The non-existent 2 year warranty

<p>Hi, just thought I would let you know my experience of trying to use the 2 year warranty. The staff in the camera shop (and the sticker on the box) said you must register in order to have 2 year warranty. So I registered my camera promptly and had an on-screen message saying it was successfully registered. I now have a problem with the flash and the camera was sent away. Today I have received a letter saying I have no warranty. I spoke to Nikon head office and I was told that although I registered the product I didn't tick a box somewhere that said I want a 2 year warranty so they said it is not valid. So I have proof of purchase and a registered product but they wriggle out of honouring it because of a technicality. It is blindingly obvious that I wanted a 2 year warranty and they know I have registered on their website but they are adamant that I am not entitled. I am very unhappy and cannot afford to pay for a repair.<br>

I have a Coolpix S550 and the flash does not go off. Does anyone know what the problem might be and how I fix it? All the settings are fine as they checked it in the camera shop before sending it away.</p>

<p>In the US, I dont think they can actually 'enforce' the 'you must register in order to have a valid warranty'. You get a warranty by virtue of new item purchase.</p>

<p>I would write a letter to the President of Nikon, CEO, COO:</p>

<p>Michio Kariya<br>

Fuji Bldg., 2-3, Marunouchi 3-chome,<br>

Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo<br>

100-8331, Japan</p>

<p>Melody, the OP, seems to be posting from England, so I assume we are talking about Nikon UK/Europe.</p>

<p>I am not familiar with Nikon's policy and consumer protection regulations over there, but if you are supposed to get a two-year warranty, they are going to have a hard time to prove that the problem is somehow you didn't click on a checkbox. The important thing is to get the name of the person that you talked to and make it clear that you are going to write a letter to the head of Nikon Europe to complain about this incident. Regardless of whose fault it might be, it is always not good for an employee when a company receives a ltter of complaint with a specific employee's name on it.</p>

<p>Hi Melody,<br>

What country are you in? I have had exactly the same issue with my D700 in the UK. I registered it as requested on the box but because I allegedly ticked a box that said something to the effect of not wanting to be approached by third parties the people who extend the warranty, it turns out a third party and not Nikon, never approached me so all I had was a one year warranty. Nikon tell me that if I want to put this right now I need to be prepared for a fight. Amoeba-brained crooks.<br>

One technique that has never failed me when I can be bothered to use it is to write a polite but firm letter to the CEO of Nikon wherever you are and cc it to the CEO of Nikon in Japan (and actually send it too). If worded well I would be surprised if that didn't get you a fair hearing. If my D700 fails (again) now that I am into my second year of non-warranty I would resort to that if Nikon UK remain obstinate.</p>

<p>It seems Robert and I think alike...</p>

<p>Check out page 7 on the following pdf which relates to warranty periods in the European Union :<br>

http://ec.europa.eu/publications/booklets/move/64/en.pdf</p>

<p>.</p>

<p>The Nikon UK warranty is for 12 months..... But they offer an extended 24 month warranty if you apply for it within 28 days after your purchase.</p>

 

<blockquote>

<p ><a href="../photodb/user?user_id=4014128">Howard M</a> <a href="../member-status-icons"><img title="Frequent poster" src="http://static.photo.net/v3graphics/member-status-icons/3rolls.gif" alt="" title="Frequent poster" /> </a> , Jan 15, 2010; 09:39 a.m.</p>

 

<p>In the US, I dont think they can actually 'enforce' the 'you must register in order to have a valid warranty'. You get a warranty by virtue of new item purchase.</p>

 

 

</blockquote>

<p>I have heard this as well.</p>

<p>Melody,</p>

<p>If you purchased the camera with a major credit card, the credit card company may sometimes extent your warranty for one year. Check the terms of your credit card contract agreement if you used a credit card to purchase your Nikon.</p>

<p>In the EU all products are warrantied for manufacturing defects for at least 2 years from original purchase. In some countries it is 3 years. It doesn't matter one bit what the manufacturer claims or if you ticked a box or not. Talk to your lawyer.</p>

<p >I am surprised. I live in England and about two and a half years ago I bought a D200 which I registered with Nikon specifically for the two year warranty. The camera developed an intermittent fault with focussing, I had forgotten about the two year warranty until shortly before it expired. I contacted Nikon and there was some issue with registration, but they helped me and put me in touch with the company who run the warranty scheme. I forget their name, but they too were helpful.</p>

<p >I returned the camera to Nikon for repair and it was returned quickly, certainly in less than two weeks.</p>

<p >Your my experience is very different from mine. If you live in England Melody, you might consider contacting Trading Standards. I am sure it cannot be lawful if you are not advised that by ticking or not ticking a box that does not appear related to the extended warranty you will lose the promised warranty.</p>

<p >I have tried to log on to the Nikon site but it is undergoing some upgrade and I cannot get on. I suppose somewhere terms and conditions will be mentioned. But I do think Trading Standards might be able to help you and they will certainly be able to advise you on the law.</p>

<p >I bought a new camera at Christmas and registered for the two year warranty. I do not remember the tick box mentioned, but I am certain if there was one I would not have agreed to being contacted by a third party. </p>

<p >I am really surprised, Nikon are a leading company and not a used car dealer, something seems wrong compared to the excellent service I have had from them.</p>

<p > </p>

<p >I hope you get the problem sorted.</p>

<p > </p>

<p >Chris</p>

<p>I have been able to log on to the Nikon website and looked at the conditions for the extended warranty and the instructions say:</p>

<ol>

<li>

 

<p>Select 'Subscriptions' from the options on the left of the screen. Ensure that <strong>'Free 2nd year warranty'</strong> is selected, Nikon will not be able to register you for the 2 year warranty if you do not tick this option.</p>

 

</li>

</ol>

<p>Once you have registered your camera and selected <strong>'Free 2nd year warranty'</strong> you will be correctly registered for the 2 year warranty offer. Your warranty pack will be sent to your registered address within 28 days. If you require further help or assistance after you have registered please contact us on 0800 408 5060. <br>

I do not recall this step when I registered, I will speak to Nikon on Monday to check that I am covered. In my own case I am still within the 30 days and I suspect I can delete the registration and register it again making sure I select the extended warranty.</p>

<p>>In the EU all products are warrantied for manufacturing defects for at least 2 years from original purchase.<br>

This is a common misconception, and is not true.<br>

In the EU you have two years to notify the manufacturer of a defect that existed at time of purchase. This is a statute of limitations, NOT a warranty.</p>

<blockquote>

<p>In the EU you have two years to notify the manufacturer of a defect that existed at time of purchase. This is a statute of limitations, NOT a warranty.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>No, very wrong. There is a proper 2 year warranty in the whole EU (except UK).</p>

<p>If there's a defect, you are supposed to tell the dealer (not manufacturer) immediately and cease using the product. If you don't do that and that defect gets bigger, the warranty for that particular defect is lost.</p>

<p>If there's a defect in the first 6 months after purchase, this is looked at as a manufacturing defect and you're entitled for a return or exchange of the product.</p>

<p>If there's doubt whether a defect is caused by the user, in the first year the burden of evidence is on the dealer, in the other year it's responsibility of the buyer.</p>

<p>In short, if you're from UK, buy from EU outside UK.</p>

<p>From the pdf that malcom provided the link to:</p>

<blockquote>

<p>The fact is that a two year guarantee applies for the sale of<br /> all consumer goods <strong>everywhere</strong> in the EU (Directive 1999/44/EC).</p>

</blockquote>

<p>That includes the UK. Some countries require you to report a defect within 2 months of discovering the defect.<br>

In the UK establishing eu directive 1999/44/ec as a national law happened in 2003.</p>

 

<p>If ANY supplier refused to honor my warranty, I go right to the top of the chain (C.E.O.). If that fails, sue the living hell out of them!<br>

I always give them a chance to do the right thing first, however if that doesn't work, the gloves come off.</p>

<p>There's an enormous lot of inaccurate rubbish about UK warranties and the law in this thread.<br /> See this Government website for an accurate summary:<br /> <a href="http://www.berr.gov.uk/whatwedo/consumers/fact-sheets/page38311.html">http://www.berr.gov.uk/whatwedo/consumers/fact-sheets/page38311.html</a></p>

<p>As you will all know, it's up to each member state how to enshrine EU directives in national law. The UK's response to Directive 1999/44/EC is summarized here:<br>

<a href="http://secola.org/db/2_12/gb_noteslong.pdf">http://secola.org/db/2_12/gb_noteslong.pdf</a></p>

 

<p>Hi everyone<br>

Thanks for the wonderful responses. I am in England. The normal warranty offered is one year and the 2 year offer is subject to registering on Nikon's website. When I did this is was not clear that you had to specifically select the 2 year offer. I think they may have made it clearer more recently. I opted out of marketing and third party offers and the Nikon man I spoke to said that was why I didn't get the 2 year warranty! I told him that most people opt out so they don't get flooded with email messages but he was very stubborn and unfriendly and really didn't care that I had tried to register. I have the UK head office address to complain to and will follow up all the other suggestions. I agree that 1 year is probably not enforceable and that perhaps trading standards etc can help. The consumer law here does state that items should have a reasonable life. I'll follow it up with the dealer. By the way I dealt with Jessops who were helpful but said they have had numerous similar problems with Nikon warranties and that they are incredibly stubborn. I was expecting a goodwill gesture from Nikon but got nothing. So far.</p>

<p>Do follow up with the dealer. Tell them that you consider that since the flash hasn't even lasted eighteen months (or however long) you hold that the item they sold you was insufficiently durable and they are therefore in material breach of the implied conditions of their contract with you under the Sale of Goods Act. You therefore require them to remedy the situation to your satisfaction, and without delay.</p>

<p>Be clear that your complaint is not that the goods were faulty at the point of sale (which you would have to prove, given the time that has elapsed) but instead that a reasonable person would expect a camera to work to specification for longer than eighteen months, and yours clearly hasn't, and that is proof of the lack of durability of the item they sold you. (I believe if push came to shove - which it is very unlikely to - you could convince a district judge of this view in a small claims action.)</p>

<p>You may well have to bypass some flannel from ignorant sales staff about how it's not their problem; it very much is but you might have to make a bit of a fuss to get them to see it your way.</p>