6D repair disappointment

[matrix95136]

I sent my out of warranty 6D for repair to Canon USA (bought in April 2013). Multi controller toggle had stopped responding to the left after a few drops of sea water had splashed on the back side. Everything else worked on the camera and I had been using it for many months.

Canon service could not repair the camera saying there was extensive water damage. I was offered to purchase a new or refurbished one. I opted to receive the camera back since I didn't want to spend close to $1000/1500 for refurbished/new 6D. However the returned camera doesn't even turn on! It makes bunch of whirring sounds when powered on. Previously, I was able to use the camera almost completely except the left move issue. Now it is unusable . Total loss of camera seems unacceptable to me. I am very disappointed. What recourse do I have? I will be calling them on Monday as they are closed on weekend.

Thanks
Deepinder.

 

[Mt Spokane Photography]

Water damage totals a camera Canon saw the damage internally and returned it to you because salt damage gets worse over time it's to be expected that troubles will grow. There are water resistant cameras but they are not going to like seawater. Put your camera in a protective device or in a plastic bag where water is a possibility

You can try a third party repair but I'd sell it on eBay and buy the appropriate camera for your use

 

[PhotographyFirst]

That sucks. If you plan on shooting near saltwater, then that's something you need to be wiling to expect.

I use a Rebel T1i for shooting near saltwater, as I don't care if it gets totaled. They cost $230 used and are relatively disposable compared to FF cameras.

I wonder if Canon took the camera apart and after determined it was "totaled" just slapped it back together as quickly and carelessly as possible. That's pretty lame for just a button not working.

At this point, it can't hurt to take it apart yourself and try to fix it. At least you would get an idea of how it's put together.

 

[rfdesigner]

If you were in the UK I'd suggest the small claims court.

I think you've been treated very shoddily.

Edit.. just thinking about it.. I would video a disassembly, with a witness. if you find that they haven't put it back together properly (i.e. ribbon cables not inserted into plugs, screws missing etc, then I'd make a formal complaint and ensure you also copy the US head of canon.)

They shouldn't make your kit worse, and I do wonder what their legal position is if they haven't even tried to put it back together properly

 

[matrix95136]

I now fully understand the damage even a few drops of sea water can do. I will certainly be very careful in the future.

My disappointment is that canon didn't even try to return the camera remotely to the state it was in when I shipped it. I didn't even need to get it repaired since every thing was working except left move of multi-controller. I had a hiatus in events so I decided to ship the camera for repair.

Mt. Spokane - I couldn't sell it on Ebay because the camera is bricked at this point. It won't even turn on!

PhotographyFirst and rfedesigner - I am inclined to agree that Canon sloppily put the camera together once they determined there was water damage. They might have assumed the customer (me) would agree to purchase a replacement (refurbished or new) so there wasn't any need to diligently put the camera together.

rfedesigner - I like your idea. I will try to record the dissasembly to see if this thesis is correct and make a formal complaint if that is so.

 

[rfdesigner]

I now fully understand the damage even a few drops of sea water can do. I will certainly be very careful in the future.

My disappointment is that canon didn't even try to return the camera remotely to the state it was in when I shipped it. I didn't even need to get it repaired since every thing was working except left move of multi-controller. I had a hiatus in events so I decided to ship the camera for repair.

Mt. Spokane - I couldn't sell it on Ebay because the camera is bricked at this point. It won't even turn on!

PhotographyFirst and rfedesigner - I am inclined to agree that Canon sloppily put the camera together once they determined there was water damage. They might have assumed the customer (me) would agree to purchase a replacement (refurbished or new) so there wasn't any need to diligently put the camera together.

rfedesigner - I like your idea. I will try to record the dissasembly to see if this thesis is correct and make a formal complaint if that is so.

Thinking about it.. the witness ought to be someone sufficiently independant.. (not your mum)

Good luck

 

[tcmatthews]

At least they offered you a refurbish. When I sent my 60D they sent back a cryptic note saying it was totaled and I owed them $350. I was at work and did not want to deal with it. By the time I got home the account said I own them nothing.

A few days later I got the camera back the statement said I owed them nothing. Two days latter I get a statement saying I owed them $350 for the repairs. I was about to lose it then I realized the letter was sent before the camera. I still confused about the entire thing. Not to mention I had the entire Fedex song and dance about getting a signature. All I know is I will never use their webpage to get anything repaired. I am calling from now on.

Now I was hoping for a repair or offer for replacement because it drowned.

 

[Mt Spokane Photography]

I now fully understand the damage even a few drops of sea water can do. I will certainly be very careful in the future.

My disappointment is that canon didn't even try to return the camera remotely to the state it was in when I shipped it. I didn't even need to get it repaired since every thing was working except left move of multi-controller. I had a hiatus in events so I decided to ship the camera for repair.

Mt. Spokane - I couldn't sell it on Ebay because the camera is bricked at this point. It won't even turn on!

PhotographyFirst and rfedesigner - I am inclined to agree that Canon sloppily put the camera together once they determined there was water damage. They might have assumed the customer (me) would agree to purchase a replacement (refurbished or new) so there wasn't any need to diligently put the camera together.

rfedesigner - I like your idea. I will try to record the dissasembly to see if this thesis is correct and make a formal complaint if that is so.

You can certainly sell a dead camera on ebay, and it might bring more than you expect. Just tell the story as you did here. There are many camera repair people who buy damaged cameras either for parts, or to repair and resell.

I would call Canon and tell them of your issue to see what they say. It is possible that it was incorrectly re-assembled, or that additional parts failed.

Have a independent place look at it. I'm sure they can get it working, and if it lives another year or more, you will be ahead. My daughter sent her iPhone thru the clothes washer and it worked for a year before dying.