Canon Professional Service repair records availability

[dpsaiz]

My wife bought a Canon EOS RP refurbished from Canon. About a year into ownership we had to send the body and lens to Canon for repair due to a 00 code. Lens and body not communicating. We got it back two weeks later good as new. A year later I noticed a foreign object on the sensor. I don't do sensors so I sent it to Canon for a sensor cleaning. We got it back about a week and a half later. 

Fast forward to today. I am reviewing my CPS account and reviewed the list of registered Canon products. It looks current. I clicked in RP then noticed the Service History button. I clicked that. 

The history opened to show the sensor cleaning as incomplete and no mention of the repair to resolve the 00 error with the lens and body.

When I talked to CPS the analyst told me that the repair / maintenance shop and CPS are on different systems. When the tech works on a given Canon Product they update their system but that info won't always update the CPS system when you click service history. Additionally anything over two or three years is archived and unavailable. Hmm.

What if I bought a used Canon product and wanted to inquire the service history, if any, before I buy it. The CPS analyst told me that unless the person who cares to know the service history of a given Canon product is the original owner the service history will not be provided.

Hmmm. When I bought a certified pre-owned Honda Accord Sport, I was presented with the entire service history of that car. All regular maintenance, all warranty and non-warranted work. This was on well maintained car. I was happy to buy the car after a little negotiation. 

That is available for a used car but Canon won't allow it for a pre-owned product that might cost me thousands of dollars, bodies, lenses, flash, etc.?

What do you guys believe? Should Canon updated your CPS account with details of work performed on a given Canon product  you sent in for service? I believe so.

[jrhoffman75]

Canon doesn't sell certified pre-owned gear.

Persons may have cameras repaired outside of Canon.

If it is your camera that you are sending in for repair just save the repair paperwork that is returned with the camera.

[SignifDigits]

My opinion?  I don't believe camera manufacturers should add the burden and cost of ensuring comprehensive maintenance records tracking.   I am glad for that to be the responsibility and cost burden for the owners. 

CPS is a paid-for premium service and if sent in via the CPS mechanisms that should be tracked.  If not sent in via CPS the expectation should be that gear should not be tracked via CPS even if the owner is a CPS member.  That's a member responsibility, not Canon's, and seems common sense in some ways.   Premier frequent flyer and hotel programs don't track your usage unless you choose to activate the program, for instance.  It's up to the consumer to activate those benefits.   Archiving records after two years is pretty standard for any retailer.

I don't see the automotive industry offering meaningful parallels to the camera industry.    Whilst it would be nice to have all of the history on a camera like a CarFax, I very much doubt that there is a business case to be made for doing so.  Cars are typically much bigger investment, trade owners more often, and are for most people a much more critically important part of our daily lives.

Since there is no free lunch and all companies pass all of their costs onto consumers, as a consumer I am glad that Canon does not incur this cost and pass it onto me.   It's good to know that information is associated with the CPS service, and not the gear, though.  Makes sense to me, but I hadn't really thought of it, so thanks for passing that info along.