What are your experiences with Canon's customer service and warranty repairs?

[epp_b]

<p>Nikon user in Canada here. I have just about HAD it with Nikon's lousy quality control and "service" (if you can even call it that). Their customer service seems to consist of people who are basically trained to say, "Is it broken? Is it under warranty? Send it in". Not even an attempt to troubleshoot the problem over the phone. When you do send something in, you also have to pay the $30 for courier shipment to the repair centre.</p>

<p>Anyway, I have had four equipment failures in just over a year:<br>

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br>

<strong>D40</strong> <br /> never failed<br>

<strong>18-55 I:</strong> <br /> never failed<br>

<strong>18-55 II:</strong> <br /> autofocus stopped functioning. I sent it in, it came back still broken. I sent it in again and they did repair it this time, but it has never worked optimally since then.<br>

<strong>55-200 VR </strong> (VR = IS)<br /> never failed<br>

<strong>35mm f/1.8 AF-S </strong> (AF-S = USM)<br /> autofocus stopped functioning about 3 months after I bought it. I sent it in for repair on July 13th and they still have it (and I have my doubts that they've even touched it yet).<br>

<strong>A battery<br /> </strong> A battery that I bought only a month ago has failed completely. Even though it's a genuine Nikon product with Nikon's shiny sticker on it, they refuse to service it because I bought it from a US eBay seller and not from one of their pals with merit badges. The rep even snidely remarked that I could have bought it out of the back of an unmarked van or from some guy in a basement. Real nice.<br>

<strong>SB-600</strong> (similar to 430EX)<br /> never failed<br>

<strong>A couple of old manual primes<br /> </strong> What could possibly fail?<br>

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p>

<p>Each time I've had to send something in for warrantied repairs, it has taken Nikon nearly a MONTH to actually do something about it (and sometimes, as you can see, they don't even fix the problem).</p>

<p>I'm so fed up with their quality control and crummy service that I'm seriously considering getting rid of my Nikon gear and starting a Canon setup when I can afford it, despite the expense involved in changing systems.</p>

<p>So, with that, my questions to the Canonites of P-net are:</p>

<ul>

<li>What is your equipment setup?</li>

<li>What has failed (if anything)?</li>

<li>How has Canon's customer service treated you?</li>

<li>How long have your warrantied repairs taken?</li>

</ul>

<p>Also, please do note whether you are dealing with Canon Canada, as that will be more applicable to my questions.</p>

[tdigi]

<p>I have a 40D/5D2. 24-105, 70-200, 28 1.8, 50 1.4, 100 2.8 and various flash units etc.</p>

<p>I have only had 1 piece of equipment fail and my experience was good. I had a flash unit repaired and it was fast, I think I got it back in about a week or so and now it works perfectly. </p>

<p> </p>

[russel_yee]

<p>hmm, well, I'm in california, so this probably isn't that useful to you, but I sent in my old xt twice for back focus and they fixed it both times the second time for free even after the warranty because it looked like the same problem. also the fixed my 24L focus issues. All three times service was promt and polite. Woohoo for irvine canon service.=)</p>

[JDMvW]

<p>My sole experience was with a Canon-approved service center, rather than with Canon per se. A Nikon>EOS adapter with focus-confirmation shorted out the battery into the electronic works of my 20D. I was getting ready to go out of the country, so needed a quick fix. I got it back very quickly and it seemed to work, but the second shutter actuation set off the err-99 message. That time, they got it back to me in three days and it has worked well after that.<br>

Other than that non-Canon-caused failure, none of my Canon equipment has ever needed service (I have 5 EOS film cameras and 4 EOS digital SLRs and a Powershot, a few of which are held by my daughter). I do think, however, that my AE-1 Program camera may need to have its "squeek" fixed, a known problem with that FD model. ;)<br>

So, is Canon service good? For me it's like that lonely Maytag repairman, I have no idea since the best kind of repair is not needing repairs.</p>

[anthony_zipple]

<p>I have had loads of Canon gear over the years and have never needed a warranty repair. My 2 or 3 out of warranty repars were handled promptly and efficiently. Never a problem,always fully satisfied.</p>

[joewoo]

All u have to do is make SURE you leave them an email... They won't call you.. My camera sat there for a full week before I called myself and asked what's goin on... They won't work on it till you paid.. Which is understandable...

[Member69643]

<p>I have had three warranty repairs with Canon. Two went absolutely smooth and resulted in the item being properly repaired. One resulted in the problem NOT being fixed and requiring a second trip, which then resulted in repair. All in all I am happy with Canon gear, but there is a big level of robustness difference between their pro and consumer offerings. I would not hesitate to buy "L" glass or DSLR bodies above the X" series again, but will not buy their printers nor consumer digicams again.</p>

[DickArnold]

<p>I had a Canon i9900 printer new about six months when it had issues. They sent me a new printer and I shipped to old printer back in the same box. I got it in less than five days. They were courteous and helpful and did not quibble. I have owned Canon since 1988 when I bought an EOS 650. I have owned a 70-200 2.8L for since 1997. I works and looks as new. I have had over eight bodies and I don't know how many lenses. I have never had to have anything repaired other than the printer. The replacement printer has been running without clogs or malfunctions for about four years. I currently own three <br />"L" lenses, three consumer lenses, a 5D and an Xti. I had Canon CPS but never used it. </p>

[richard_wang11]

<p>In the spring, after more than 300,000 actuations one of my 1D Mk IIN's shutters broke. Sent it to CPS.<br /> Came back in TWO days and cost $150</p>

[sjluke]

<p>After many thousands actuations, my well-used 20D shutter finally failed. Canon (Irvine, CA) fixed it in a couple weeks, and replaced the worn off, unreadable serial number plate, too, for no extra charge. The camera came back all clean like new. It was worth the $200 it cost.</p>

[sandy_labana]

<p>Hi: My camera was fixed by Canon that was under warranty in less than two weeks including shipping time. No charge of course. I would not have expected any more. Sandy</p>

[znabal]

<p>Yesterday I had the mirror fall off of my EOS 5D...the dreaded "Service Notice EOS 5D Main Mirror Detachment"<br>

http://www.usa.canon.com/consumer/controller?act=PgComSmModDisplayAct&fcategoryid=215&modelid=11933&keycode=2112&id=55659<br>

on the phone they have been nice, but I'll tell you how the rest of it goes after it is repaired and I get it back.. -jeffl</p>

[janet_forsythe]

<p>well evidently i am the only one with nightmare stories of canon repair. rebel xt and 28-135mm both under warranty, took 4 trips back and forth, never fixed the problem. i even sent in cd with photos of what it was doing, 6 months of nothing but hassles and unrepaired items returned. finally got customer resolution involved. they did eventually give me a new body and lens after i twisted their arms, the warranty by that time had just expired. <br>

the turn around time was good for all 4 times but then again since i had to send it back in again and again what good did a fast return do? that was 2 yrs ago.<br>

a few months ago dropped my out of warranty 70-200 f4 and the mount hit a rock and bent the flange. to <em>look at it</em> canon wanted $185. after they looked at it for the $185 they would send me an estimate of how much it would really cost to fix( tech support i talked to said it could be $300 or more). <em> if</em> i wanted them to fix it with the new estimated cost they would refund the $185 then charge the new cost. if i decided not to fix it i was out the $185.<br>

sent it to keh, they fixed it in 2 weeks total door to door and only charged me $145.<br>

my experience has all been with the NJ repair center. after doing research i have found it seems the California one is better or at least has less complaints. i also am sure some sexism is involved as it was a woman tech support who <em>finally</em> put me in touch with the resolution center in the first instance and male techs who i really think never even touched it after the first go round, just sent it back and said it was fine. they had never bothered to look at the cd<br>

today i talked to a canon Virginia tech center about the focus on my month old refurbed 40d. the tech was so intent on telling me the warranty was with someone else ( well duh, i had told him that originally) he never did answer my question about the diagonal cross focus points, the reason for my call.<br>

I had similar experience with a canon printer so i think it stinks across the board. nearly a carbon copy of the xt episode but lasting <strong>2 yrs</strong> total till they admitted the thing was defective when i took it out of the box <em>new</em> . to rectify it they sent me a <em>refurb</em> after i had paid for a new $400 printer that <strong>never worked and hassled with them for 2 yrs</strong> , a refurb was the best they could do? that printer episode nearly made me swear off canon when i was shopping for a dslr originally and i kind of wish i had followed my instincts there. canon products are good when they are working but imo the repair, at least in NJ, is the worst i have ever dealt with, bar none.<br>

<em>i </em> was thinking of changing to nikon after dealing with canon repair. you might rather stay where you are ;)</p>

[manuel barrera houston,]

<p>had to send equipment three times, quick turn around, very reasonable in costs.</p>

[epp_b]

<p>Well, it sounds like there's good and bad in both camps and I drew a short straw :(</p>

[mark_ethridge]

<p>The responses you're getting are about as I expected. Few people (outside of those that use their equipment heavily in their profession) will even have to have their cameras repaired. Of those that do, most will have a good experience. Then there will be a few who just happen to have a sequence of bad experiences that add up to a nightmare. It sounds like Janet had that problem with Canon and you had it with Nikon. There's also the chance that your past experiences affect your prediction for the future and so you set yourself up for a self fulfilling prophecy. </p>

<p>I have no experience with Nikon and I've been very happy with Canon (both my cameras and printers). But I suspect that your bad experience (and Janet's) was the exception and not the norm. I don't frequent the Nikon board, have you asked if anyone else is experiencing the same problems? If Nikon was really that bad and their quality control was slipping across the board, there probably wouldn't still be a ton of photographers using their equipment. Those that depend on Nikon to earn their living would have started jumping ship regardless of the Nikon name. That said, I don't know about their turnaround policy for repairs. That does seem kind of slow to me, but Janet's turnaround time sounds appalling.</p>

[epp_b]

<blockquote>

<p>There's also the chance that your past experiences affect your prediction for the future and so you set yourself up for a self fulfilling prophecy.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>I'm not quite sure how my past experiences could cause equipment failure... or, more likely, I misunderstood you ;)</p>

[roger_mullenhour]

<p>I just received my lens back from my first service request. I would classify it as exceptionally good. I called to explain the issue and make sure the camera was not needed also. I was transferred to a technican who verified my tests and said only the lens was required. I received a letter three days after the lens arrival in Irvine, Calif. To speed things up, I called and gave ok and credit card over the phone on a Monday. The lens was delivered Friday. This service was a class act and the lens is as good as it was new. They went through it completely and adjusted zooming tension and completely cleaned it. Price was $85 including parts.</p>

[JDMvW]

<p>Yes, and I'm sure Mark has put his finger on a key variable</p>

<blockquote>

<p>Few people (outside of those that use their equipment heavily in their profession) will even have to have their cameras repaired.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Although it hasn't affected her Canon cameras, I can see that my daughter in photography school for the last two years has been considerably harder on gear than I am. It does make the point that it's a good idea to get good stuff at the start.<br>

I retired just before the digital revolution got into full swing, but I can tell you that equipment room film cameras of all kinds in archaeology (digging in the dirt) needed regular service (the twin factors of the tragedy of the commons and the abrasive environment).</p>

[mark_ethridge]

<p>Epp, what I meant was that your experience with the repair process is heavily influenced by your expectations. After suffering past equipment failures and what you perceive to be unreasonably treatment by Nikon, it's unlikely at this point that Nikon could do anything to make you happy. I suppose they could sent their head tech by helicopter to your house to do onsite repair, but anything short of that is likely to leave you grumbling. That's to be expected because it is normal human behavior. After suffering so much strife, you become less tolerant of those who seem to be causing you strife. </p>

<p>As far as the equipment failures, I know those are real but it is likely just an unlucky coincidence that you've been struck with so many. I'm assuming that you take care of your equipment and use it mildy to moderately (as opposed to heavily in your job).</p>

<p>JDM, as stated above I'm assuming light to moderate use (not heavily used as a professional camera or as loaner equipment in a class) in good conditions (not in severe weather or "digging in the dirt"). I'm knocking on wood, but the only repair I've ever had to have was over twenty years ago when one of my Canon FD zooms locked up. I sent it to an authorized repair center here in Dallas (I was in Waco at the time) and got it back in about three weeks in perfect working condition. And at the time, I was heavily using my old Canon A-1 while working as a candid and portrait photographer for the local college photography business. My beloved A-1 did finally die as a result of a part failure, but that was after I used it for many years and I bought it used from a professional photographer! I can only assume it lived a very difficult life and when it finally gave out, it had been out of manufacture for over ten years. Perhaps I've just been lucky, but I think Canon makes a quality product. I think Nikon does, too and Epp has just been very unlucky.</p>

[paul_russell1]

<p>I've not had any of my stills gear malfunction, had a few problems with XL1 video camera stock lenses losing back focus after a while, and had a pool of mv600is all die with a faulty sensor, the XL1 faults were paid for repairs despite being fairly common, the MVs were eventually repaired after the faulty CCD saga became too big to ignore (I worked at a university, we had 20 mv600s, 20 died) when they came back some others died through a faulty charge capacitor circuit, again a fairly common fault but not repaired under warranty.<br>

We had a dozen each of Xm1 & Xm2 (gl1 gl2) camcorders, the common problems were tape jams and loading mech failures, again none serviced under warranty.<br>

Needless to say I have since migrated to Sony for my personal kit, as the video work got more serious I started using more serious kit.<br>

It seemed from my experience that Canon would deny well known faults and then charge over the odds to fix bad designs.<br>

I like their kit and thankfully my stills gear has all been fine so far (touch wood) but I don't like dealing with their service reps.</p>

[epp_b]

<blockquote>

<p>Epp, what I meant was that your experience with the repair process is heavily influenced by your expectations. After suffering past equipment failures and what you perceive to be unreasonably treatment by Nikon, it's unlikely at this point that Nikon could do anything to make you happy.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Ah, I see what you're saying. However, I've rarely had to send anything in for warranty repair before starting photography about a year ago. I just think three-to-four weeks is unreasonable and I would say they are understaffed in terms of repair technicians.</p>

<p>The only thing I can distinctly remember sending in for warranty is a hard drive. Do you know what some hard drive companies do their product dies? They send you an <em>advanced replacement </em> of the exact same model with a pre-paid package to send in the defective one. That way you are without your product for the least possible amount of time. Now <em>that's</em> service.</p>

[charles_wood]

<p>My Canon customer service/repair experiences have been excellent with one minor exception. They have sometimes repaired equipment out of warranty with no charge, turnaround has always been less than a week from the Irvine repair center. Canon customer service people without exception have been courteous.<br>

My gear ranges from consumer grade through pro including an ipf8000 printer that is now nearly three years old and has required no factory service during that period. When I first purchased the printer and all 500 lbs of it arrived on a pallet, after assembly and set up the head height alignment was slightly off. Rather than try and talk me through the process, the Canon customer service person suspected a faulty print head. Canon sent a tech to my home in Utah 120 miles east of Las Vegas, flying him in from CA. He arrived, aligned the printer in 45 minutes, left me with two spare new $600 print heads as back up at no cost. That type of service combined with the fact I'm speaking with someone in the US instead of India or the Philippines, keeps me in the Canon camp.</p>

[mark_ethridge]

<p>Epp, I had the same experience with a computer monitor. Mine went out just before the warranty expired and the company sent me a new one (newer model) with a return shipping label and instructions to package my old monitor in the same box and return. I didn't even have to take the box to UPS, I called for pickup. I agree, that's the way service should be.</p>

<p>And, like you, almost everyone I know has had a bad experience with at least one product that has caused them to swear off the brand for good. I suspect that if you were to start over (using either Canon or Nikon, if you could forget your previous bad experiences) you may never have another issue like this. It seems a shame to get rid of all your gear and start over with something new. On the other hand, I don't think you'll be disappointed with Canon. I've been using their stuff for 25 years with no complaints.</p>

[JeffOwen]

<p>My 20D rear screen failed within the warranty period and I took it back to the shop where I purchased it and they passed it to Canon. Whether it was because the Canon repair site was only 3 miles away or whether it was just luck but I was able to pick it up within a week and all was OK!</p>