Curtiss Bryant wrote:
She says that the camera will lock focus and confirm with the red light, but as she continued to press the shutter, it would not take the picture. She said she would have to turn it off and turn it back on to get it to work properly.
What would you guys do in this situation?
I am using 5D IIs, and I ran in the same situation with AF a couple of times. It has nothing to do with the camera per se, it has to do with the lens being used and its MFD switches. Ask her to make sure that she uses the correct switch on the lens according to the focus distance. If the lens is set to the wrong distance, it might AF correctly but it then won't take the photo after the shutter button is pressed. It is an annoying thing, but has nothing to do with a malfunction of the camera. Simple user error, camera is okay.....
In a private transaction like this it's up to the buyer to test the equipment immediately, and let the seller know that something arrived not working ASAP.
If it passes inspection/testing, and a week later it dies... that's terrible luck, but the buyer's responsibility.
If the buyer doesn't get around to testing for a month... that's too bad, but the buyer's responsibility.
Just as the buyer expects the seller to inspect and sell an item in good faith-- the seller has the right to expect the buyer to do the same upon receiving the item.
As a practical matter, I'd try to help her figure out what the problem is, or if it is user error. I'd also-- because she sounds like she might not be entertaining this situation in good faith-- let this process extend past that 45-day paypal limit before giving her a hard "no" if possible.
Unlike what some are saying, PayPal will not screw you on this. I sell on eBay and deal with PayPal all the time. eBay/PayPal together has much stricter rules than a private sale paid through PayPal. Even through eBay, 99 times out of 100 if you can prove she got the item and it was as described and not a brick, you will win any disputes.
I agree that 28 days is way too long. I would try to help her verbally, with Canon, whatever.... I would NOT take it back under any circumstances. If it comes to that, politely tell her that she bought a used item at a bargain price and she acknowledged that it was working when she got it. Anything that happens after that is her issue. That is the price of buying used and saving money. If she wanted a warranty, she should have bought new or Canon refurb.
retrofocus wrote:
I am using 5D IIs, and I ran in the same situation with AF a couple of times. It has nothing to do with the camera per se, it has to do with the lens being used and its MFD switches. Ask her to make sure that she uses the correct switch on the lens according to the focus distance. If the lens is set to the wrong distance, it might AF correctly but it then won't take the photo after the shutter button is pressed. It is an annoying thing, but has nothing to do with a malfunction of the camera. Simple user error, camera is okay........Show more →
I forgot to mention that the same issue can happen with a 5D II AF when it is getting too dark for the AF. You will see for a short time the AF field being lit, but then you can't take the shot afterwards, nothing happens when you press the shutter because AF lost the target again. Best in such situations is to switch to MF fully.
Again, I had this problem happen to me a few times, and it is very confusing when it first happens. If AF still doesn't work properly after recomposition and trying it again, turn off camera and turn back on. Normally then everything works fine if all the settings are correct (see my post above).
As long as paypal is involved, you could be screwed up to 45 days. If the person paid with a credit card, then you could be screwed for longer if they do a chargeback.
From a financial standpoint, your best bet is to offer some sort of a partial refund which will, effectively, nullify any claims that the buyer can make afterwards.
I don't think that the buyer can refund a refund so you could be sneaky and just do a partial refund without discussing it first.
Jon Joshua wrote:
From a financial standpoint, your best bet is to offer some sort of a partial refund which will, effectively, nullify any claims that the buyer can make afterwards.
That is exactly what you shouldn't do, it admits liability, for which you have none. Caveat Emptor.
retrofocus wrote:
I forgot to mention that the same issue can happen with a 5D II AF when it is getting too dark for the AF. You will see for a short time the AF field being lit, but then you can't take the shot afterwards, nothing happens when you press the shutter because AF lost the target again. Best in such situations is to switch to MF fully.
Again, I had this problem happen to me a few times, and it is very confusing when it first happens. If AF still doesn't work properly after recomposition and trying it again, turn off camera and turn back on. Normally then everything works fine if all the settings are correct (see my post above)....Show more →
Along these lines, have her change the CF (can't remember what it is) to release priority and see what happens.
Sorry, but that's way too long for a problem. Within the first 2 days I'll take a return, but 28 days later, that money is already spent and the camera was forgotten about.
BenV wrote:
Sorry, but that's way too long for a problem. Within the first 2 days I'll take a return, but 28 days later, that money is already spent and the camera was forgotten about.
If the problem is the same or similar to what I mentioned above, it happens fortunately more rarely. It is very possible that the buyer didn't observe it in the first 28 days of usage.
Jon Joshua wrote:
When dealing with paypal, the seller is at a disadvantage. Worse case, he could lose the full amount and the camera.
It's much better to make nice with the buyer.
She told him the camera was ok after she got it. Not even paypal would allow the buyer to change that after one month. Maybe she would change it after 3 or 6 months also...................
What if you put in your buyers/sellers agreement, you have 1 week to check out item thoroughly, will Paypal still come after you if buyer claims as such as this happens after the 1 week check out period.
Fascinating discussion. Too many variables! Be sure you let us know how it turns out.
One more bit of information would satisfy my curiosity. I think some reasonable assumptions have been made here about the buyer's level of experience and skill, and how the lack thereof may intersect with some of the 5D2's "shortcomings". You said she is transitioning from Rebels. Most Rebel shooters start out with EF-S lenses, and then upgrade incrementally to EF lenses, then "L" lenses. Obviously EF-S lenses won't mount on the 5D2. But the lower-end EF lenses that are F4 or slower will. Being a Rebel shooter, could it be that the buyer is still not setting the ISO or shooting over on the "creative" side of the dial?
How would that camera perform if she was using F4-5.6 lenses, with the mode dial on Auto, in a real dark venue? Would it behave as reported?
Thanks guys.. I'm waiting to hear from her when she gets the estimate from Canon. I told her I didnt feel I was responsible for the issue since it worked perfectly when I sent it to her and she said it worked good when she got it without mention of the issue, but we will see what they say. I will update as I hear more.
I would offer buyers a full ten days to inspect and test the camera, after which time any repairs would be their responsibility.
But it sounds like you may have a problem on your hands - Paypal has their own dispute mechanism that you agree to use if something goes wrong. Paypal gift would have been the best payment option. So it would be prudent to work with the buyer so you don't end up getting royally screwed. I would offer a flat $75 to the buyer.
As a side note, Paypal is changing their user agreements - and if you want to opt out of their new dispute process, you have to opt out before November 1 or you will be locked into their new policies.
One other option that sometimes makes the buyer think twice is to offer to take the camera back, but refund the sales price less some reasonable rental fee for the time she's had it. If she'd rented it for 28 days she would have payed about $300.
