argibson

FX9 camera finally arrived back to UK yesterday from Bigston Corporation Elk Grove Village Illinois wrapped up in double carboard boxes weighing 2lb (Mostly insulating material and bubble wrap) and measuring (Outside Box) 14" by 8.5" by 8.5" obviously no risks taken by Bigston on their delicate replacement LCD.

Bowed LCD casing has not been replaced as recommended by Panasonic's UK Service Centre so have now asked for assurances from Bigston that this was unnecessary and would not effect new LCD.

Word of warning as some bright spark at Bigston attached a sales Invoice for 350 USD to the outside of the parcel addressed to me for a DMC LZ2 camera I spent 7 days persuading UK authorities (Including faxing out Outbound Tracking Numbers etc.) not to charge me

51.92 Pounds in UK Value Added Tax.

It's taken an inordinate time and effort to get thus far and many thanks to all the valuable contributions from the originating and contributing members of this forum whose combined contributions are slowly starting to have an effect in certain Worldwide High End Panasonic Offices.

Keeping fingers crossed that the new LCD behaves itself for the expected normal life of this camera, my previous Olympus Digital Camera with smaller LCD has now been working without problem for over five years.

Once again many thanks to all Forum Members keep up the good work and don't give up.

Alan Robb Gibson<div></div>

Update FX9 purchased in New York 1st.December 2005 lasted until 17th.January 2006 before familiar LCD failure another 49 days have now past and the file gets thicker.

MACK 5 year International Warranty not worth the paper it is written on, they eventually instructed me to obtain an estimate for repair from my nearest UK Panasonic Service Centre (Newark Video Services) who duly obliged after I had paid them a deposit of ﾣ30.00 and travelled a total of nearly 400 miles taking and picking up the camera personally, they inform me they have written instructions from Panasonic UK not to accept warranty claims on FX8 or FX9 LCD's. they also said the LCD casing needed replacing total cost ﾣ160.34.

This estimate e-mailed directly to MACK in USA who surprise surprise immediately said LCD not covered under warranty, after several further terse e-mails they asked me to send the camera for further review to their New Jersay premises (What do they take me for)

Following a lot of useful advice on this forum and eventually getting a response from Panasonic USA, sent camera plus photographs and all correspondence including copies of this forum etc.registered post directly to CEO Bigston Digital Service Illinois with copies also sent registered post to Mr Yoshihiko Yamada President and Chief Executive Panasonic Consumer Electronics Company Secaucus New Jersay, Mr Yamada or Yosdhi as he is more commonly known happens also to be a Main Board Director of Panasonic's Holding Company in Japan.

Royal Mail and US Postal Services confirm time, date and safe arrival of both parcels, I wait with bated breath. This is by no means an exhaustive account to date of my small FX9 camera I wait with baited breath for the next installment.

Alan Robb Gibson

Suggest you look at the forum on Panasonic treatment of their digital cameras at

www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=OOENhV&tag=

In the mean time try praying and as a precaution wrap your

Lumix DMC-FX9 LCD up in bubble rap and cotton wool, the camera would probable be better off floating in space and out of every day use.

ARG

Identical stories world wide my wife purchased a new Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX9 from 47th.Digital 1552 Broadway New York 10036 on 1st.December 2005 together with a recommended Digital Concepts camera case and MACK (mackcam.com) international 5 year warranty, my wife has been using the camera without problem up to 17th.January 2006 when it was taken out of it's case the LCD was obviously defective with a horizontal V shaped smudge similar to those defects found by the many other reports on your web site. I have as required by the

5 Year Mack International Warranty reported the fault by e-mail to the company but despite repeatedly sending the e-mail to it's various departments since 17th.January 2006 I have still to receive even the courtesy of a response. Panasonic repair centre in UK say many similar cases reported in UK with Panasonic allegedly refusing to repair/replace the LCD under it's UK 12 Month Warranty, under the UK Sale of Goods Act these Panasonic cameras are obviously not fit for the purpose and should either be repaired/replaced or given a full refund. But what do I do from the UK for a camera purchased in good faith in New York? Answers would be appreciated from all sources particularely from any source in USA with knowledge of sale of goods laws pertaining to this situation.

Alan Robb Gibson