Called and started to get a little angry with no answers and them stalling. They called back and said they could not get any photos of the bent mount on the 14-24mm or the d800. They then said that both would now be covered by warranty.
I asked why the hell they suddenly said it is covered if it was "actually" damaged. I conveyed by dismay by saying I almost payed the $1300 for the repair and their reply was that is is always good to call to get a second opinion! They said the mount was out on their instruments but is not noticeable with the naked eye! I call BS on the whole thing!
I am not done with this! I will escalate this blatant fraudulent attempt as that is the only way I see it!
Called and started to get a little angry with no answers and them stalling. They called back and said they could not get any photos of the bent mount on the 14-24mm or the d800. They then said that both would now be covered by warranty.
I asked why the hell they suddenly said it is covered if it was "actually" damaged. I conveyed by dismay by saying I almost payed the $1300 for the repair and their reply was that is is always good to call to get a second opinion! They said the mount was out on their instruments but is not noticeable with the naked eye! I call BS on the whole thing!
I am not done with this! I will escalate this blatant fraudulent attempt as that is the only way I see it!
First rule of Fight Club, don't fight if you don't have to. If they've admitted their mistake and have agreed to fix both under warranty I would stop right there and not probe any deeper. It could have been an honest mistake by the tech who examined the equipment. I no doubt would be as curious as you about their change of heart but I'd defer asking about it until after I got the repaired equipment back.
twgphotog wrote:
This might seem like a couple of dumb questions since I have never seen a lens mount get bent (although I have seen a lens mount on the camera get torn off by a lens). What would cause the lens mount on the camera to get bent (or on a lens), especially on a pro-model camera (or lens)? It seems to me that it would take a lot of force to bed it and even if there was enough force wouldn’t that also strip the screws holding the mount in place on the camera? Wouldn’t you be able to see or feel (by attaching a lens to the camera) that the lens mount had been bent before sending it off to Nikon?...Show more →
That is exactly what I was asking them as well. They said you can bend a mount by mounting a lens improperly. I told them the lens only mounts one way and the force to bend the stainless steel would be enormous. I also googled "bent" lens mount/plate and came up with hardly a decent hit. This is NOT a common problem and yet they are trying are using it as an explanation in at LEAST 2 incidents on this thread alone for d800's. Wonder how many other people have payed to get their lens/body fixed for a "bent" mount.
I don't know if they got scared when I started asking too many questions they obviously had no answers for.
I even asked them if they had even checked the damn autofocus system which is the reason I sent it in.
One last thing. They tried to say that the left hand focus problem is not an issue. I don't even know how that came up, but basically said anyone sending their camera's in for left hand focus issue don't know what they are doing. I am dismayed at the knowledge of the people I talked to. They assumed I am an idiot, until I started to explain a few things to him and ask tougher questions than he had answers for!
Hardcore wrote:
One last thing. They tried to say that the left hand focus problem is not an issue. I don't even know how that came up, but basically said anyone sending their camera's in for left hand focus issue don't know what they are doing. I am dismayed at the knowledge of the people I talked to. They assumed I am an idiot, until I started to explain a few things to him and ask tougher questions than he had answers for!
That doesn't bode well for Nikon finally admitting the Left AF issue anytime soon.
snapsy wrote:
First rule of Fight Club, don't fight if you don't have to. If they've admitted their mistake and have agreed to fix both under warranty I would stop right there and not probe any deeper. It could have been an honest mistake by the tech who examined the equipment. I no doubt would be as curious as you about their change of heart but I'd defer asking about it until after I got the repaired equipment back.
Ya, was thinking the same thing. There really is no proof either way so I guess the best I can do is warn others. Have to thank Henry for posting his experience as that really prodded me to raise my questioning on the whole situation!
Seems like a good idea to take photos of your gear before sending it in. Show the mounts and that they are not damaged. If the mounts were fine to begin with and they claim they are bent, you'll have photos to prove otherwise and you can put them on the spot as to why they damaged your gear or why they want to rip you off.
I sent in a NEW F6 to have the depth of field button fixed. It was falling off. They sent me an estimate of several hundred dollars saying the camera had a cracked top plate. I asked for photos and they sent me pictures showing a big crack going through the prism part of the top cover. Funny thing is that crack was definitely NOT There when I sent them the camera. Maybe they are playing catch with all of our stuff!
nikon mississauga also tell me the same thing but agree to fix it out good gesture like you said. if they cant fix this i will demand a refund or i will take them to small claim court
This anecode has nothing to do with the OPs case, but I've worked in the repair world.
You're be amazed at how many clearly dropped camcorders were "never dropped".
We're talking pushed in corners, and concrete marks on stuff- all never dropped.
A friend worked at Arri (motion picture cameras) before they shut down their midwestest rental facility. They had cameras come back in bags as pieces that were never dropped, but the customer "didn't know" how it happened.
tdong wrote:
nikon mississauga also tell me the same thing but agree to fix it out good gesture like you said. if they cant fix this i will demand a refund or i will take them to small claim court
Wow! Okay, this is interesting. Hope this thread will help others that are suspicious of claims that they have dropped their gear!
I got everything back. I will have to do some tests. So far, looks like my camera is front focusing but should at least be correctable with MFA. They sent the lens back before the body and I don't think they ever calibrated the lens to the body.
Zebrabot wrote:
This anecode has nothing to do with the OPs case, but I've worked in the repair world.
You're be amazed at how many clearly dropped camcorders were "never dropped".
Unfortunately, I have to agree with Zebrabot here. Not to say the OP is lying or "misremembering" what happened, but there are folks out there who have no problems trying to game the system by claiming "nothing happened" when they know full well something did. It has led manufacturers down the path of installing shock sensors, water sensors, etc. inside their products to detect this sort of abuse. I'm not talking about an electronic sensor, but a chemical or mechanical device that undergoes an irreversible change when exposed to high G forces, excessively high (or low) temperatures, moisture, light, atmospheric pressure, chemical reagents, etc., etc. I have no idea if Nikon uses any of these indicators in their cameras, but it certainly would not surprise me if they did. They are not 100% foolproof (they only tell you that an event occurred, but not when, and not how many times), but they are evidence that repair facilities will use in their assessment.
BTW, you can buy impact sensors to attach to your shipments, if you want to see how carefully Fedex, etc. handle your packages. For example, http://www.uline.ca/BL_1051/Drop-N-Tell
This thread totally make me lose the faith of Nikon. Hopefully, it is just some kind of coincidence.
Even it is bent, if under warranty period, I think they should just replace it free of charge. I don't know how can they treat their customers like this. especially after buying mulch-thousand dollar stuff from them. Mount bent? what kind of BS is that? If you have a drop that bents the mount, I bet your lens or body is gone by then, unless you are using 600m lens.
I sent my Leica M9 and 50lux for CLA, they offer free of charge on CLA of my 90 ELmarit, which is more than 10 year old, at least 2nd owner. What kind of service is that compare to Nikon. They listed that censor alignment needed, indicate that my sensor alignment was off, but they won't charge me and saying that I mis-use or bump my M9.
Is something changed to Nikon, or they always treat costumer like this? I heard so many negative about Nikon recently.
Hardcore wrote:
One last thing. They tried to say that the left hand focus problem is not an issue. I don't even know how that came up, but basically said anyone sending their camera's in for left hand focus issue don't know what they are doing.
Maybe this is because I brought my D800 in a couple of weeks ago to them for a very slight calibration problem with the left-most AF point.
I am dismayed at the knowledge of the people I talked to. They assumed I am an idiot, until I started to explain a few things to him and ask tougher questions than he had answers for!
I personally have had very good service from the folks in Mississauga, and I've been there probably half a dozen times for various reasons. They don't always fix things to my satisfaction the first time, but they do eventually make things right. I had the infamous D700 hotshoe problem a total of four times (twice each on two bodies). The fourth time, my D700 had just gone out of warranty (two years after purchase), so they were going to charge me $300 to replace the hotshoe. I pointed out that they replaced it less than a year ago, and there is something wrong if it fails again so soon, especially with only moderate use. I talked to the NPS manager at the time, he agreed, and they comped me the repair.
Keep in mind that they get a lot of well-heeled amateurs who don't have a ton of technical knowledge about either photography or their shiny new D800, and since the folks you talk to at the service counter are essentially first-tier tech support, they have to assume you're Average Joe Public who leaves the camera on "P" mode the entire time, tries to use the pop-up flash when taking photos of the CN Tower, etc. It's the same in any technical support service industry.
Are you an NPS member? If you're not and you qualify, you really should apply. I'm an NPS member, and I'm sure that helps. Even if I wasn't, I find that establishing a good personal working relationship with your suppliers works wonders to cut through BS like this. I go out to Nikon events when I can, and I always go and say "hi" to the NPS folks if I see them. I invite them out to speak at local clubs and associations. I'm friends with them on Facebook. If you stay professional and polite and courteous (even though you want to rip their heads off ), it won't take long before you know each other on a first-name basis. Then when you are in need, there's a much greater chance they'll go above and beyond the call of duty to fix whatever problem you have. This could mean on-the-spot repair jobs, expedited turnaround time, loaner equipment when you forgot to book something in advance, first dibs on borrowing new products for "field testing", etc.
zhangyue wrote:
I sent my Leica M9 and 50lux for CLA, they offer free of charge on CLA of my 90 ELmarit, which is more than 10 year old, at least 2nd owner.
And that right there is the problem. You get great customer service from one company and you expect it all the time In all seriousness that kind of service is built into Leica's pricing, they are a premium brand. Nikon is unfortunately not, though we certainly don't pay premium prices compared to Leica. I've often said Canon and Nikon should have a true premium line, not this L series Canon stuff or Nikon's pro build lenses.
But a line of no holds bared lenses and service to go with them. You might pay $6k+ for your 50mm f/1.2, but darn it comes with a 10 yr warranty and the best service you can get. There are people out there that would like that and buy those products. Totally different market than Nikon is in right now though.
Well, maybe that is not a good example for illustration of SERVICE. but go through this thread, it sounds to me Nikon always will over charge you if you are keep silent. They assume it is always costumer fault which turn me off.
I am not expecting some exceptional service like Leica here but merely standard, honest service. Plus D800 +14-24, 70-200VRII are not cheap here and profit margin might even higher than Leica consider how many they made and sold, they certainly can afford put some of those money into decent service.
Jammy Straub wrote:
And that right there is the problem. You get great customer service from one company and you expect it all the time In all seriousness that kind of service is built into Leica's pricing, they are a premium brand. Nikon is unfortunately not, though we certainly don't pay premium prices compared to Leica. I've often said Canon and Nikon should have a true premium line, not this L series Canon stuff or Nikon's pro build lenses.
But a line of no holds bared lenses and service to go with them. You might pay $6k+ for your 50mm f/1.2, but darn it comes with a 10 yr warranty and the best service you can get. There are people out there that would like that and buy those products. Totally different market than Nikon is in right now though....Show more →
So I got the estimate. Indicate service is under warranty. and keep getting two more emails of the same thing. I don't need to approve the service since it indicates in the estimate form.
I emailed back and ask why I still get this email ? and is my camera ready ?
So the tech call me say that it has impact damage and I have to pay. https://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/1139276/1 . I said yes I see your evaluation on the paper and it indicates i don't need to pay for anything. and I only use the camera for two shoots one engagement and one model. The camera is spot less no physical damage etc. He agree that there is no visible damage only his calibrate machine see the small impact ? wtf. Then ask to call me back. He call back in 10min and agree to do the service for free out of good gesture. I told I him don't need the pity. How can a physical damage only affect 3 left most points and the rest are perfectly fine. and all the lenses I have work fine with my D3, D7000. Then he said "I understand and will proceed with the service". I never have problem with mississauga location. D2H recall service. D300 front focus, D3 shutter replacement. Until this d800.
You know what I think ? they would tell all customers with left af problem due physical damage. The Left AF problem is real and the tech see it otherwise they wouldn't come back to me with the service.
I am not a pro just a semi, hobbyist whatever you call it but if anyone telling me i abuse my sparkling new body which I waited for 3 months to get will get attention. So it is either the mount on the D800 is very crappy compare to my other body i think nikon do have some problem in the D800 production line and blame it on the customer.
taob wrote:
Unfortunately, I have to agree with Zebrabot here. Not to say the OP is lying or "misremembering" what happened, but there are folks out there who have no problems trying to game the system by claiming "nothing happened" when they know full well something did. It has led manufacturers down the path of installing shock sensors, water sensors, etc. inside their products to detect this sort of abuse. I'm not talking about an electronic sensor, but a chemical or mechanical device that undergoes an irreversible change when exposed to high G forces, excessively high (or low) temperatures, moisture, light, atmospheric pressure, chemical reagents, etc., etc. I have no idea if Nikon uses any of these indicators in their cameras, but it certainly would not surprise me if they did. They are not 100% foolproof (they only tell you that an event occurred, but not when, and not how many times), but they are evidence that repair facilities will use in their assessment.
If they've admitted their mistake and have agreed to fix both under warranty I would stop right there and not probe any deeper. It could have been an honest mistake by the tech who examined the equipment. I no doubt would be as curious as you about their change of heart but I'd defer asking about it until after I got the repaired equipment back. 
It's the same in any technical support service industry.