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 p.6 #19 · D800 impact damage/cracked frame | |
MaryO wrote:
My takeaway from all of this:
- Don't believe everything you read on the internet, but the warnings about Nikon's service and voided warranties in the past few years sure seem to hold weight. It didn't used to be that way, and I've read that probably just about as many times as I've read about the warning.
I've had only one other experience with Nikon Service, and that was when I sent in my D50 years ago. I dropped it, accepted full responsibility, sent it to Nikon, payed the bill and got it back in excellent shape. But that was years ago. Before (according to a Nikon employee at an event I was at a few weeks ago) "all the layoffs as a result of sales taking a beating because of smartphone cameras", particularly in the service department, where he noted only 8 service technicians total left in Melville and "by the way, 2 of them are here today to clean your cameras; that's 1/3 of our tech staff". It makes sense to me that this would be the reason for the change in service now and why so many people are complaining about accusations of "impact damage beyond economical repair". Sales have taken a hit from smartphones, that's business. But it's bad business to push that hit off on your customers so execs can keep their cozy salaries.
Were all the other cameras and lenses also irreparable? Or was that just easier and a more economical answer than increasing service staff to accommodate the workload.
Because why did my camera go from "beyond economical repair" to "ok, we can repair it"? They forgot? I made a bit of a fuss? Because you and I know that if they had told me (and how many others?) that it would cost $600 right from the start, by the time they paid for parts and service, Nikon would have made a couple hundred dollars on the deal. "Impact damage beyond economical repair" is much more appealing to their bottom line and because of my vulnerability (I've already invested thousands in lenses, flashes and other Nikon gear that need a Nikon body), it's a pretty safe bet that I'll just invest in another camera. $200-300 or $3000 for a new camera; which do you think corporate America would choose? Not to mention I am still under warranty and I did not abuse my camera and shouldn't have to pay for repair at all.
It makes me worry about all the other people, including many who added to this conversation, that were told "beyond economical repair".. Was their equipment really totaled? Did they end up investing more money into Nikon when they could have just paid for a repair because they trusted their equipment was irreparable.
- If you do send anything to Nikon to be serviced under warranty, be prepared for a pretty good possibility of being held under a microscope (I sure was! those scuffs are so small, I literally had to turn my camera over 3 times looking for them after Nikon told me they were there). And be prepared to be accused of abuse, and being dishonest about it; or at the very least, "forgetful about it", despite the fact that Nikon's "proof" of my abuse doesn't have a leg to stand on.
I've been totally up front and honest with them, both now and in the past, accepting responsibility when it was due. Has Nikon been honest? Were they honest last week when they told me that my camera was beyond repair, but suddenly this week after I make a bit of a fuss, they just remembered that it can be repaired? Yet they question and challenge my credibility.
nolaguy mentioned peace of mind and good faith in companies we do business with. That goes a long way, and unfortunately some companies have forgotten the basics. ...Show more →
I'd just like to point one possibility: since Nikon service is understaffed, as you have illustrated, the environment is perfect for honest human error to take place. Running a customer service desk, I can testify that while my techs do a great job overall, yes, they make mistakes. There will be times when a customer complains, it escalates to me, and, given my 25+ years experience in the field, I see a solution that a new tech with 1 year's experience did not see.
For better or worse, it's how we all learn. We're all human, we all make mistakes.
I'd suggest that such a scenario is more likely than an active conspiracy with an intent to defraud. If the tech people at Nikon are really so incompetent and overworked, I find it hard to believe that they could develop a conspiracy and keep it rolling. Much simpler that it's just human error.
This is no defense of Nikon, nor of any service based industry. I'm sorry you're having these issues, and I hope you do get them resolved to your satisfaction.
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