In 30 years, i have never needed to seek help, and in 30 years of being a Canon user, i have never ever once need a repair.
Until recently.
In 2022 i switched over to mirrorless system. First camera i Bought was a R6 and a 15-35mm f2.8 L series lens.
This package was 5 and half thousand euros.
Up until December the 31st 2023, never an issue with Camera or lens, Im December 2023 and now i own multiple R6 cameras and 4 Rf lenses, my beloved 15-35mm lens, just stopped auto focusing as soon as i turn the camera on for the final wedding of the year. In December i photographed 7 weddings and for 6 of them weddings the lens was flawless, it had taken over 13 thousand images in December, but on the 31st when i arrived at the hotel to start shooting, it would not autofocus.
It would manually focus, that was not an issue. But autofocus on either of my r6 cameras it would not work. So i took it off, and put my 35mm f1.8 on and finished out the year. That was December 31st 2023.
January 1st and 2nd 2024 contacted canon because i realised my lens was still under warranty. They created a label i boxed it up and it was shipped to a canon repair team in Germany. It spent 6 and half days travelling, and on the 10th of January i got an invoice telling me the basically the entire inside of my lens needs replacing. And the cost over 1500 euros, woth reshipping back to me 1600 euros.
I said this is absolutely ludicrous, that lens does not need an entire replacing insides. That lens worked flawlessly on the 30th of December 2023, and i could manually focus, but not autofocus.
They came back with, it looks like the lens was tampered with, and put back together badly. Some ripon cables are unseated, and some are torn. And they claimed, that the lens in my possession when i had it was unoperational, it could not have worked.
The anger inside me was growing, i opened lightroom and made a short video showing them the metadata of the thousands of images i had photographed on the 30th of December 2023 where the lens was absolutely perfect. Refuting their claims,
They basically emailed me back saying. We dont care or need to see the video or images. The lens could not have worked for you. We can repair it, you pay over 1500 euros or we can send it back to you. OR WE CAN DESTROY IT, FREE OF CHARGE.
Dont think i have ever been so angry in all my life sitting at my work station, looking at that email. The cold hearted email, reading that we can destroy this lens for you as an option.
They were calling me a liar, and i am sitting here wondering what is the point of having a warranty, what was the point of paying extra to extend warranties in the past. Because no matter what, it seems like, they will make you or force you to pay one way or another.
I know, that lens has never left my camera, rarley have i ever taken it off. That lens was a work horse and worked flawlessy. That lens had never been tampered with in all the time i had owned it. Only to clean the connections when it would not autofocus, the timeline is key here.
Lens works flawlessy all December, last wedding that lens worked flawlessly was December 30th 2023. My last wedding was 31st, lens as soon as i turned it on, would not autofocus.
It is the holidays, no where to look at that lens was opened. Contacted canon, shipped lens within 4 days of an issue.
Lens spent 6.5 days travelling to the repair shop. So unless the courier fancied himself as a repair man, then i have no answers as to why that lens needs an entire replacement insides. They listed so much stuff, it is hard to quantify what they are talking about. Worked manually focusing no problems. Then work autofocusing.
But according to them, it could never have worked when i had it. Even tho i sent them the video and metadata proving it did.
And a cost of 1500 plus euros, 1600 euros when you factor in shipping and quick turn around, like honestly. Is it to just con people out of more money.
The lens sits currently in German while a UK team looks into this investigation, i need the lens in 3 weeks when wedding season starts again.
So who knows..
Anyone with a similar story to mine?
Let me know.
