Nikon cutting way back on genuine parts for repairs in the USA

[magarity]

In March of next year it looks like Nikon users will have to send their cameras in to one of only two repair centers if they want genuine parts: Ifixit article

The most interesting line in the article is "Every shop owner we spoke with mentioned that Canon, while no longer offering warranty repairs through authorized shops, still sells parts at a competitive price to repair shops in good standing"

 

[Mt Spokane Photography]

We are going to see camera makers go away. Its amazing that so many are still hanging on. I think its becvause they are good at being smaller and able to quickly adapt. Prices will go up as production decreases too.

 

[Viggo]

I’ve always found it somewhat ironical that the better tech we have available most people choose the worst. I guess for convenience ..

 

[YuengLinger]

Motor vehicles. Major appliances, such as dishwashers and washer/dryers. Canon cameras and lenses.

I can't think of too many other things that offer much in the way of repair. Consider a flat panel TV. Paid $1200 for it three years ago? Think there are spare parts for it? A laptop about the same age?

Homeowners in the USA know how incredibly difficult it is to find a handyman. Mostly, if we want to repair something around the house, we pay through the nose for half-assed work, or we Google, go to a mega-hardware store, and do it ourselves.

Consumers have largely accepted the idea of replacing instead of repairing.

 

[Maximilian]

Consumers have largely accepted the idea of replacing instead of repairing.

Sad but true.

... Consider a flat panel TV …

I just had mint in repair under warranty. Came back with the same bug. Will bring it there again tomorrow.

Lately I DIYed my tumble dryer. Was an easy but long time job. Saved me from buying new.
But setting my hourly rate on is I could have bought two of them new

 

[YuengLinger]

I will say that Canon's repair service is the number one reason I remained with Canon when I was young enough to otherwise be tempted by some fleetingly sexy qualities of the competition. Now it is important, but so is confidence in results and being so thoroughly familiar with the gear.

If repairs became problematic, then even "investment" in lenses would not be a reason to stick.

 

[privatebydesign]

When Nikon came out with the D850 I had a friend who bought one, 3 months later he went to Iceland to do some landscape shooting and while there his new D850 stopped working, he couldn't get it repaired locally so he bought another one. When he returned to the USA he got the first one fixed without issue but then a few months later the one he purchased in Iceland also broke. He sent it into Nikon USA for repairs but they wouldn't touch it until he provided not only proof of purchase but proof of actually being in Iceland at the time of purchase, this meant he had to send in a copy of his passport with relevant pages, his airline booking reference and his credit card statement covering the purchase, just to get a repair on a less than 6 month old camera that he ended up having to pay for anyway!

I bought an EF11-24 f4 from Canada, after just a couple of months it fell off my tripod and snapped in two (as they are designed to do), I sent it in to Canon USA and they were not only happy to fix it they did it for free, they even covered the postage back to me! For a repair that was damage I caused that I bought in a different country.

Reliability and ease of service and repair are important 'features' to me.

 

[Mt Spokane Photography]

Motor vehicles. Major appliances, such as dishwashers and washer/dryers. Canon cameras and lenses.

I can't think of too many other things that offer much in the way of repair. Consider a flat panel TV. Paid $1200 for it three years ago? Think there are spare parts for it? A laptop about the same age?

Homeowners in the USA know how incredibly difficult it is to find a handyman. Mostly, if we want to repair something around the house, we pay through the nose for half-assed work, or we Google, go to a mega-hardware store, and do it ourselves.

Consumers have largely accepted the idea of replacing instead of repairing.

Generally, I can find parts and do my own. I had a 1 yr old towel heater fail a week or so ago, they sent a replacement and said scrap the old one. Got the replacement last night. Its welded together very fine welds in 20 places on the stainless tubing. I've been thinking I'd see if a dremel can cut those welds so I can figure out where the heating cable failed. Its 300 stainless, so that may be too much for my dremel. I can use my big DeWalt grinder or my jugsaw, but run the risk of cutting the cable inside. The welds are 1/2 inch long, about 1/6 the circumference of the tubes, but there are 20 of them.

I had a antenna jack break off my 6 year old Flat panel TV. I can find a new board, but not the 2 cent part that broke. Even if I did find it, its inside the tuner, and thats soldered all around, so a huge job to unsolder. I have the tool with the suction bulb, so it might work. A replacement board cost $100 and up, and a NEW TV equal to my old one that cost $800 new is now $300 and its better. The old TV is now used as a monitor and for watching online programs, its just the antenna that doesn't work. Our goat got caught in the antenna lead and pulled it apart. I had the cable fenced off, but someone took it down.

I've repaired multiple laptops, almost everything in them can be repaired or replaced, new screen, new keyboard, new drives, new radio, memory and so on. Some parts like the main board have the processor soldered on and might be a hassle to find, but I'm pretty sure I could find one. The issue is that they become obsolete so quickly, so by the time they fail, they are not worth the cost to repair.

 

[Antono Refa]

The issue is that they become obsolete so quickly, so by the time they fail, they are not worth the cost to repair.

Problem is throwing those items to the trash has a price tag as well, even if we don't have to cough up the money as we drop it into the trash can.

 

[AlanF]

I will say that Canon's repair service is the number one reason I remained with Canon when I was young enough to otherwise be tempted by some fleetingly sexy qualities of the competition. Now it is important, but so is confidence in results and being so thoroughly familiar with the gear.

If repairs became problematic, then even "investment" in lenses would not be a reason to stick.

One of my main reasons is that Canons are so well made they don't often require repair.