Any thoughts on sending lens for Service

[Maru]

Hi Seniors

Any thoughts on sending lens for Service during Covid situation in US! Do you think it will be stuck with them for long long time or chance of loosing it etc!

Do I need to take any type of insurnace etc! {Sending for first time}

Why am I sending it: My 24-70mkii is on 7th year, rubber grip is very loose and i just want an overall cleaning service just so that it runs longer

Thanks
Maru

 

[FrenchFry]

Hi,

Based on my (albeit limited) experience, I don't think that you should be worried about sending your lens in for a repair right now. To ensure that nothing gets lost, you will want to ship the lens with insurance (of course) and tracking. You may also want to take photos of the lens in the box and any other accessories that you decide to send with it, such as front and rear caps. I would advise against sending in anything unnecessary that could be misplaced, such as a lens case. There is room on the form for you to list all accessories that you sent in, and you can label the items that you send in (for instance "Accessory 1 of 2: Rear Cap") to make it easy for them to check if they forgot anything before re-packing their box.

In June, I ordered a 400mm DO II (new) that arrived with visible defects on the lens mount rubber. My store didn't have any others to do an exchange, so they directed me to go through Canon service, which I thought would be a huge pain. It wasn't. Apart from a longer than expected hold time to reach the service center (45 minutes), everything else exceeded my expectations.

Canon's phone team was excellent, and sent me a prepaid label since the lens was brand new. They expedited the shipping, so it arrived to them within 2 days (while traveling 3000 miles to VA since the one in CA was closed). They fixed the lens within another two days, and shipped it back to me expedited.

All in all, it took one week for them to repair the lens. For some reason, the lens suitcase arrived back with many scratches. I sent them a photo of before (it was brand new) and after (it looked like it had been through an ordeal), and they shipped me a new suitcase with no hassle (supposedly a $450 value, so non-trivial). I was glad that I had photographed everything before sending it in.

Would I have preferred to receive a non-defective lens in the first place or just get a different new one from my store? Yes, of course. But Canon's service on this one seemed like the next best thing. Excellent by any standard, and you would never have known it was all taking place during a pandemic.

I had to send in my R5 yesterday due to a faulty circuit board (hold time reduced to 20 minutes). I'm hoping for the same level of great service. This time the CA service center is open, so it may be even faster. Again, I would have preferred to get a non-defective camera or to be able to do an exchange at the store, but those options were not available.

It's a good thing that Canon's service is so good, because I've wound up needing it on my first two Canon purchases so far. The other camera brands that I have owned in the last couple of years have very poor reputations for their service, but I never wound up needing them even after shooting in very challenging environments. I'm hoping my experience with Canon gear improves from here on out, as I've purchased several more lenses and hope to switch over to Canon entirely this year.

Good luck with your repair. I think you will be pleasantly surprised.

 

[Maru]

Hi,

Based on my (albeit limited) experience, I don't think that you should be worried about sending your lens in for a repair right now. To ensure that nothing gets lost, you will want to ship the lens with insurance (of course) and tracking. You may also want to take photos of the lens in the box and any other accessories that you decide to send with it, such as front and rear caps. I would advise against sending in anything unnecessary that could be misplaced, such as a lens case. There is room on the form for you to list all accessories that you sent in, and you can label the items that you send in (for instance "Accessory 1 of 2: Rear Cap") to make it easy for them to check if they forgot anything before re-packing their box.

In June, I ordered a 400mm DO II (new) that arrived with visible defects on the lens mount rubber. My store didn't have any others to do an exchange, so they directed me to go through Canon service, which I thought would be a huge pain. It wasn't. Apart from a longer than expected hold time to reach the service center (45 minutes), everything else exceeded my expectations.

Canon's phone team was excellent, and sent me a prepaid label since the lens was brand new. They expedited the shipping, so it arrived to them within 2 days (while traveling 3000 miles to VA since the one in CA was closed). They fixed the lens within another two days, and shipped it back to me expedited.

All in all, it took one week for them to repair the lens. For some reason, the lens suitcase arrived back with many scratches. I sent them a photo of before (it was brand new) and after (it looked like it had been through an ordeal), and they shipped me a new suitcase with no hassle (supposedly a $450 value, so non-trivial). I was glad that I had photographed everything before sending it in.

Would I have preferred to receive a non-defective lens in the first place or just get a different new one from my store? Yes, of course. But Canon's service on this one seemed like the next best thing. Excellent by any standard, and you would never have known it was all taking place during a pandemic.

I had to send in my R5 yesterday due to a faulty circuit board (hold time reduced to 20 minutes). I'm hoping for the same level of great service. This time the CA service center is open, so it may be even faster. Again, I would have preferred to get a non-defective camera or to be able to do an exchange at the store, but those options were not available.

It's a good thing that Canon's service is so good, because I've wound up needing it on my first two Canon purchases so far. The other camera brands that I have owned in the last couple of years have very poor reputations for their service, but I never wound up needing them even after shooting in very challenging environments. I'm hoping my experience with Canon gear improves from here on out, as I've purchased several more lenses and hope to switch over to Canon entirely this year.

Good luck with your repair. I think you will be pleasantly surprised.

How do i get insurance..any guidance will be helpful...do I need to ask fedex/usps!

 

[FrenchFry]

Hi,

When paying for your shipping label, there should be a field for "declared value" or something similar. You would put in the replacement cost of the lens, and they will show you how much the insurance costs. If the package is lost en route, then after an investigation and lots of paperwork, you would be reimbursed for the cost of the lens, but not the shipping.
If the package arrives at the destination, then gets lost, you would have your tracking confirmation and deal with Canon (no shipping insurance would help with this).

My assumption is that you wanted insurance for the shipping process specifically, to which the above would apply.

If you want to know about camera/lens insurance generally, you may have an option to add this insurance to your homeowners or renters insurance as a rider for a nominal annual fee. In the event that your camera equipment is lost/stolen/dropped/broken, etc. you would file a claim and be reimbursed for the replacement value of this equipment. There may be an option to not have any deductible.

If you have lots of camera gear, scheduling the items would make sense in the event of an unforeseen issue as it can be very costly to replace. In my case, I find that the extremely reasonable fee that my insurance charges me is worth the peace of mind, particularly when traveling or using gear in areas with moisture, sand, etc.

Depending on your policy, if you had this type of insurance you might be able to make a claim through this insurance instead of paying for the UPS or FedEx insurance. It might cost around the same, except you would be insured for the entire year and against anything else that goes wrong.

Let me know if you have any more questions!

 

[Maru]

Hi,

When paying for your shipping label, there should be a field for "declared value" or something similar. You would put in the replacement cost of the lens, and they will show you how much the insurance costs. If the package is lost en route, then after an investigation and lots of paperwork, you would be reimbursed for the cost of the lens, but not the shipping.
If the package arrives at the destination, then gets lost, you would have your tracking confirmation and deal with Canon (no shipping insurance would help with this).

My assumption is that you wanted insurance for the shipping process specifically, to which the above would apply.

If you want to know about camera/lens insurance generally, you may have an option to add this insurance to your homeowners or renters insurance as a rider for a nominal annual fee. In the event that your camera equipment is lost/stolen/dropped/broken, etc. you would file a claim and be reimbursed for the replacement value of this equipment. There may be an option to not have any deductible.

If you have lots of camera gear, scheduling the items would make sense in the event of an unforeseen issue as it can be very costly to replace. In my case, I find that the extremely reasonable fee that my insurance charges me is worth the peace of mind, particularly when traveling or using gear in areas with moisture, sand, etc.

Depending on your policy, if you had this type of insurance you might be able to make a claim through this insurance instead of paying for the UPS or FedEx insurance. It might cost around the same, except you would be insured for the entire year and against anything else that goes wrong.

Let me know if you have any more questions!

Thanks a lot...I didnt know renter insurance covers the camera {even when its not in home ..i thought its only for wate/fire etc home damage }... I have renter insurance from assurant ...

last question..what type of box i sld use for packing..just the hard box from Lowes..with lots of bubble/foam and cover with ziplock bag!

 

[FrenchFry]

Hi,
You would need to get a special add on our rider to your normal policy for the camera coverage that I described. It is not part of standard renters policies. You could call them to find out the options that your insurer offers.
Yes, you can purchase a sturdy corrugated box from a hardware store, or from a shipping store. Fedex/UPS sell boxes and bubble wrap. You could also re-use a box if you have received any packages lately, and use newspaper for passing. Double-corrugated cardboard is a lot stronger than normal cardboard, so get that if available. If you are really concerned, you can also double-box the lens (wrap it well in the small box and put the small box in a larger box with padding).

 

[Maru]

Hi,
You would need to get a special add on our rider to your normal policy for the camera coverage that I described. It is not part of standard renters policies. You could call them to find out the options that your insurer offers.
Yes, you can purchase a sturdy corrugated box from a hardware store, or from a shipping store. Fedex/UPS sell boxes and bubble wrap. You could also re-use a box if you have received any packages lately, and use newspaper for passing. Double-corrugated cardboard is a lot stronger than normal cardboard, so get that if available. If you are really concerned, you can also double-box the lens (wrap it well in the small box and put the small box in a larger box with padding).

thanks for all guidance..

 

[FrenchFry]

You're welcome! I hope it goes well!