Dec 2003 purchased Canon 10D excellent camera but the flash sync socket was faulty, I use the camera in the studio. Pestered Canon repeatedly, but took over two months to get replacement.
Got replacement in Feb, bought another one as well. Suspected the focus on one of these and decided to send it back to Canon UK.
Phoned Canon on 7 June to be told 4 week return time, but if I joined CPS it would be 3-4 days!! excellent took 7 days to get CPS membership number and sent camera by courier. Phoned a few days later to get an idea of when it would be back told 2-3 weeks (what!!!!!!). I use these cameras for weddings all of the time.
After about 10 days, and loads of grief, they sent me a temp loan. It has now been 2 weeks since I sent camera to Canon, phoned today to be told it would be 2 weeks more at least (what!!!!!). So the CPS turn round has gone from 3-4 days to 4 weeks plus.
If this happened in the middle of the season I would be stuffed, thanks Canon...
Would not be so bad but I get a different reason every time I phone, i.e. new computer system, sickness, everyone has gone to Wimbledon or Euro 2004. If this is Professional service what happens if you are not registered as a professional - probably have to throw it in the bin and get in the queue for something else.
I'm sure that some people have good service from CPS but this is taking the p!ss.
be interested if anyone else is having problems, give me more leverage to hit them on the head with....
Yes, Canon CPS service has really gone down the toilet lately. Typical turnaround on rush service is about a month now.
What's worse, my brand new 1D Mark II went in to have a minor glitch fixed; an intermittent contact between the camera circuits and the CF card socket had to be reset. Trouble is, while the Canon technicians had the camera apart, they screwed up something else, and tha camera would no longer focus properly. They think they know how to fix it, but can't get any parts. They would like to replace it, but Canon Marketing won't give them another camera to replace it with. Too bad Nikon doesn't have any competing products!
I smelled a rat when I started seeing numerous posts asking about CPS...you know there must be thousands who 'found a way' to get that membership...
IMO, ever since the 10D came out Canon service in general went into a slowdown mode...I remember the good ol' days (pre-10D) that I sent my 1D in on Monday and got it back on Thursday after they replaced darned near every working part...and that wasn't CPS service, just normal Canon Repair Service.
The bottom line is they are very good at Canon Repair but it's my feeling they are overloaded with piss-ant anal oriented 'my camera doesn't focus right" submissions. Not aiming that at you Molson...you know what you are doing.
Or, Canon rushed a product to market (the 10D - no I don't own one) that did in fact have some quality control issues (samples from fulltime photogs that I happen to know lead me to believe that it isn't simply inexperienced or anal users - there was a real problem there).
Add in the quantities they sold them in, noobs, and the ability to suddenly scrutinize an image at the pixel level (new to most 10D purchasers), and you've got a great formula on how to get maximum return on the cameras you sell, so to speak. Way to go Canon!
hmmm very interesting rebel300, the camera I have on loan works perfectly no complaints at all, all of my film and digital equipment is Canon, if thats piss - ant then I suppose you have a point.
You seem to draw the line under your camera as being professional and 10D's not, or the owners of 10D's complaining when they don't know what they are talking about. Typical of the genre I suppose.
Never mind, I prefer to love women, not cf cards, but everyone to their own....
molson wrote:
Thanks for the comliment (I think... ), Larry
ROFL...Yes, it's a compliment...a friend of mine recently sent his new 1Ds in for service and it took nearly a month...they kept saying they are testing...blah blah...i think they are swamped with 'maybe they can make this already good camera better' situations...anyway...i like canon service but now i find i will live with a problem for a while until i can afford to be without the camera for a month or so.
molson wrote:
Yes, Canon CPS service has really gone down the toilet lately. Typical turnaround on rush service is about a month now.
I completely agree here! I have met no less than 5 guys who cover a certain sport (lets protect the innocent here) whom have joined CPS and are 'weekend shooters' at best and submit to media outlets about once a year.
I have seriously started to contemplate the worth of CPS (usa).
Although I rarely use them, the one time I had to send in a camera to get repaired (to Irvine, CA) facility, it came back in 4 days and that was before I even paid them. Did you guys be sure to use those CPS RUSH stickers they give you?
But really, it seems anyone can join these days. There are probably high-school newspaper photographers on the program!
For years I was a CPS member and had good service. A couple of years ago, after I quit marketing photos I let my membership lapse. Early in the year I sent an in-warranty Canon 10D in. The CF card wasn't making contact. It took about 8 days, including shipping time both ways. Pretty good service, I'd say.
I had a PC socked repaired on the 10D - total turn around including shipping was 5 days. This was a non-CPS repair. I am now a CPS member but haven't needed a repair since becoming a member.
I had an issue with my camera (10D) where it would not turn on at all - Sent it to Canon on Wed - the had it in their system on Monday and I had it back working on Friday. This was to the New Jersey Location. They cleaned it and updated the bios. and it was under warrenty and so far (Knock on wood) it is working fine.
I think Larry has a point. How many of these people with the proverbial '10D focus issue' are sending in their camera with all of their L-lenses for recalibration? Given my own experience with that camera, and the experience of many others I know, I have to wonder how so many cameras can really have issues, and further, if those phantom issues that require repair are not clogging up the queue. That would certainly explain why repair turnaround times are generally on the rise.
I've been a CPS (usa) member for 13 years.
Always have done a great job for me with 72 hr turnaround.
But, this was all on 1 Series cameras and L glass.
From basic cleanings, to replacing shutters with 175,000 accuations on 'em to replacing an Apeture Mechanism in my 400 2.8L.....all within 48-72 hrs....and with a 20% disc..
Seems to me the problems people have with CPS and Canon in general now are with 10D's.
Go figure....
Maybe I did not make it clear with the original post, this was not just a 'little focus problem', basically all of the images were softer than cotton wool. The issue was that I was told that it would take 3-4 days, after two weeks I have been told it may be two - three weeks more!!!
The general assumption in this forum is that I was an amateur photographer, when in reality I and my wife are full time fully qualified professional portrait/wedding photographers. So less of the crap about people whining on about things they no nothing about, some of you lot need to get out of those small towns you live in.
Canon in the US seems to have the situation cracked with all your positive comments, thats lucky. Canon in the UK are appalling and the quality of service is poor.
Strange considering the cost of Canon equipment in the UK i.e. we pay approx $2160 (thats a discounted price) for a Canon 10D in the US its $1400.
1D Mark II is $6300 and $4495 in the US. oops off on a bit of rant now!!
At this point I will bow out before 'blowing a gasket', I hope that none of you have problems with your cameras as far as focusing is concerned because apparently it makes you a bit 'anal retentive'.
Maybe I did not make it clear with the original post, this was not just a 'little focus problem', basically all of the images were softer than cotton wool. The issue was that I was told that it would take 3-4 days, after two weeks I have been told it may be two - three weeks more!!!
The general assumption in this forum is that I was an amateur photographer, when in reality I and my wife are full time fully qualified professional portrait/wedding photographers. So less of the crap about people whining on about things they no nothing about, some of you lot need to get out of those small towns you live in.
Canon in the US seems to have the situation cracked with all your positive comments, thats lucky. Canon in the UK are appalling and the quality of service is poor.
Strange considering the cost of Canon equipment in the UK i.e. we pay approx $2160 (thats a discounted price) for a Canon 10D in the US its $1400.
1D Mark II is $6300 and $4495 in the US. oops off on a bit of rant now!!
At this point I will bow out before 'blowing a gasket', I hope that none of you have problems with your cameras as far as focusing is concerned because apparently it makes you a bit 'anal retentive'.
Sheesh... I think you already blew a gasket. No one is impugning you, nor your credentials, as far as I can read. No references were made to your focusing issues being imagined or non-existent, but there is a history of posts and people who have hyped up this focus issue ad nauseum... people will take endless images of brick walls and rulers, and if the focus on their 10D's are not spot on in more than 90% of cases, they send the camera to Canon for calibration after calibration. There is a point where you just need to live with the limitations of the 10D's autofocus. I never said that you were at that point, and neither did anyone else. If such commentary injures your pride to the point where you take a generalization personally, perhaps you should grow a slightly thicker skin and be secure in your own skill as a photographer and artist.
Arka C.
Edited by lordarka on Jun 30, 2004 at 08:06 AM GMT
Earle wrote:
The general assumption in this forum is that I was an amateur photographer, when in reality I and my wife are full time fully qualified professional portrait/wedding photographers. So less of the crap about people whining on about things they no nothing about, some of you lot need to get out of those small towns you live in.
No, that's not the general assumption. The general assumption is that a lot of people freaked when they realized the typical 10D doesn't focus where the user wants it to in some cases (that's mostly because the area it focuses in is bigger than the little box pretends it is and because the AF isn't as reliable as on a 1 body). These people thought they were having focus issues but basically expected too much of a piece of hardware (i.e. miracles). This mainly happened because people who had real focus issues of course vented in every forum there is (and rightly so), causing a little panic here and there. The cure for focus angst was and probably still is sending the camera to Canon for calibration - resulting in Canon being flooded in 10D's. I find Larry's explanation highly probable.
Antje (who believes she has a great 10D without having done a single ruler test in her life)
Thanks Antje...All I was offering was a history lesson...I got some super results from my 10D...selling it and buying a 1Ds was in my game plan for a long time...sold the 10d, 300/2.8/is and a 500/4.5 to pay for the camera and that marvelous hitachi cf card...rofl
and yes...i'd put your 10d bird pics against anyone, any camera, any lens.
Nowhere Man wrote:
I completely agree here! I have met no less than 5 guys who cover a certain sport (lets protect the innocent here) whom have joined CPS and are 'weekend shooters' at best and submit to media outlets about once a year.
I have seriously started to contemplate the worth of CPS (usa).
Although I rarely use them, the one time I had to send in a camera to get repaired (to Irvine, CA) facility, it came back in 4 days and that was before I even paid them. Did you guys be sure to use those CPS RUSH stickers they give you?
But really, it seems anyone can join these days. There are probably high-school newspaper photographers on the program!
I am a high school newspaper photographer and I am a member of CPS. I sent my 1D in for maintenence in February without CPS, came back in 8 days. Sent it in 2 weeks ago for tons of problems with CPS, came back in 72 hours. Canon has been great. However, I know a lot of people who "know" pros, and the pros allow them to use their CPS numbers for their personal usage, which I don't think is a responsible thing to do.
I'm just a consumer, not a pro, but I sent in an EOS 3 due to film scratching, the camera was returned promptly, with it still scratching film, I phoned and they said they would send mailing label, none received 4 weeks later, I called and the person I spoke with was very responsive and made a point of giving me her name, saying she would have the label sent. Even though the camera wasn't repaired, I am appeased due to the personal accountability shown by the person I spoke with. Again, I am not a pro, so my dependence on short turn around is not as important (plus I have two other Canon film cameras that I can use), and I am not altogether certain I just didn't miss the mailing of the letter (I also missed a $2,900 check from a bank that I had to have re-sent so maybe I have ADHD?).
Way to go Canon!
), Larry 
I sent my 1D in for maintenence in February without CPS, came back in 8 days. Sent it in 2 weeks ago for tons of problems with CPS, came back in 72 hours. Canon has been great. However, I know a lot of people who "know" pros, and the pros allow them to use their CPS numbers for their personal usage, which I don't think is a responsible thing to do.