What happens when you send a camera to Nikon for Repair

Mecubig

Hi, Dissent , so from the day they recieved to the day you got the email to your junk box is how long ? Would you post ? Thk.

Mecubig

Updated ! Today

They said on status " PARTS HOLD" I guest they mean wait for parts .

Raymond

To continue with my experience with Nikon Canada.

Sent in my Nikon D4 with focus issues and also asked them to replace the shutter as the camera had 400,000 clicks.

Final bill came to $847 plus tax.

They replaced my shutter like I asked, replaced the mirror box and bayonet mount to fix the focus issues, and they also replaced the vertical thumb rest, and the ISO buttons due to wearing out of the letters.

There was a glitch though, when I went to pick up the camera the AF/M button was not working so not able to switch between AF-S and AF-C. The lady kept the camera for another day and I got a call back very quickly saying the camera is ready for pick up again.

Last year I paid $499 just to have the shutter replaced on my D3, so for an extra $347 to replace the mirror box and bayonet mount is to me a bargain. Some guy is selling the D4 mirror box on ebay for $1200 USD.

So far I am very happy with the repair, the focus is very sharp and very fast. And the actual repair only took them 3 days.

The service experience at the beginning was kind of rocky, and that I think that was due to poor training and lack of information available to the front end staff and to the customer (repair status page), and that caused considerable frustration. If Nikon counter staff were able to explain better the repair/estimate process so the customer is better able to gauge their expectation then the whole transaction would have been much smoother.

With now two major repair experiences with Nikon Canada, I can say that the technical repair portion is top notch, if you can look past the frustrations with the customer service representatives. And unfortunately many of the reviews here can be traced back to poor communication and treatment from the rep rather than how well or how poorly the camera was repaired.

Nikon is not being perceived as a good company because the front end reps don't portray the company as being competent and professional. This is unfortunate for Nikon because the customer service counter will be all the customer sees. The bulk of the customer experience will be judged based on the interaction with the rep.

spraynpray

+1 raymond

Thompsonrh

I am an NPS member. I've had several lens' go back to Nikon Canada in the past couple of years and gritted my teeth at the bill, all around $600 plus tax plus shipping but my current experience certainly takes the biscuit. The tilt/shift mechanism on the Nikon PC-E NIKKOR 24mm f/3.5D ED is marginal at best and can be a pain to lock and unlock in extreme temperatures. Recently the shift lock knob fell off and to make matters worse, the lock fell inside the lens. The latter was easily recovered but not so easy to reassemble. But without the custom driver, you can't just remove the top plate. I expect the Technician would take 30 mins max to unscrew 4 screws, assemble the lock and replace the top plate. So it was shipped to Mississauga ($70) July 27th. Today almost 2 weeks later, August 9th the quote is telephoned in $540 plus tax plus shipping. There's only one reason, because Nikon has a monopoly on service. And I'm not that impressed with the service; a previous lens repair had to be returned because of dust inside the lens, another occasion they forgot to include the lens cap and still another case, 105mm 1:2D, replacing the built in lens hood and it no longer locks in place. All to say, Nikon needs to wake up, with a stagnant share price (lower today than 5 years ago) they need to change. Once a customer leaves they'll never come back. Suffice to say, I'm pretty miffed.

Ironheart

Did they indicate what repairs are to be performed for the tidy sum?

paulr

I sold my NikonPC-E 24 for that very reason The control Knobs never seemed right

Thompsonrh

So far I've only talked to the Gatekeeper who only knows whats on the computer screen. The only info "they had to calibrate the lens". I asked to be transferred to a manager and I was transferred to an answering machine. That was yesterday afternoon and not a peep so far. I'll keep you posted. I'm mulling over legal action. As a professional with a big investment in Nikon equipment, I have no option but to use their service. They can charge whatever they like and as I said before, most of the repairs have been returned with problems. I cant even use the Nikon USA. Even if I simply take them to Small Claims, I'd at least send a message. Hopefully others would do the same.

paulr

Sadly, what ever country you live in the the Nikon Service Centre is only as good has the staff running it. It is clear that in different countries Nikon staff are not all the same! My experience with Nikon Uk has been very good with a fast turnaround of any repairs needed.I do try and return favours when I can and know key players in the local NPS Nikon group. Like yourself I have a substantial investment with Nikon and when things go wrong you need a good back-up service.Being a NPS member, you should be getting just that.

Raymond

Well, at Nikon Canada, you don't even get to ask what parts they replaced or how they fixed your camera until you pay the bill!!!! That's right, the lady at the repair counter will tell you that she can only print up the system invoice after you pay, and only the system invoice will show what parts the techs have replaced, and you have to pay either way so to get your camera back. But then she tells you all this while holding my camera that is wrapped with a hand written service form that looks like had been completed by the technician during repair and have his written notes all over the form on the parts he ordered. But this hand written form is not to be viewed by the customer, even when the lady had it right in her hand. The customer is only allowed to see the system invoice after you pay. So you are left bitting your tongue and hoping for the best. In my case, my bill was $849 plus tax, and I only found out what they have done AFTER I paid. This is the customer service we get in Canada.

Yes, I know I have authorized their estimate and have authorized them to go ahead with the repair. But again, the authorization was given solely based on a guessing number provided by Nikon which came with absolutely no detail as to what I am paying for. What else can a Nikon Canada customer do, say no????, then where else am I supposed to get my camera fixed?

Where else in the world are you expected to shell out money and are not allowed to ask what you are getting for your money?

Thompsonrh

Raymond, I live in Montreal and a colleague just told me about http://www.servicecamerapro.com/ in Quebec city. I've just made an inquiry about my lens repair. I'll keep u posted. This makes you want to cry, but 10 years ago, I had a lens repaired by Nikon Canada (a $2000 24-70mm) and it was returned to me in a six pack beer box! I also had a lens returned without the rear lens cap and another returned with clearly visible dust inside the front lens (that was returned and fixed at no cost, however I did have to pay the $70 to ship it to Mississauga because they've close the Montreal office). I'm guessing, sadly, the writing is on the wall for Nikon.

WestEndFoto

Raymond/Thompsonrh, which alternative system would you prefer? The current system (I am from Vancouver) involves Nikon guessing what the problem is before they do anything, send an estimate to the customer for approval, then upon approval, fix the camera. If it costs more Nikon eats it.

I am not saying that this system is the best, but it likely costs a significant amount to Nikon just to determine what the problem is for certain. I am sure there would be a bill for that.

paulr

Glad I don't live in Canada If I was a Nikon photographer, If thats Nikon Canada service, I would be seriously looking at another manufacture.

Thompsonrh

What baffles me a little WestEndFoto is that we are dedicated Nikon users, I have at guess more than $50K in nikon equipment and often sing praises to the Nikon design. I will eventually have to replace my D3's. I could choose another camera but I can't (as far as I can tell), choose another service provider. They won't give an estimate over the phone or e-mail. They never explain what they have to do or what they've done. You have to send your equipment to them because they won't supply parts or proprietary tools to third party repair shops. I doubt they ever underestimate the cost. But in my recent case, $600 to remove the back plate (4 proprietary screws), screw the shift lock back into the body, screw in the knob and replace the back plate on a manual focus lens. For me its exploitative pricing, taking advantage of their monopoly position. And in Canada that's against the law.

spraynpray

I don't know about USA or Canadian law, but in the UK, an estimate is not definitive - that means if the repairer finds more significant damage on closer inspection, the price can go up. Don't get estimate confused with quotation.

MegapixelSchnitzel

Repair shops in general, here in California, come under a consumer law which makes an estimate binding within 15%. A customer who was quoted $600 on a repair which mysteriously became $1,000 after the job would have the right to refuse the bill. That's the theory in this state... but who knows how it actually works in reality if that were to happen.

WestEndFoto

ThompsonRH, I don't disagree with you. But at least I know what I am signing on to when I buy Nikon. And if that means I have to discard my D800 because Nikon messes up, I have already decided to accept that risk.

The risk that I think we should be worried about is Nikon going out of business and making our substantial investment worthless. And since I am contemplating a supertele, that investment could become very very substantial.

Ironheart

@WestEndFoto As a finance dude, you should realize even a supertele is a depreciable asset, not an investment

WestEndFoto

Yes, but the depreciation is slow. Can you imagine how fast it would depreciate if Nikon announced that it was not making any more F-mount cameras.

Ironheart

True enough

Ironheart

@Robert_Y has a question:

Robert_Y said:

Has any other Nikon users had problems with Nikon service.
I sent my D800 to the service centre in the UK for a service chack. The camera was in full working order it was simply to check it out prior to a big holiday.
The quoted £79.00 the charged x6 more than that, changed loads of the electronics and sent it back to me with a fault that just was not there before. They took the D800 back for repair and returned it with the same fault but worse. the fault that occurred it was displaying an error about every third exposure and that exposure would be over exposed. when they rectified this and sent it back to me the D800 now errored every other exposure and each one was over exposed.
I feel ripped off by Nikon, I have a big question about their ability to service the Nikon brand. I also have a question about their customer care and quality.
Any one else had issues.

spraynpray

This is the first complaint of its sort that I have seen about Nikon UK. I am shocked. They have always been completely honest and fair with me, and their work has always been superb.

I assume you got straight onto them about all this, what was their response?

Please come back to us on this Robert_Y.

Symphotic

MegapixelSchnitzel said:

Repair shops in general, here in California, come under a consumer law which makes an estimate binding within 15%. A customer who was quoted $600 on a repair which mysteriously became $1,000 after the job would have the right to refuse the bill. That's the theory in this state... but who knows how it actually works in reality if that were to happen.

Zowie. I'm in California. I just finished a major repair job on 7 underwater cameras, and we went over the estimate by quite a bit in some cases. These cameras can cost between $250 to $2,500 to repair (not made by Nikon, though.) You don't know until you start opening cases. If that is the law, I'll have to find another job, as I can't do business like that.

OK, I just looked it up. The law applies to repairs of electronics "sold for personal, family, household, or home office use." My cameras aren't used by those kinds of people...

WestEndFoto

Symphotic said:

MegapixelSchnitzel said:

Repair shops in general, here in California, come under a consumer law which makes an estimate binding within 15%. A customer who was quoted $600 on a repair which mysteriously became $1,000 after the job would have the right to refuse the bill. That's the theory in this state... but who knows how it actually works in reality if that were to happen.

Zowie. I'm in California. I just finished a major repair job on 7 underwater cameras, and we went over the estimate by quite a bit in some cases. These cameras can cost between $250 to $2,500 to repair (not made by Nikon, though.) You don't know until you start opening cases. If that is the law, I'll have to find another job, as I can't do business like that.

OK, I just looked it up. The law applies to repairs of electronics "sold for personal, family, household, or home office use." My cameras aren't used by those kinds of people...

Does the law prevent you from charging for an estimate? Say $250. That would cover the cost of opening it up to see what is going on.

cashreedhar

I sent my Nikon D750 after 2 years of purchase, in reponse to their service advisory recall. I did not notice any such flare issue, however, i wnated to be in the safer place as there could be some other untold fixes and even I like a free service for my camera. Following are the updates of this service.

01/25/2017 10:53 A.M. - The camera sent to Nikon Melville service center from NYC.
01/26/2017 8:56 A.M.- The camera has been delivered to Melville service center
01/27/2017 - Nikon sent me acknowledgement email with estimate (estimate repair cost 0), with service order number. Reason for repair "TO GWO FLARE No Charge/Good Will Repair". Also, the email mentions when the online status is "Shop", it means the camera is serviced and when status indicates "Shpd" the order has been shipped.
01/29/2017 - Status changed to "Hold" and I understand the camera was waiting for some parts
02/01/2017 - Status changed to "Shop".
02/03/2017 - Status still shows "Shop". Contacted Nikon Melville and they said the camera is still being serviced and they can not say how long it will take. Also, they mentioned the number of days for servicing is 7 to 10 business days, but in few cases it will take more than that.
02/06/2017 - Status changed to "Billing". The camera has not been shipped (as my UPS shows no scheduled delivery as of today)
02/06/2017 - I received email from UPS that the camera is shipped with UPS ground. I live few miles away and hence it is scheduled for delivery tomorrow. Status is still "Billing".
02/07/2017 - Status changed to "Shipped" with UPS tracking number. UPS shows the camera is out for delivery. It will be delivered btn 3PM-6PM (residential delivery time)
02/07/217 - Received camera in the evening. The camera came like brand new with an invoice, which shows total due=0.

Following are the details of repair in invoice:
RPL FRONT BODY
REPLACE RUBBER GRIP
RPL REWIND SIDE RUBBER
RPL CF CARDHOLDER RUBBER
ADJ AF SYSTEM
CKD METER ACCURACY
CKD POP-UP FLASH
GENERAL CHECK & CLEAN
CLN IMAGE SENSOR