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Canon Sucks. New System.Recommendations?
I recently sent my Canon 5DIII in for repair because the hot-shoe mount separated from the camera body. That is ridiculous enough (pro body can't handle a flash?) but on top of that, when they received it, they were going to charge me for repairs I did not request (replacing dial cap, etc...) When I said I did not want to be charged for the miscellaneous repairs and to please just fix the hot shoe mount, they refused and said they need to repair anything they see wrong with the camera whether the customer wants it fixed or not. When I asked how much they would be charging for each individual repair instead of a generic $500+ repair bill, they would not. This went all the way up to the president of Customer Relations for Canon. I have never encountered a business that forces clients to repair parts or items they are not requesting and also fails outline costs for parts and labor for said repairs. This is truly baffling and disappointing and am seriously considering moving to another system all together. I would have sooner since other systems such as Sony and Nikon are significantly better in terms of Dynamic Range, ISO, etc.. but like a long term relationship, it can be hard to leave even though the grass is greener. So please let me know which system you use and why you use it. I would love to get some real world feedback. Thank you Aug 10 19 07:47 am Link 5 series are "pro-sumer" cameras. The 1 series is Canon's professional series. If all the 5 series cameras started breaking off when a flash was put on, we would have heard more about this problem. Add in the "miscellaneous repairs" and it just sounds like you are rough on your gear. We've seen quite a few MM'ers complain about Nikon service. They are the other major player in professional bodies. I shoot Canon, last time I had a problem was decades ago. I bought a used 10s (film body) and the pop up flash shorted out and started sputtering. I sent it back to Canon, they fixed it for free and gave me a six month warranty. So, things have changed. Considering the squeeze on camera sales, what the "controllables" are and bean-counter behavior in general it would not surprise me to see them tighten up their repair service offerings. Aug 10 19 08:46 am Link Sounds like things have changed with Canon... they want to charge me a lot more than free.. lol I actually treat my gear like gold but I think you are missing the point... it is unheard of for a business to charge unnecessary or unrequested repairs nor outline the cost of each item and labor for each item. It is unacceptable to me. Aug 10 19 09:09 am Link When I worked in a camera store selling this stuff, what Canon did isn't unheard of and it's pretty much common to charge a flat-rate on everything. Kodak did it even with old slide projectors that just needed a rubber foot for $150. Some camera sites now post a flat-rate service fee if you look. Problem was once it came back with a partial fix - if they would do it - customer would often come back in and complain about something else now wrong so they decided to "Do it all or nothing." Can't count the number of times I heard "It wasn't like this when I sent it in." Sometimes our store owner would eat it just to shut them up, which isn't right either so I cannot blame them for flat-rate as it often has a warranty attached. Canon still seems to have a pretty good service record against the other brands here: http://www.customerservicescoreboard.com/Canon Odd how Sony service seems to have been dropping more against Canon on that site given they seem to be selling more too. Fwiw, Olympus does it now too. I paid $140 just to update the firmware in a lens when I didn't have a body to do it (It's used on a drone's camera.). It's only a one minute job to do a firmware update on their lenses if you have a body available that will do it. I wasn't happy about the $140 for a one minute job, but I understand if it came back and I then bitched about "Something else is not right, or focus is wonky now after the update." Paying $140 for a one minute job annoyed me so much I bought a Pen-F body to "Do it myself next time" (That "I'll show 'em next time!" was also a costly mistake as I now own three Olympus bodies and just about all of their lenses and have pretty much retired the Nikons. Go figger!). Aside, current trend seems to replace electronic stuff with a refurbished one under warranty. A big screen out of warranty is meant with "Buy a new one." No one fixes the big screens and sending one in to Sony is more than its worth, imho, just to get a refurb back. We had an Amana refrigerator go out six weeks after its one-year warranty, and had to buy a new one. Mitsubishi got so bad they quit making TV's (Ours was serviced/replaced six times in the first year of ownership.). Welcome to "if it's broke, throw it away" society. Aug 10 19 10:27 am Link One advise; don't switch to Nikon if you want better repair service. Aug 10 19 11:37 am Link Moon Pix Photography wrote: As I said, this was decades ago. I've gotten 9 years of great service out of my Rebel T2i, no problems at all. I am not a pro shooter or especially careful with my gear although I try not to knock it around. Aug 10 19 12:27 pm Link I would get in touch with Canon in Japan. And send copies to the retailer who sold you the camera and the retailer who sold you the camera. The Japanese are very proud of their products and reputation. I could ask my wife (Kimiko) to find the proper channels to get to the proper department. I think a letter would have more impact than email etc..... Aug 10 19 01:38 pm Link I have had and now have multiple Canon cameras. I've never had a problem with any of them! Aug 10 19 02:19 pm Link IMAGINERIES wrote: Your wife works for Canon in Japan? Aug 10 19 02:36 pm Link I have owned Canon equipment since around 2002. I am also a pro and belong to their mid level repair program which runs me about a $100.00 per year. Over the years I have sent cameras in for both minor and once a very major repair (dropped a 5d Mark 4, Flash and 24-70 onto a concrete floor). I have had nothing but excellent service and what I thought was decent prices. Not cheap but I did not feel exploited ether. For example, I had a shutter replaced ( I shot a lot) for about $250.00. I have very seldom heard anything but satisfaction for Canon's repair service so what you are experiencing seems to be unusual. There are other private camera repair services out there and maybe you would be happier with one of them. Good Luck. Zave Smith www.zavesmith.com Aug 11 19 07:25 am Link Chuckarelei wrote: No but she is very persistent....And help me a couple of time with problems I had Aug 11 19 12:39 pm Link Zave Smith Photography wrote: Glad to hear you had good results with Canon. In retail, they seemed to be the better of the lot. Actually, Minolta wasn't bad either and often fixed things free if it was going out of mnaufacture, but they are long gone with some of it sold off to Sony who seems to think differently (ahem!). Aug 11 19 03:22 pm Link I'm surprised Canon even accepted the discontinued 5D Mk III for repair. Canon is quick to declare older models out of service life. I've used Royal Camera Service for some repairs, and have been totally satisfied. As far as them wanting to additional repairs, I can only guess they get plenty of camera owners asking for one repair when multiple repairs are needed, and if they only fixed the one issue, the owner would be complaining Canon broke the camera as those other things were "working just fine" before the repair. Aug 11 19 11:45 pm Link How about try to find a third party repair shop with great customer service? Switching brand is not a solution to your problem. Aug 16 19 06:49 pm Link Call or find NPS camera repair in Chicago, could be Advanced Camera Repair (630 401 2537) in a suburb of Chicago, they work on NIKON, CANON, etc.they are great, better than most PRO Repair from companies, not to mention less expensive. They have worked on my CANON's, NIKONS and FUJI's I have been very happy with their service. Chuck Aug 19 19 10:57 pm Link ALL camera companies will only do a complete repair on a camera as they have to take it apart to do anything and if it goes back for A and when you get it back Bis not satisfactory you are not going to be happy, bitch about it, send it back and expect it fixed at no charge so they ALL only do a total service and price accordingly. On the plus side they replace a lot of wear items as the warranty cover the entire camera . I sent many years managing camera stores and handling repairs and independent shops work the same way too Aug 21 19 09:57 am Link I'd also suggest a 3rd party repair service in your area. If you do switch to Nikon, join their Pro program, you get a discount on repairs. I love my D850 and Z6, though I do wish either one did 4K60 video, I've had clients ask for it lately. Aug 21 19 11:17 am Link I've been shooting Nikon for years. D800 and D850. Not one issue, not one. Aug 21 19 03:07 pm Link If you’re going to switch brands...Phase One makes a decent camera and their post sales support is stellar. Aug 21 19 05:29 pm Link I've used Canon repair a bunch of times over the years and always loved their service. I do a lot of industrial and agricultural photography for a couple of clients. It's rough on bodies and lenses and I often need to get them in for cleaning and repair. The benefit for me living in the Chicago 'burbs is that I can just drive to the Canon service center in Itasca and drop off the gear there. I can talk with the repair rep and show them what's wrong. I know that's not an option for everyone, but it's a big benefit when you can do it  Aug 25 19 02:17 pm Link Hot shoe mount and lens mount are designed to brake so that other parts don't. If they want to fix something else is probably because something else broken too. Take to your local camera repair and see if they can fix it. Aug 25 19 08:50 pm Link I don’t think Canon service has changed that much. Not based on my experience. Sorry, but if they want to fix the “other” broken things on your camera maybe you don’t value gold all that much? Aug 31 19 08:09 pm Link I'm an Olympus shooter and have been for 14 years. I almost had to send a body back once........ Can't speak about their service because of all the cameras I have used and abused, never had an issue. Sep 08 19 06:09 am Link I am currently using both Canon & Nikon. I will not update to mirrorless on both Canon nor Nikon system .. because a single memory card slot is too risky for professional. Memory cards are just like computer hard drives, they will fail , it is the matter of when. I am planning to change my systems, and will go for a Sony A7R4 61MP and the Fuji GFX100 100MP , cheaper & better auto focusing , than Hasselblad and Phase One ! Sep 08 19 01:30 pm Link Canon has a policy that if they repair a camera and something fails under during the warranty period, they must replace it for free. They are likely declining to do partial repairs because others may have abused that policy in the recent past. I have had multiple camera and lenses repaired by them with no issue on the customer service side. It was a pleasure doing business with them. Then again, I am in a 5 Series, but regardless if it's pro or consumer the experience I have seen has been positive. Sep 08 19 11:39 pm Link Stick with Canon-they have a great customer service reputation. I like Nikon and it's unlikely I'll switch because of the investment made and my general happiness with the gear, but again, Canon is a great company and I have retouched images for photographers who shoot Canon and the machine delivers. I wouldn't let such a customer service dispute turn me off a great company. Nikon doesn't come close in service. Nor does anyone else. Sep 09 19 12:18 am Link Moon Pix Photography wrote: It depends on how much Canon gear you have. Is it financially possible, if you have quite a bit, to take a loss on selling your used gear. You'll never get wait you paid for it. From experience, I literally have everything from a 15mm F2.8 to 400 F2.8 in Canon's FD (film) line, and that includes 7 F1 bodies. When they went to EOS, mount size changed. I had several opportunities to sell it all but a loss that was crazy. I got offered $350 for my 400 2.8. I decided I'd like the stuff gather dust before dumping it at flea market prices. I'm still hoping a nostalgic phase comes around. Oct 02 19 09:09 am Link |
