Luminous Landscape Forum
Equipment & Techniques => Digital Cameras & Shooting Techniques => Topic started by: jjj on August 07, 2015, 06:49:15 pm
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My pocket camera, an Rx100 III had to go back to Sony for repairs as the built in lens cap would randomly not quite open after about 7 months of light use. Plus occasionally it would simply fail to focus which happened from the word go. A friend who I recommended the camera to as being ideal for his needs returned his first one after a few days with the same lens cap problem. He loves the replacement.
Nearly five weeks after being returned to Sony and after the second time I'd pestered shop to find out what was happening with camera, the shop found out the issue.
It had been sitting on a shelf because the shop had not authorised payment of £247/€349/$382 to repair camera despite it being under warranty.
Shop had not been asked anything regarding payment as Sony hadn't actually bothered to contact them and camera would have stayed there until god knows when, had I not pestered shop to contact Sony.
The charge is because camera was supposedly damaged. Which if it had been, it would have been mentioned on the repair docket. Which in fact simply asked for camera's described faults to be fixed under warranty.
BTW, if camera had in fact been damaged I'd simply have had my insurance company deal with it. After all that's what I pay them for.
Sony seem to be attempting to woo the pro market in recent years with some decent and interesting cameras, yet I gather this slack repair times is the norm. I'm used to Canon with their 3 day CPS service [inc posting] as they seem to get the fact that pro kit needs fixing ASAP.
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Hi,
I don't think present day Sony still cameras are professional devices. The organisation is not there. It also seems that at least some customers have real issues with Sony repairs. I would say that Sony needs to address these kinds of issues in both the amateur and professional field if they want to compete with the big two.
On the other hand, in my 44 years of shooting with Minolta/Sony equipment I had just three repairs:
- Warrant repair on a Minolta XD-7
- Bayonet replacement on an 80-200/2.8 APO (three weeks, about 200$US)
- Fixing macro switch on a Konica-Minolta A2 (three weeks on warranty)
I also had a lens repair declined, due to the lens being within specs, theirs not mine :-(
Best regards
Erik
My pocket camera, an Rx100 III had to go back to Sony for repairs as the built in lens cap would randomly not quite open after about 7 months of light use. Plus occasionally it would simply fail to focus which happened from the word go. A friend who I recommended the camera to as being ideal for his needs returned his first one after a few days with the same lens cap problem. He loves the replacement.
Nearly five weeks after being returned to Sony and after the second time I'd pestered shop to find out what was happening with camera, the shop found out the issue.
It had been sitting on a shelf because the shop had not authorised payment of £247/€349/$382 to repair camera despite it being under warranty.
Shop had not been asked anything regarding payment as Sony hadn't actually bothered to contact them and camera would have stayed there until god knows when, had I not pestered shop to contact Sony.
The charge is because camera was supposedly damaged. Which if it had been, it would have been mentioned on the repair docket. Which in fact simply asked for camera's described faults to be fixed under warranty.
BTW, if camera had in fact been damaged I'd simply have had my insurance company deal with it. After all that's what I pay them for.
Sony seem to be attempting to woo the pro market in recent years with some decent and interesting cameras, yet I gather this slack repair times is the norm. I'm used to Canon with their 3 day CPS service [inc posting] as they seem to get the fact that pro kit needs fixing ASAP.
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I can understand you're dissatisfied, but one mistake on a non-pro camera wouldn't cause me to '"won't be buying from them again".
I've been using Minolta/Sony equipment since 2005, only needed one repair so far (A850 AF module broke after 4 years of use) which was handled well by their Dutch repair service.
Both timing and communication were in line for what I expect for an amateur camera.
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A friend of mine who has purchased probably hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of Sony video gear for a big corporate productions department once told me that if Sony made a pickup truck, he'd buy it. I've used a lot of Sony video gear over the years with no issues. However, another friend and colleague had a terrible experience with Canon CPS this time last year. He has a platinum membership and was on a location shoot away from home, had a quick turn-around repair need. Canon made promises, but when he called about where his gear was, he was told it hadn't been checked in yet because they got busy. He is still buying Canon equipment. Stuff happens even when companies have the best of intentions. I'm not making excuses for your experience, but still, stuff happens.
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I can understand you're dissatisfied, but one mistake on a non-pro camera wouldn't cause me to '"won't be buying from them again".
The problem is it isn't just one mistake. Sony have a terrible reputation for service in the UK.
I know several people who have suffered at the hands of their 'service' departments.
In my own case I took a £1000 (in 2001) video camera in for a warranty repair, it came back with the same fault, on the second attempt I told them that I would collect the camera in person to check the repair, but they sent it back in a cardboard box with NO packing.
Then there was the Viao laptop that took four months to fix.
Sony make great kit, when it works, but their after sales service is just appalling.
The one part of Sony in Europe that have acceptable after sales service is their broadcast division, but it's a worry that one company I know brought four new camcorders and have had to send three of them back for repair within the first three months.
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The one part of Sony in Europe that have acceptable after sales service is their broadcast division.
Apparently you didn't read my comment about my experience with the camera repair service in the Benelux. There's several more examples from that outfit that I know of from friends and family.
I think one of the problems with fora and social media communication is that broad sweeping statements without a basis and bad experiences get amplified since it's much less frequent that people post their positive experience. I think the bad examples all happened (and shouldn't have) but I don't think it's wise to assume the ratio of bad vs. good service reported is anywhere close to reality.
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Apparently you didn't read my comment about my experience with the camera repair service in the Benelux.
I did, but for the reasons you go on to state, one experience doesn't change the odds much.
The problem you can see in this thread already is that Sony kit is basically good and reliable. Someone saying they have bought Sony kit for forty years and never had a problem says nothing about their levels of after sales service.
It's when you get a fault that the poor standards of customer care and repair become clear.
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I did, but for the reasons you go on to state, one experience doesn't change the odds much.
I was basically questioning your "In Europe" claim, have you tried them all (especially the one I'm referring to in the Benelux)? I never used the one in the UK so if you guys say it's bad that's fine with me. But unless you have experience with the one I'm referring to I wouldn't sweep them into your your broad statement.
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I was basically questioning your "In Europe" claim, have you tried them all (especially the one I'm referring to in the Benelux)?
A lot of Sony's European service is handled by central operations in different countries, so Viao servicing is all centralised in Holland.... and is pretty poor IME.
So no I haven't used every different service department in Europe, but those I have used have been consistently poor.
The impression I get from anyone I read of or have meet in person, is that whilst Sony's products are generally good, they don't bother matching their quality of product with a matching quality of after sales service.
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The impression I get from anyone I read of or have meet in person, is that whilst Sony's products are generally good, they don't bother matching their quality of product with a matching quality of after sales service.
Well, you didn't hear or read that from me ;)
But I only use Sony Camera/lens equipment and one DVD player (that broke within warranty and was replaced with a new one) so my experience is not as broad as yours'
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I can understand you're dissatisfied, but one mistake on a non-pro camera wouldn't cause me to '"won't be buying from them again".
They do not have a pro service for fixing cameras. This tardy response is the norm I gather regardless with added incompetence and bullshit in this case.
BTW cameras aren't professional the users are or are not. This camera is good enough for pro work as it happens, the fact it isn't bulky and heavy makes it more useful than my normal kit at times.
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Apparently you didn't read my comment about my experience with the camera repair service in the Benelux.
Apparently you and Colorado Dave missed the subject of the thread, service in the UK.
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Apparently you and Colorado Dave missed the subject of the thread, service in the UK.
No, he was referring to my comment #4 that only decent service I've found in Europe was from their professional broadcast division. Maybe Benelux is wonderful ? or maybe the poster has just been lucky ? By the law of averages they must get something right now and again.
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Apparently you and Colorado Dave missed the subject of the thread, service in the UK.
The point of my original post was that maybe next time you should try the Benelux repair service, if there is going to be a next time of course ;)
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The point of my original post was that maybe next time you should try the Benelux repair service, if there is going to be a next time of course ;)
I don't think that's an option to us in the UK. The dealer the equipment was bought from is always the first place to return warranty problems to.
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Some good retailers give the customer a new item and pursue the warranty replacement with the manufacturer themselves rather than leaving their customer hanging. For this reason it is worth buying from a good camera store given the issues with major brands these days (nikon in particular seem unable to release a product without issues).
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Some good retailers give the customer a new item and pursue the warranty replacement with the manufacturer themselves rather than leaving their customer hanging.
I'd like to know who does that.
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Who is Colorado Dave? My comment was a response in a general sense. Good luck with your issues.
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The point of my original post was that maybe next time you should try the Benelux repair service, if there is going to be a next time of course ;)
Still not a helpful post as I live in the UK and this is a warranty claim. Sending the camera to a different country is not what the shop are going to do.
And it is the seller's responsibility in law to sort out warranties.
Sending gear abroad to be fixed doesn't sound like a good solution in general as apart from extra postal times, you may have customs issues where they blackmail you with VAT charges on non-VATable items and charge you for charging you, which has happened to me previously. With all the delays involved in sorting out that mess.
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Still not a helpful post
Congrats with your promotion to the off-topic police ;)
You posted this UK experience on an international forum and wasn't looking for any advice or help from us.
If not helpful to you it might still be helpful for members living in other countries hearing about positive or negative experiences over there.
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Congrats with your promotion to the off-topic police ;)
Your post was unhelpful, not off topic.
Nice bit of selective quoting though, conveniently missing the part which explains why your suggestion is not helpful.
You posted this UK experience on an international forum and wasn't looking for any advice or help from us.
If not helpful to you it might still be helpful for members living in other countries hearing about positive or negative experiences over there.
I also posted this as a warning to others, not to elicit help. As that would involve someone fixing my camera under warranty and in a timely manner.
BTW, I posted this in a pro photographer's only group and Sony Benelux also got slated for taking 6 weeks to fix things and charging £120 delivery fees for a warranty repair.
Now if someone asks advice about Canon cameras, will you then suggest buying on Nikon equipment and get annoyed with them, because they didn't take your 'helpful' advice? ::)
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Now if someone asks advice about Canon cameras, will you then suggest buying on Nikon equipment and get annoyed with them, because they didn't take your 'helpful' advice? ::)
Why do you think that? This thread is about Sony UK repair experience and you want to turn it into a Canon - Nikon flame war? Canon and Nikon are different brands and competitors, Sony UK service and Sony Benelux service are working for the same company. I don't think this analogy you try to bring up makes any sense here.
BTW, I posted this in a pro photographer's only group and Sony Benelux also got slated for taking 6 weeks to fix things and charging £120 delivery fees for a warranty repair.
As I mentioned in my post I have no problem posting both positive and negative experiences from other countries. In the end it's the balance that counts :). It might be unhelpful to you, but there are non UK members for which this might be helpful. Or was the negative experience in the pro forum "helpful" and my positive experience in here "unhelpful" because it didn't support your case?
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Why do you think that? This thread is about Sony UK repair experience and you want to turn it into a Canon - Nikon flame war? Canon and Nikon are different brands and competitors, Sony UK service and Sony Benelux service are working for the same company. I don't think this analogy you try to bring up makes any sense here.
Duh! You completely missed the point being made and I certainly was not suggesting a Canikon flame war. Anything but.
As I mentioned in my post I have no problem posting both positive and negative experiences from other countries. In the end it's the balance that counts :). It might be unhelpful to you, but there are non UK members for which this might be helpful. Or was the negative experience in the pro forum "helpful" and my positive experience in here "unhelpful" because it didn't support your case?
Duh! Again. You suggested using the wrong countries facilities for warranty fixes. Not an actual option, therefore pointless advice.
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Duh! You completely missed the point being made and I certainly was not suggesting a Canikon flame war. Anything but.
I don't think I missed your point, you presented a fully flawed analogy (as explained) and you are missing the point I was making.
Duh! Again. You suggested using the wrong countries facilities for warranty fixes. Not an actual option, therefore pointless advice.
Sometimes people need repairs after the warranty period and I think they have a free choice where to go. Secondly there might be people in the Benelux that need warranty repairs who appreciate reading about experiences with the service they "must" use.
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I also had a lens repair declined, due to the lens being within specs, theirs not mine :-(
I recently had two cases like this:
1) Sigma 24-105 f/4 OS which clearly was a bit soft in the left hand side. Returned being within specs, I didn't insist, but maybe I should.
2) Canon 24-70 f/2.8L II slightly blurry in the edges of the right hand side. The repair center in Copenhagen said it was within specs. I took test shots using the 5DsR to my dealer which works with the repair center being colocated and they helped med convince the repair center that it was not within specs. The lens was then sent to the repair center in Stockholm where they have better diagnostic equipment (I didn't know there was such a hierarchy in the service centers) and they agreed about the error and it is being repaired. I haven't got it back yet. While being repaired I have the same lens on loan for some weeks. As I had a trip planned for Scotland I would not have had the 24-70 if had not gotten the loaner.
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... (I didn't know there was such a hierarchy in the service centers)...
There probably isn't (at least not in terms of measuring instruments). A cynical view would be the same as with insurance claims. The lowest level you interact with is instructed to deny your claim. A lot of people give up right there. Those who persist and escalate it to the next level have a much better chance.
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There probably isn't (at least not in terms of measuring instruments). A cynical view would be the same as with insurance claims. The lowest level you interact with is instructed to deny your claim. A lot of people give up right there. Those who persist and escalate it to the next level have a much better chance.
If must have expressed myself unclear ;) I was specifically told by the service center people in Copenhagen that such hierarchy exist and that they had more sophisticated equipment in the center in Stockholm. And that was the reason they found the error. If that hierarchy exists everywhere or only in certain places I did not ask about.
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I don't think I missed your point.
Nope, you certainly did.
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Anyway. I finally got my camera back 7 weeks later, the afternoon before I went on holiday. The shop ended up footing the not inconsiderable bill as Sony were adamant it was a damaged camera, one that was also more faulty than when I took it to shop. I could see this in the photos they sent back of camera showing the lens cover sticking and covering a lot more lens than I ever experienced with it.
But I decided to buy some Olympus kit from the shop as I didn't know if the Sony would return in time and didn't fancy lugging my bulky Canon gear around whilst on vacation.
So I got an EM5 II with 12-40/f2.8 and the 40-150mm f2.8 which I'd wondered about getting for a while as a light interchangeable lens camera travel kit.
Though due to the Sony returning in nick of time I never even used the 12-40mm because the RX100 III covered the same angle of view and has a better sensor [for handheld work] and complemented the EM5 + 40-150 wonderfully and with no faffy lens changing needed. :)
However whilst on holiday the lens cover stuck again and EVF randomly failed to work on several occasions which has never happened before, so not impressed. >:(
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Even in the States, Sony has a lackluster service performance. http://www.customerservicescoreboard.com/Sony (http://www.customerservicescoreboard.com/Sony)
My own experience with them has been pretty much they'll replace the busted item with a refurb, or sell you another at wholesale if broken. Repair prices are very high.
We had one of their big-screen 'component' TV sets (CRT, tuner, amps, speakers, all separate items.) and it was a nightmare to fix. Local shops that sold and serviced them refused Sony's warranty service on them as the local shop guy said "Sony doesn't pay me enough to work on their stuff, so I will charge you for it - or you can haul it to them." Had to haul it 250 miles to get fixed. Even their $350 Walkman costs about $240 for a battery replacement (The serial changed.). Some of their Vaio batteries are almost the cost of their laptop too.
I suspect this will keep them from ever being considered a Pro camera unless they up their service network as well as lens portfolio. Nikon isn't stellar either, and just a few points above Sony. Canon seems to be better than both right now. Sony should have kept the Minolta name going even if they made them, much like Ricoh did with Pentax, imho.
SG
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There probably isn't (at least not in terms of measuring instruments). A cynical view would be the same as with insurance claims. The lowest level you interact with is instructed to deny your claim. A lot of people give up right there. Those who persist and escalate it to the next level have a much better chance.
It's what a friend recently and so presciently described as the 'bullsh!t economy'. We are sold promises that are rarely delivered when called upon.
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It's what a friend recently and so presciently described as the 'bullsh!t economy'. We are sold promises that are rarely delivered when called upon.
What's prescient about a description (whether accurate or not) of the current state of affairs?
Jeremy
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What's prescient about a description (whether accurate or not) of the current state of affairs?
Jeremy
Because it is not yet generally recognised, labelled, described or discussed. Let us hope that it does become so.
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What's prescient about a description (whether accurate or not) of the current state of affairs?
Because it is not yet generally recognised, labelled, described or discussed. Let us hope that it does become so.
Wrong word: "prescient, adj. having or showing knowledge of events before they take place".
Not "being the first (or near the first) to become aware of something which (allegedly) currently exists".
Jeremy
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Because it is not yet generally recognised, labelled, described or discussed. Let us hope that it does become so.
Wrong word: "prescient, adj. having or showing knowledge of events before they take place".
Not "being the first (or near the first) to become aware of something which (allegedly) currently exists".
Jeremy
Ahem.
The event I was referring to was the general recognition, labeling, description and discussion of the situation which is not yet widespread under the name bullsh!t economy.
There's another hatefest going on in the AE thread if you want to take your rather trivial concerns over there and join in as well.
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In the words of the immortal Rodney King -"can't we just take pictures ???.
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In the words of the immortal Rodney King -"can't we just take pictures ???.
Good lord no! This is a forum of photographers after all!! :D
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In the words of the immortal Rodney King -"can't we just take pictures ???.
Not if we're waiting for Sony UK to fix our cameras.
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Update. Camera has now started to fall apart. It's had very little use bar the week after I got it back and now the one of screws holding the screen tilt mechanism has fallen out, so screen is rather wobbly.
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Update. Camera has now started to fall apart. It's had very little use bar the week after I got it back and now the one of screws holding the screen tilt mechanism has fallen out, so screen is rather wobbly.
I fear you might be failing in your duty as a consumer here. Rather than actually expect things to work for more than five minutes you should instead be happily tossing it into a storage unit with all the other stuff accumulated over the years with the idea that you'll dig it out someday and get it fixed properly. Meanwhile, you must go and spend your money on another camera that that boasts all the latest, wonderful and quite superfluous features and be happy until that fails for some reason and the process starts again!
This is the true function of modern society, to unquestioningly consume on the semi fulfilled promises of the vast marketing departments that sometimes have a factory attached, almost as an afterthought.
Not that I'm cynical or anything. :)
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the one of screws holding the screen tilt mechanism has fallen out, so screen is rather wobbly.
Get a jeweller's screwdriver, take the screw out, put a tiny drop of Loctite/clear nail varnish/etc and put the screw back.
Problem solved.
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Get a jeweller's screwdriver, take the screw out, put a tiny drop of Loctite/clear nail varnish/etc and put the screw back.
Problem solved.
Hard to replace a screw that has fallen out and gone awol.
Also the problem that was supposedly fixed [at great expense] occurred a couple of time again the week I got it back.
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Hard to replace a screw that has fallen out and gone awol.
eBay
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eBay
But why should the customer go round trying to fix faulty goods at his own expense?