What happens when you send a camera to Nikon for Repair

Msmoto

For multiple attempts to repair I would check the "Lemon Laws" for the region and see if the time required for repairs or the number of attempts makes it Nikon's responsibility to replace the unit.

shawnino

Lemon Laws: will check, but consumer litigation isn't the business in Canada that it is in the US.

Symphotic

My status is now "Shipped" with a ship date of 1/14. So it takes a day an a half for them to update the website.

I should receive the camera today, I'll let you know if the repair solved the problem. Anyway, from in their door to out their door was 6 working days on their part. For my business, that is an acceptable time frame.

Swame_sp

Now they have sent me an estimate of $230 for cleaning up the sensor. I'm like WTH????? After I explained them that it's re-sent for the earlier repair, the rep has asked in the email that "what is the exact reason that I have sent for".

I don't know where this NY service center is heading to.... If they have to ask me the reason, how could they charge $230?????

PB_PM

Under warranty, as far as I know, you are only given one free sensor cleaning. After that they charge regular rates.

Symphotic

O.K., the camera is back from LA. 7 working days turn around, including transit time. As a reminder, I sent the D800 in because I found for best results I needed fine focus tuning of up to -20, which isn't fine tuning.

I tested it with my 24-70, which no longer needs the fine tuning set at -20: it is spot on focus now. My 105 mm micro-Nikkor was giving me fits at f/2.8, but now it focuses accurately when used about 300 mm from my subject, which is where I use it most. My manual focus 60 mm micro-Nikkor is in focus when the little focus confirmation says it is. All is good.

Nikon Service states:

B2
Service Repair Rank B2
Write Up
Repair
*
ADJ AUTO FOCUS OPERATION
ADJ SHARPNESS
CKD IMAGE TEST
CLN IMAGE SENSOR
FIRMWARE UPGRADE
GENERAL CHECK & CLEAN

I am satisfied with the work and the time frame. Better than new. Now to buy more lenses!

NSXTypeR

When I was in Hong Kong I went to the Langham Plaza repair center in Mongkok for a sensor cleaning. This is just prior to the camera locking up on me. This is a nice place because I am not sure if you can walk on a service center in the US or anywhere else. It is like a butcher's shop and you get to take a ticket and talk to a real person. A sensor cleaning is $300 HKD, or half that if you show a valid HK Nikon receipt. That ends up being around $40 USD, which comes out to be pretty good in my opinion, especially if you're not confident enough to do a wet clean yourself. They also do lens cleanings for free but because I needed to use them I didn't want to come back if they weren't ready at the same time as the body.

I gave in my camera at around 11:00 and they told me to pick it up at around 3:00. Unfortunately, they didn't seem to be ready at 3:00 so it was more like 3:40 when the camera was ready to be picked up. I felt like they do NPS stuff first before they do other things. Not that I'm complaining, but I did pay for the sensor to be cleaned and they did tell me to pick it up at 3:00.

On the plus side, they did have multiple products for you to look at. I'm not sure if they allow purchases however. There was a D4 with a 300mm 2.8, a D800E with a 200-400 F/4 and a D300s with a 200mm F2 at the side so you can shoot at buildings and stuff. Too bad some were a bit wonky and all of them were using Chinese language. I think in the morning the D800E was working fine- in the afternoon when I returned to pick up the D40 it wouldn't AF, even if I pressed the AF button. In any case, it took me a while to switch them back to English.

I wanted to look at a D600 but it was only available for display.

There were also booths so you can look at point and shoots, the 1 series cameras and the D7000, D5100 and D3000. If you really want to try out a different camera, they'll remove one from the booth and place the one you want. I think someone wanted to shoot with a J1 instead of a V1.

They also do troubleshoots if you have questions about your equipment.

One word of warning however- they'll charge an inspection fee whether or not you do a repair. If you do do a repair, they'll deduct the cost of the inspection fee from the repair.

They also have a repair center at Tai Koo Shing in Central. I think that is the central repair depot because I overheard a conversation where this depot didn't have the parts to fix something.

Some photos of the place-

Lare

I sent in my camera almost a week ago and I still haven't received an email saying they (Nikon) have received it. UPS shows it delivered. Is this normal or should I be burning up some phone lines?

Symphotic

I love Hongkong--I used to run a service center there myself.

I don't know about walk-ins at the LA Nikon service center, but many years ago I walked into a minolta service center here in LA with a dirty lens from my CLE and they disassembled it, cleaned it, and tested it in less than an hour, no charge, and no paperwork required to show I bought in in the U.S. (I didn't). The engineers were Japanese and they were surprised that I could speak Japanese...maybe that helped get fast service: they might have thought I was somebody.

spraynpray

I sent in my camera almost a week ago and I still haven't received an email saying they (Nikon) have received it. UPS shows it delivered. Is this normal or should I be burning up some phone lines?

That is normal Lare. I have had the same situation myself on a couple of occasions - I think it is a way of them massaging their turn around times.

Lare

Thank you very much. I'll reign in my normal reaction (fly to LA and demand immediate response) and sit tight for a few more days.

Having read some of the turnaround times here, I thought that maybe I hit the leading edge of a wave of returns or something.

PB_PM

I think Nikon's policy on that is two fold. You need to get an RMA number before sending it, and second they hold any items for 15-30 days before they dump it.

Symphotic

Thank you very much. I'll reign in my normal reaction (fly to LA and demand immediate response) and sit tight for a few more days.

Having read some of the turnaround times here, I thought that maybe I hit the leading edge of a wave of returns or something.

It took about one week (5 working days) for me to get acknowledgment from Nikon that they had received my camera. Then, by the time the notified me the work was completed, it was already on its way back. I think they work faster than they update their website. At this point you are still within the normal response time. If it went to LA I think you should get it back in another week. But post your cameras progress here!

Lare

Really good to know. I'll sit back for at least a day or so before I start wondering again. (BTW, Thanks to this forum I gleaned that I should fill out an on-line form for both the lens and the body before I sent it in.)

My main problem is that I keep reading NR and It makes me want to be out taking pictures!

I'll post progress as it happens.

Swame_sp

Ok, another update to my sensor cleaning service order. Initially when I sent it, Nikon estimated for $220, for Service Repair Bank B2. The shipping label (sent from nikon as it's a repeat service for the same issue) had the service order # on it, so did not include any letter detailing the issue.

AFter I received initial estimate ($220), I was confused as I sent it for sensor cleaning. So emailed customer rep (by creating an account), now they have re-estimated for sensor cleaning (charges only for this).

I'm intrigued because, why would they want to revoke the b2 service from my order? I'm not a pixel peeper, but when I zoom my images 50% it has always been blurry (all my images till date). I'm bit confused, waiting for update from the service rep.

shawnino

@Swame_sp: Do I understand this correctly:
1) You sent D7000 in for cleaning (which was under warranty, or out of warranty but you agreed to pay for)
2) It was not cleaned properly (thread left on sensor)
3) They then wanted $220 to fix their own error
4) They now want less than $220, but still more than $0 to fix their own error.

Correct?

Swame_sp

@shawino, yes you are correct.
1) It was out of warranty and I paid for cleaning.
2) Yes
3) Yes, by claiming a different service description
4) Yes

As per their service rep, for repeat service within 6 months service warranty, there won't be any extra charges. Let's see what these guys are coming up with.

spraynpray

Somebody needs to explain. Fully.

shawnino

That's brutal @Swame_sp. Very sorry to read that. Please keep us informed.

NSXTypeR

I love Hongkong--I used to run a service center there myself.

I don't know about walk-ins at the LA Nikon service center, but many years ago I walked into a minolta service center here in LA with a dirty lens from my CLE and they disassembled it, cleaned it, and tested it in less than an hour, no charge, and no paperwork required to show I bought in in the U.S. (I didn't). The engineers were Japanese and they were surprised that I could speak Japanese...maybe that helped get fast service: they might have thought I was somebody.

Wow- so were you a technician or were you more of a manager?

Did you exclusively service Nikon cameras or other cameras too?

And where did you work?

I really liked the Nikon Hong Kong service centers- at the very least you have saved money on shipping.

It's ironic that I live so close to the Nikon HQ on the east coast and to my knowledge they don't do walk ins.

Symphotic

Not Nikon: I ran a service center for optical spectroscopy instrumentation, and I was the tech support, engineering, salesman, manager and janitor. My title was "Managing Director", a cool title, but there was only me and my clerk who did the books and answered the phone in Chinese. I had a good time. Hongkong was a great place to work. Best food in the world.

PaulDi

Richmond Nikon last December. I took my D600 in at about 4,000 shutter releases with a very large number of sensor spots. I was leaving for a trip in only a week and explained that too them. 4 days later it was back and clean as a whistle. I was treated very well.

(of course, I might try them again -- I think I have some spots starting to appear again which isn't supposed to happen - I'm at somewhere around 7,500 clicks now)

Lare

Well, Symphotic hit it right on the head. One week to the day after UPS said they received it I got an email acknowledging that they had my camera and lens. Spraynpray is probably right that this allows them to massage theri turn-around times as they don't have to show five days.
I don't think they've worked on it at all yet as its status is "estimate" but because it's warranty it shows a cost of $0.00. It also says the repair is a B2 level so either they have taken a quick look, it's a known problem, or someone is making a guess based on my written description.

PB_PM

Just got my AF-S 300mm F4D IF-ED back from a repair (mentioned in Photo a day thread), in just over a week. The squeak in the focus motor, that has been intermittent over the last year, must have been more serious than I thought, they replaced the AF-S motor. The lens is only 3 1/2 years old, so I hope this doesn't come up again in another 3-4 years! BTW, repair price? $0!!! So yet, another good report about Nikon Richmond (BC).

Golf007sd

@PB_PM Glad your repair work is to your satisfaction. Now you have to go and put it to work :P