, I still have not received any such initiative from Nikon for either one.</p>

<p> </p>

<blockquote>

<p>maybe Nikon USA is studying how their cameras fare after 2, 3 years. Note that both the D800 and D7100 were introduced 2, 3 years ago but both have been superseded by newer models: D810 and D7200, respectively.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>On reflection, I think this is the most realistic guess about what's going on with this.</p>

<p>Just saw this post on DPReview: http://www.dpreview.com/forums/post/56142203<br>

It looks like at least one person received such an initiative for his old D700 also. So clearly it is not specific for the D800.</p>