Lone protester takes on the camera companies at CES

[Rienzphotoz]

As posted at:
http://www.imaging-resource.com/news/2013/02/05/lone-protester-takes-on-the-camera-companies-at-ces

Lone protester takes on the camera companies at CES
by Dan Havlik

posted Tuesday, February 5, 2013 at 1:07 PM EST

We must've missed this during the hubbub of CES but camera repairman Kelly Chong was out pounding the pavement in front of the Las Vegas Convention Center during the show last month to protest what he says is unfair treatment by imaging manufacturers against small camera shops.

Chong claims manufacturers, including Nikon, Canon, and Sony, are not providing local camera shops with the necessary repair parts to fix customers' cameras. Instead, customers are forced to send their cameras directly to manufacturers, which is time-consuming, potentially expensive, and takes work away from local shops.

According to this video from Slashdot, Chong says he had been an exhibitor at CES/PMA since 1985 but no longer participates. The store he's affiliated with is Pro Camera Repair, Inc., in San Diego, California.

We've heard Chong's complaint before from other camera repair shops and, in fact, it was the subject of an article about a year ago on ifixit.org entitled "How Nikon is Killing Camera Repair." (Per Kelly's beef, it's not just Nikon by any means; there's been a general move in recent years to pull back support from independent shops.)

While we strongly encourage camera manufacturers to make repair parts available to independent repair organizations, we do think Kelly's "economic terrorists" epithet is waaay over the top.

 

[Mt Spokane Photography]

He is right. Canon, and Nikon have reduced the number of Independent Authorized repair centers to just a handful in the USA. They are all very large repair depots and must have all their technicians trained and certified. They must also purchase tools and software from Canon.
The result is that they are qualified to fix pretty much anything on your camera or lens.
However, there are many minor things that could be easily fixed by a local small repair shop and Canon should be selling them parts. Its not the same as a automobile where there are many third party parts manufacturers and sellers, most of the Canon camera parts are only available from Canon.
I thought that they can buy parts from Canon, they just do not get them wholesale, which makes them overpriced.

 

[bycostello]

can see his point

 

[R1-7D]

He definitely is right.

I have purchased several spare parts for my 5D Mark II through Pro Camera Repair and their service has been excellent. I will be incredibly upset if I eventually have to send my camera away to Canon for just a small repair I could have done myself much more cheaply and faster.

 

[Mt Spokane Photography]

He definitely is right.

I have purchased several spare parts for my 5D Mark II through Pro Camera Repair and their service has been excellent. I will be incredibly upset if I eventually have to send my camera away to Canon for just a small repair I could have done myself much more cheaply and faster.

It sounds like pro camera repair tried to pull a fast one by selling lens test equipment and software that was acquired from Canon to independent Repair shops that were not on Canon's approved list.

It was a costly thing to try, and now they are claiming that they did not do anythiing wrong, when its obvious that they were trying to do a "End Run"

http://procamerarepair.3dcartstores.com/Canon-And-Nikon-Lawsuit_ep_51.html

 

[distant.star]

.
Welcome to Capitalism.

It's a hard and ugly thing.

 

[R1-7D]

He definitely is right.

I have purchased several spare parts for my 5D Mark II through Pro Camera Repair and their service has been excellent. I will be incredibly upset if I eventually have to send my camera away to Canon for just a small repair I could have done myself much more cheaply and faster.

It sounds like pro camera repair tried to pull a fast one by selling lens test equipment and software that was acquired from Canon to independent Repair shops that were not on Canon's approved list.

It was a costly thing to try, and now they are claiming that they did not do anythiing wrong, when its obvious that they were trying to do a "End Run"

http://procamerarepair.3dcartstores.com/Canon-And-Nikon-Lawsuit_ep_51.html

Ahh, well the plot thickens then!

 

[R1-7D]

.
Welcome to Capitalism.

It's a hard and ugly thing.

...But still so much better than the alternatives.

 

[paul13walnut5]

Its the swizzle of fixed price servicing.

I miss being able to talk to the guy who fixed it, who can demonstrate the reair and give me the dud part as a souvineer.

I remember my now closed local shop replaced all the light traps on my eos 5 a2e.
Got it back the following day, fixed and at the price of a couple of beers.

 

[tron]

.
Welcome to Capitalism.

It's a hard and ugly thing.

...But still so much better than the alternatives.

Why? You assume there is only an alternative and in fact a worse one?

How about all other things being equal, companies try to play nice and still earn a lot of money in the process?

 

[robbymack]

.
Welcome to Capitalism.

It's a hard and ugly thing.

...But still so much better than the alternatives.

Crony capitalism is probably a more accurate description...sad to see the local shops losing the battle.

 

[LetTheRightLensIn]

.
Welcome to Capitalism.

It's a hard and ugly thing.

...But still so much better than the alternatives.

....but also so much worse than capitalism.... NOT gone overboard.
Not exactly like independent, small business repair shops are the height of socialism are they? haha

 

[Rocky]

I have once try to send in my 8 X 25 IS binocular toe Canon Service center to fix the IS. It is only 1 1/2 year old. I have a quote of $450. I paid $175 brand new from a local shop. ( a very good sale). Can it be more CRAZY, REDIDICULUS, GRAB YOU BY THE THROAT....???

 

[Robert Welch]

I have a good friend who has been an independent camera repair shop owner since the 1970's. He has held on through the onslaught of P&S cameras then digital, weathering the changes of the industry by adapting and learning. But the current trend of companies not supplying parts is threatening his lively hood in a way that it has never been threatened before. His business was not a threat to Nikon/Canon or the other manufacturers, but now they seem to be looking to prevent him from continuing to serve his clients. It's a shame because there is a level of customer service that he, and others like him, can provide, and it's a disservice that the camera makers are doing to their own loyal customers by no longer allowing him access to parts so he can keep their cameras working. Will it result in more new camera sales when owners can't get a sometimes simple repair done at a reasonable rate? Probably, and I imagine this has a lot to do with their decision to no longer supply these parts. But the good will he provided for those companies on their behalf will be lost, and they probably don't appreciate how much of a loss that will be.

 

[Mt Spokane Photography]

I have once try to send in my 8 X 25 IS binocular toe Canon Service center to fix the IS. It is only 1 1/2 year old. I have a quote of $450. I paid $175 brand new from a local shop. ( a very good sale). Can it be more CRAZY, REDIDICULUS, GRAB YOU BY THE THROAT.... ???

You can have a car accident, and find it costs more to repair than its worth. Same with a TV set. Its a common situation. Sony has long had the reputation of being the worst at this.

 

[paul13walnut5]

Its a relatively minor inconvenience if your dslr has to go back to canon for a week or two, i guess a minor underlying point is that if your adapted takumar diaphragm gets oily, or a hole appears in your novoflex bellows, or the silvering in your occassionally used but treasured contax g2 gets dull - no independents, who ya gonna call?

 

[R1-7D]

.
Welcome to Capitalism.

It's a hard and ugly thing.

...But still so much better than the alternatives.

Why? You assume there is only an alternative and in fact a worse one?

How about all other things being equal, companies try to play nice and still earn a lot of money in the process?

Anyways, back to topic...

I do feel for Pro Camera Repair. I have had nothing but good service from them and I will continue to support them as best as a"hobbiest" customer can with an occasional repair need. I am interested to find out more information on what's happening behind the scenes, however, as Mt Spokane Photography has pointed out.

 

[pedro]

afaik, over here (Swtzerland) you cannot send your DSLR to another than an official Canon Rep. Even though you take it to your brick and mortar shop where you bought it. They'll do that anyway due to guarantee reasons...