Why does Canon USA not honor consumer product warranties?

[awinphoto]

I've never had issue with Canon Repairs, but I am a CPS member. When it comes down to everything, i've had things fixed/repaired even out of warranty. As far as camera droppings, keep in mind that like a minor car crash, even if you dont have cosmetic damage in a low impact fender bender, there sometimes is damage under the hood or frame or... How many times have you heard of a car that looks great but a mechanic opening the hood can see where repairs or bent frame from a prior accident. Also little things, especially when a lower quality construction camera can have more damage from less impacts than lets say my 5d mark 3 with mag alloy construction. Ever drive on bumpy roads, pot holes, off roading, leave camera in the trunk, floorboards, etc? Ever drop the camera even a few inches from a table or if its in a purse, drop the purse a foot to the floor? You may not need to drop it from 4-5 feet to break a camera... sometimes it could be a lot less.

 

[Loswr]

You may not need to drop it from 4-5 feet to break a camera... sometimes it could be a lot less.

Or just the right (or wrong, in this case) angle. I've dropped my iPhone many times from waist height onto wood, tile and pavement, with no damage. But one such drop from a lower height (getting out of a car) broke the rear glass. Fortunately only a $30 fix.

 

[ECRoyce]

I think it's a rather harsh reflex decision for not fully knowing what may or may not have happened to someone else's ~$100+ point-and-shoot camera to write off a company's product line entirely. I'll assume you ARE either the aforementioned son-in-law, or more likely the husband of this person, not just another party familiar with these people to feel so personally injured in this particular case.

Working with electronics in my 9-5, I see so many things get broken due to misuse or lack of basic care, (in my personal life also with family, friends, etc) and the person rarely admits to what really happened, just out of a normal human tendency to not want to look foolish. You see enough of it however, and you know better, but you ask anyway, half out of seeing if they will actually fess up to it, and half out of a way to entertain yourself. I'm sure you may have a little bias of wanting to believe this person's side of the story, but like others have said, if it hasn't been in her possession 100% of the time, there is no way to be absolutely certain someone else may not have bumped it and damaged it and covered that fact up without her knowing.

I have personally dropped my Sony P&S onto a hard concrete floor, which when it happened I was almost sure it was going to be an end-of-life event, but after reattaching the doors, batteries, etc, it came right back on. I would think Canon would have similar build in their P&Ss and to cause functional damage would have to be pretty hard as well. Unless absolutely cheaply built, things really don't spontaneously destroy themselves anymore without a good reason.

I don't think that if I had spent enough money on a brand new higher end phone (ie. equiv to a 5D3, 70-200 lens, etc) from a company like Motorola, then had a support problem with a small accessory like a charger (ie. relative spending equiv to a SX150), that I would be talking about liquidating the phone, or never spending another penny, as a response.

Can you update this post when you plan on putting your gear on eBay?
5D3, 70-200 f/2.8L IS II, 200L II f/2.8, 100L, 24-105L, Sigma 50/1.4, Rokinon 35/1.4, Canon TC 1.4x III

No offense implied, and when you calm down, I think you'll come to your senses.

 

[Don Haines]

Gosh, if I changed companies every time a claim for any of my stuff was denied.......

In his defense... about 10 years ago I had a crappy 1.3 megapixel Olympus that I maybe paid $100 for. Probably less... but still. And at one point the camera's usb port konks out and I contact Olympus for warranty work. I explain that I purchased it within a year and I registered it online. They said that they need the original warranty otherwise they can't do anything for me. That was the last Olympus product I ever bought and if they actually were good and made cutting edge gear right now, I wouldn't touch it.

Having said that, now that things are purchased online, it makes it so much easier to keep the receipt.

I had an Olympus E-510 that died the day after the warranty ran out.... how's that for timing! They fixed it for free.

 

[Don Haines]

According to Lensrentals' data, you can expect to wait nearly 5 times as long for Nikon to fix what's broken, whether you have to pay for it or not. Oh, and if you do have to pay for it, you'll pay more.

Fourty days for Olympus! And the sad thing is, it's an improvement....

 

[wsheldon]

Fourty days for Olympus! And the sad thing is, it's an improvement....

Gotta say, though, Olympus in Hoboken, NJ, fixed my E-PL2 mirrorless in <2 weeks, including transit time. Spring-loaded flash pop-up button broke under warranty, so that required body disassembly and swapping parts. And that was <1 month after Hurricane Sandy flooded that area.

Not doubting Roger's data, but I guess YMMV.

 

[barracuda]

I'm sorry to hear about your bad experiences with Canon USA. I, on the other hand, have had nothing but good experiences.

I'm a CPS member, so I routinely send in my equipment as part of their free "Clean and Check" program. I once sent in my 70-200 and asked if there was something they could do about the auto-focus and IS switches on the lens because I felt they were too easily switched out of position. When I got the lens back they had replaced the switch panel with a new one free of charge even though it was beyond the scope of the program. By the way, I sent in the lens on a Monday and got it back on Friday of the same week, which has been a typical turnaround time.

Perhaps the pragmatic lesson is to become a CPS member if you own enough equipment to qualify. I cannot speak about warranty service as a non-CPS member, but I find that the CPS program (Gold member) pays for itself with the 2 free clean and checks, 30% off repairs, free return shipping, and most importantly, excellent customer service.

 

[Mt Spokane Photography]

Yup, there may be better choices than Nikon too. I'm certainly not married to that idea...

Maybe Sony?

http://www.photozone.de/

Tests delayed due to defects and miserable service ... (yes, we are buying many lenses just for testing):

Defective Lens	Problem	Service Center	Last Status	Now waiting for ...
Sony E 35mm f/1.8 OSS	Centering Defect	Sony Australia	Done	it took ... 74 days

well, maybe not

 

[LSV]

I'm sorry for your bad experience. My suggestion is to write a letter to Canon, calmly and clearly explaining your situation before selling off your great gears. Many years ago I had to send my Canon G3 for repair and it was a couple of weeks after the warranty has expired. I included a letter with the camera explaining that I had not used the camera for a few months and the LCD had died while it was still under warranty, but I did not find out until after the warranty has expired. All of this was absolutely true and I was hoping they would believe me and honor the warranty, although I understood and would have accepted their denial. Happily, they fixed it for free under warranty and the G3 still works to this day. I've bought quite a few Canon DSLRs and lenses since then and very satisfied with Canon over the years.

 

[distant.star]

.
"Hope for the best. Expect the worst."

Lower your expectations. Probably psychologically healthier to go around pleasantly surprised than belligerently disappointed.

 

[Meh]

and fails to provide any explanation that is meaningful as to why they refuse to perform their obligation.

Except that they did provide an explanation, they inspected and determined that the camera had been damaged by the user. I'm not saying that they are right or wrong in their assessment, but they did tell you why they are denying the warranty claim.

If they took anyone at their word that a product wasn't dropped or otherwise damaged by the owner, it wouldn't be just $100 as you stated, it would be millions because everyone who dropped their camera would send it back and claim "it just suddenly stopped working".

 

[Jay Khaos]

You have to keep in mind when you call support, their minimum wage people dont give a shit about you—and probably dont care about Canon beyond receiving their paycheck. Of course there might be some outliers, but in general if you go in from this POV you'll get better results.

I would have called back mentioning that their must have been a mistake and that you need help. Acting frustrated, making threats, asking for managers, pointing fingers and name dropping how much gear or how long you've been a customer isn't going to get you far. It's just pointless, and they hear it all day. (I assume you must have mentioned all your L glass, like you did in this post) At that point, you've only guaranteed that they will refuse to do anything for you that they dont absolutely have to do. Instead, act concerned about the issue and come at it from the POV that you are relieved to be in contact with the rep and be thankful whenever they do say anything helpful (because everyone likes feel accomplished—especially phone reps, since its a break from the 95% of angry callers). You might even get them offering up solutions you didnt know were possible if you play your cards well enough.

I'm not saying dont be mad—I would be too. But when you show it you get no where (I can speak from experience there lol).

 

[skitron]

and fails to provide any explanation that is meaningful as to why they refuse to perform their obligation.

Except that they did provide an explanation, they inspected and determined that the camera had been damaged by the user. I'm not saying that they are right or wrong in their assessment, but they did tell you why they are denying the warranty claim.

If they took anyone at their word that a product wasn't dropped or otherwise damaged by the owner, it wouldn't be just $100 as you stated, it would be millions because everyone who dropped their camera would send it back and claim "it just suddenly stopped working".

Telling the user they are a liar is not a *meaningful* explanation.

A *meaningful* explanation would be something like "the reason it zooms to the long end by itself and then you can't control it is because the ____ is broken (or malfunctioning). This typically happens because ____."

At a minimum, a *meaningful* explanation acknowledges the symptons, identifies a tangible cause, and postulates a reason why it would happen.

No?

When I hear "you dropped it" as the only explanation as to why a cosmetically mint camera that hasn't been dropped isn't going to be covered, the most likely explanation for that is that they probably didn't bother to even inspect it beyond maybe turning it on and seeing that its malfunctioning.

 

[skitron]

(I assume you must have mentioned all your L glass, like you did in this post) At that point, you've only guaranteed that they will refuse to do anything for you that they dont absolutely have to do

I've not been involved except to hear the story, As for any sort of threats or rudeness, the user didn't go down that road.

I shared my part here because to me that is the value of boards like this, to share experiences about what is good and what is not so good. I have a couple of bad experiences, others are pleased as punch, airing all of it here gives whoever wants to read a little more info to work with for themselves.

 

[zim]

In your first post you say

“First Canon USA implicitly [implied] calls her a liar”

In your post #32 you say

“Telling the user they are a liar”

If whoever she was talking to explicitly said she was lying (hopefully you have name) I would write a letter of complaint specifically on that issue and send it recorded.


As for the camera, in the UK anyway we have something called Citizens Advice I don’t know if you have anything similar, anyway without resorting to a lawyer or small claims court they will (neutrally) help with disputes like this, I had a situation a while a go where they wrote a letter confirming the issue I had with a retailer and reminding them of their responsibilities under trading law. The matter was resolved very very quickly. I believe the letter head alone was enough for them to adjust their position.
Hopefully you could do something like this.

Good luck and don’t let the red mist get in the way!

 

[sagittariansrock]

If I was in the OP's place, I'd call Canon Service back and ask them on what basis they determined it was an impact damage. It is a fair question to ask. In fact, I'd write to them so I have a record of their response.
I can understand being frustrated by poor customer support and wanting to vent, but this is what I'd have done before (and in addition to) expressing myself on this forum. My 2 cents.

Perhaps the pragmatic lesson is to become a CPS member if you own enough equipment to qualify.

I have enough equipment, and believe that $ 100 to be well spent, but unfortunately I don't make any money from photography to qualify.

 

[jdramirez]

Do you watch myth busters? they use very simple tools to determine shock trauma. it wouldn't surprise me if there wasn't something even in the cheap cameras that provided this feedback loop.

so if you did go to small claims court or an arbitrator... and Canon provides scientific evidence that there was trauma outside of normal operating conditions, would you then concede and say your mother in law was either lieing or ignorant to the damage caused by another.

which raises the question, how much information is the consumer entitled to. I don't think they should be required to provide all of that information.

 

[jdramirez]

If I was in the OP's place, I'd call Canon Service back and ask them on what basis they determined it was an impact damage. It is a fair question to ask. In fact, I'd write to them so I have a record of their response.
I can understand being frustrated by poor customer support and wanting to vent, but this is what I'd have done before (and in addition to) expressing myself on this forum. My 2 cents.

Perhaps the pragmatic lesson is to become a CPS member if you own enough equipment to qualify.

I have enough equipment, and believe that $ 100 to be well spent, but unfortunately I don't make any money from photography to qualify.

sell some boudoir photos of your neighbor to your wife. done.

 

[sagittariansrock]

If I was in the OP's place, I'd call Canon Service back and ask them on what basis they determined it was an impact damage. It is a fair question to ask. In fact, I'd write to them so I have a record of their response.
I can understand being frustrated by poor customer support and wanting to vent, but this is what I'd have done before (and in addition to) expressing myself on this forum. My 2 cents.

Perhaps the pragmatic lesson is to become a CPS member if you own enough equipment to qualify.

I have enough equipment, and believe that $ 100 to be well spent, but unfortunately I don't make any money from photography to qualify.

sell some boudoir photos of your neighbor to your wife. done.

Good one, but USCIS would be on my ass ;D (I am on work visa)