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Archive 2013 · CPS Repairs - Aesthetics Issues. Your experience?

  
 
oiseau0001
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · CPS Repairs - Aesthetics Issues. Your experience?


I've sent in a lens that has some minor physical, and aesthetic issues from use in the field. CPS has quoted me around $330 for the repair post 20% discount, the vast majority of which being labor. I find this price quite high given the minor damage to the lens, and asked CPS if I can expect the lens to come back "like new". I was told that it would, save for "a couple of minor scratches maybe". I replied, and insisted on like new for what I feel is an exorbitant repair cost. I haven't received a reply, which is interesting given the level of communications they had shown prior to my request.

Cutting to the chase; what has been your experience with CPS repairs, specifically around aesthetics?



Dec 13, 2013 at 11:04 PM
Paul Mo
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · CPS Repairs - Aesthetics Issues. Your experience?


How long do you think a tech will be tinkering with your lens based on your assessment of its condition? Two applied hours? Three? Then take your estimated time and look at the labour cost. Would you like me to fix your lens for US$20 per hour or a technician at US$80? I can dab some paint on it if you like?


Dec 13, 2013 at 11:22 PM
RCicala
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · CPS Repairs - Aesthetics Issues. Your experience?


I think a lot of time what we perceive as 'mild' and 'minor' has very little to do with the amount of labor.

As an example, someone once offered me $50 to get a chunk of dust out of the middle of their 70-200 zoom lens. He actually thought he was overpaying me and was quite offended when I said no. Reality is to get to that piece of dust required a nearly complete disassembly (about an hour). Then two separate optical elements would require optical adjustment since they were removed during disassembly (two people for another hour, using about $50k worth of testing equipment). Followed by a half-hour for reassembly.

Someone else had dust in a 17-55 IS and I was happy to do it for free, took maybe 10 minutes total. From the owners point of view they were the same, some minor dust in the lens.

I would also add that if you want see what high repair costs are, send your Sony or Nikon lens in for repair. I just got an estimate from Sony on a 70-200 f/2.8 for $1,300 to replace the AF motor and a focus cam. When I said no, they told me there would be a $135 inspection fee that I had to pay before they returned it.



Dec 14, 2013 at 09:26 AM
gdanmitchell
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · CPS Repairs - Aesthetics Issues. Your experience?


There are a few ways to look at this.

1. If the lens isn't too expensive and you have used it a lot and the issues are only cosmetic, it could make more sense to sell it at a low price, acknowledging the cosmetic issues. Less trouble for you, possibly a good deal for a buyer who doesn't care so much about aesthetic issues, and it could be more cost effective for you than paying for the repair. Yes, it depends on what lens we are dealing with.

2. Rather than fixing aesthetic issues, just live with them. If you use a lens a lot over a long period of time, it will show wear - that's the way things work. If you think of the lens as a tool and it still performs well, a few scratches and dings are not really that important. If you think of lenses as objects of technological or aesthetic beauty in and of themselves... well, we have a different sort of issue with a different set of values.

3. Over the lifetime of a lens, simply regard the cost as being normal service and repair - much like getting the oil changed in your car and periodically paying for more expensive repairs. We can easily get too caught up in the cost of this particular visit to the repair shop and forget the bigger picture of cost and return over the lifetime of the lens. $300 every 3-5 years is really not much money at all when you think of it this way. Many people spend more than that on Starbucks in a year!

Good luck,

Dan

Edited on Dec 14, 2013 at 10:44 AM · View previous versions



Dec 14, 2013 at 09:47 AM
jcolwell
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · CPS Repairs - Aesthetics Issues. Your experience?


gdanmitchell wrote:
...

2. Rather than fixing aesthetic issues, just live with them.


+1



Dec 14, 2013 at 10:10 AM
oiseau0001
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · CPS Repairs - Aesthetics Issues. Your experience?


Some great replies here folks. Thanks for talking me down!


Dec 14, 2013 at 10:27 AM





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