Warranty warning for Minolta Scan Elite 5400 owners/buyers

My Minolta SE 5400 film-scanner died after 10 1/2 months. I tested

the power-supply which was dead and it put-out no power. I didn't

(and still don't) know if the PS was the source of the problem or

damaged by an internal problem with the 5400. I sent the unit and PS

to Konica Minolta in New Jersey for warranty service. Today the 5400

was returned from Konica Minolta DOA. The invoice stated that the

unit tested fine, but the power-supply is bad (I already knew this)

according to several post-it notes stuck to the supply and

paperwork. Minolta put the unit and PS back in the box and as far as

they are concerned I'm on my own and need to buy a new power-supply

as it is considered an accessory and only covered by a 90-day

warranty!

 

The 5400 does not operate without a power-supply, just as your

computer won't work without one, nor will you car operate without the

engine. The alleged one-year warranty on the 5400 is really a 90-day

warranty according to Konica Minolta, whom I called today and raised

hell about this issue. The customer-service supervisor who handled

my complaint said she'd forward my request to a service-manager that

the power-supply be covered under the one-year warranty, but their

policy is that it is an accessory and covered only for 90-days. I

said that an optional AC-adapter is an accessory, but since the 5400

does not operate on batteries how can the power-supply be an

accessory and not a vital component of the 5400 system? Of course

the CS supervisor can't answer that question.

 

I said I'll order a power-supply from you right now, and then dispute

the credit-card transaction and we'll see who's right. I asked to be

transferred to parts and the CS super said they have no parts

department for telephone orders. She said you can order online or

from a dealer. Well, what if I don't have a computer. She said I

could use an internet-cafe! I said not with my credit-card, but

maybe yours so it could be keystroke-recorded by spyware. I called a

dealer just to get a time-frame on ordering a PS and they said 30-60

days, which means I be dead for that time plus the six-weeks it's

already been dead, out the shipping to Minolta for no service, and

the cost of a PS. I won't even know that the unit isn't the problem

until I can get a power-supply.

 

Konica Minolta's one-year warranty is deceptive, and if you own one

or are thinking of buying one, consider your warranty as 90-days as

they state that is their current policy on the PS. The scanner

itself does what it should, but not if it gets no power. I would not

have bought it if the warranty stated the power-supply is only

covered for 90-days, and I'm recommending that others don't until

Konica Minolta accepts that the power-supply is part of the system

and not an accessory. Unless they do this I will take them to small-

claims court here in California for a full refund.

 

Jay J. Hector

You're absolutely right that the PSU should be covered under the 1-year warranty. But why would you work yourself up into a lather over something that you can buy at Radio Shack for 10 or 20 bucks? Just the time you took to write your complaint on Photo.net would have gotten you there & back.

 

I have a feeling you were a real crank on the phone with them and that's why they didn't just put a new one out the door via FEDEX for you at no charge in order to keep you happy as a customer. I deal with service reps all the time (though not this specific company) and they always bend over backwards to get me up & running. Sometimes, yes, they are stupid...you just bite your tongue and keep cool and be nice. They have the power to solve your problem right now and I find they usually do.

 

Really; you're getting all upset over nothing. It's a great scanner and $20 solves your problem. Do it ASAP so you can make sure it was indeed the PSU and not the scanner itself causing the problem. Why waste your energy organizing a boycott or lynch mob?...people will just think you're nutty.

 

Mike.

Companies like Minolta get away with shoddy service exactely because people accept such service. While spending an additional $20 for a power supply doesn't seem like a big deal continuing to buy products from companies that treat customers like dirt is exactely why companies continue to behave in such a manner. There are alternatives to buying Minolta products and if enough people refuse to do buisness with companies that refuse to provide appropriate customer service then eventually other companies might learn that you simply can't treat customers poorly. Accepting such treatment is the same as giving companies the right to misrepresent their products and service.

If you want to speak a language they understand buy a Nikon 5000 and ship a letter along with your receipts and the wall wart direct to upper management and see if that doesn't get them apologizing.

Exactely my point.

The power-supply for the 5400 is not a common PS and costs 40-50 USD depending where you get it. It is not for sale on the Konica Minolta store as the CS rep stated. 24v@.84amp units aren't lying around at Radio Shack and you'd void your warranty by using a non-Minolta PS too. It is not stated in the warranty as being considered an accessory, nor did the CS reps state there was a different warranty for the power-supply and the sales info on the 5400 does not state that either.

Although it sounds simple enough to get a PS anywhere, this PS likely has a voltage stabilizer for cleane power.

 

It seems that perhaps the best way to make MInolta steaming mad is if everyone sends a email letting them know this is sufficient cause for not considering their scanners in the future. That excuse is rediculous, I won't buy anything from them knowing this is their attitude. Perhaps then they will wake up. Shees, here is a big company making trouble over a small part, yet I have a high end computer that is going in for the 8th time in 4 mths, and this small dealer told me they are going to build me a brand new machine from scratch. I use to trust larger companies to not mess with service, I guess the times are changing, we should once more trust the little guy.

I posted this earlier, but for some reason it doesn't show now.

 

I received a call today from a service manager at Konica Minolta saying they will expedite a replacement power-supply to me right away. He apologized for the problem. If you suffer a similar problem and are told that the PS is only covered for 90-days, be sure to bring me up as establishing a precedent. It's possible they will now change their established policy of considering the PS as an accessory. I believe the slide-holder breaking in the first year should be covered under the one-year warranty also, as the unit is useless without it too (if you scan slides), not that I've had a problem with it. It pays to complain and assert your rights as a consumer, as the cost isn't the issue, but rather the value of a warranty in the first place. I hope that this is the actual cause of the dead 5400, and not just a symptom, but I won't know until I get the PS. I have been happy with the results from the 5400, and if I wanted a Nikon I would have bought one in the first place. Thanks for the comments.