Factory Service Center Complaint

[mgsipa]

This is in regard to Repair ID: [Removed personal information per Community Guidelines]

I turned in my Canon 5D MkII in to my local Canon FSC for repair after my toddler pushed the camera off a table and the mode dial was damaged but not broken. Nothing else was damaged, and the drop was not big. I was quoted $211.89 for the repair, which included $19.99 for the Mode Dial, Labor, and $129 for an 18-point DSLR Maintenance Service, which he said was mandatory with my service. I questioned the $129 charge, but was told it was a requirement included in the repair. If this was a lie, please discipline your employees when they lie.

Today I received a revised estimate of $316.67 without an explanation. I called the Canon FSC and was told that a technician determined that I need a whole new Top Cover and that my USB connections are damaged and need to be replaced. Again, please discipline your employees when they lie. The top cover does not need to be replaced, nor were the USB connections damaged at all. I have photos from before I turned in the camera showing that none of these were damaged. I've been lied to before, but this takes the cake. I've taken cars to mechanics that were more honest.

I was told that all these parts are needed for my camera to be returned to it's original factory specifications, but I NEVER ASKED for the camera to be returned to original factory specifications. I only asked for the mode dial to be repaired. Your service is tantamount to taking my car in for an oil change and having the mechanic revise my request to include a complete engine restoration that I didn't ask for.

Please know that we don't live in the 1970's where things like this were easily swept under the carpet, and I don't intend to allow it to be swept under the carpet.

[RobertTheFat]

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@mgsipa wrote:
Some of you guys are way too accepting of 'bait & switch' tactics. I have to wonder why.

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It's because we have better things to do with our time than you apparently have to do with yours. I would have thought that was obvious.

[mgsipa]

They are not repairing the potentiometer. They want to replace the top cover because it has a couple of scratches on it. That is it, and that is all. Please stop making it seem like a bargain. It's not a bargain. It's a bait & switch tactic, simple as that.

[ebiggs1 · Accepted solution]

OK, fine.  It looks like you made your decission.   Call them up and request them to return it to you as is.

Then call Midwest Camera Repair and ask for an estimate.  They will do it on line.

[mgsipa]

Robert, if the camera were worth thousands of dollars, then perhaps $316 might have been worth it to have that piece of mind. The 5DMkII is no longer worth thousands of dollars however. Additionally, although I may not be an expert in repair, I am an expert in photography. I've been a pro photographer for quite a number of years, and I've had my share of damaged equipment. I do know how to test a camera's functionality. I've said this before, and I'll say it again: There is nothing wrong with the camera other than a damaged dial. Even the dial itself still works fine. It isn't broken. It functions fine, and everything on the camera functions fine. I wanted the dial replaced for aesthetic reasons, nothing more. Canon wants to replace the whole top assembly because if a scuff mark, nothing more. I hope that sinks in.

[RobertTheFat]

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@mgsipa wrote:
Robert, if the camera were worth thousands of dollars, then perhaps $316 might have been worth it to have that piece of mind. The 5DMkII is no longer worth thousands of dollars however. Additionally, although I may not be an expert in repair, I am an expert in photography. I've been a pro photographer for quite a number of years, and I've had my share of damaged equipment. I do know how to test a camera's functionality. I've said this before, and I'll say it again: There is nothing wrong with the camera other than a damaged dial. Even the dial itself still works fine. It isn't broken. It functions fine, and everything on the camera functions fine. I wanted the dial replaced for aesthetic reasons, nothing more. Canon wants to replace the whole top assembly because if a scuff mark, nothing more. I hope that sinks in.

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Consider it sunk.

[Waddizzle]

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@mgsipa wrote:
Robert, if the camera were worth thousands of dollars, then perhaps $316 might have been worth it to have that piece of mind. The 5DMkII is no longer worth thousands of dollars however. Additionally, although I may not be an expert in repair, I am an expert in photography. I've been a pro photographer for quite a number of years, and I've had my share of damaged equipment. I do know how to test a camera's functionality. I've said this before, and I'll say it again: There is nothing wrong with the camera other than a damaged dial. Even the dial itself still works fine. It isn't broken. It functions fine, and everything on the camera functions fine. I wanted the dial replaced for aesthetic reasons, nothing more. Canon wants to replace the whole top assembly because if a scuff mark, nothing more. I hope that sinks in.

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I hear ya.  But, they'll give it that new gear smell.  It'll be worth more, because you will have a receipt saying that it was rebuilt to factory specifications.  I must apologize, because I had assumed that the camera was non-functional.  I missed that part.

[ebiggs1]

It is your camera and for your own piece of mind you have to get another estimate.

But a used 5d2 in refurbished condition is well worth $300+ bucks.  Just keep that in mind. It doesn't make any difference how old it is.  It is still a viable camera.  I used one for a long time.  But I used a 5d and a 5d3 for along time, too!

[mgsipa]

No Robert, it's not obvious. What IS obvious though is that some people here have a Canon agenda. I question your motivation.

[mgsipa]

As far as having time Robert, it is MY camera. MY investment of a few thousand dollars. It's me that feels taken advantage of by the service center. It's MY complaint. I'll MAKE the time.

[mgsipa]

UPDATE: I finally reached the right person with my complaint, and the issue is being resolved positively as I write this. The repair estimate got revised to slightly less than the original estimate of $211, and I'm perfectly fine with that.