Anyone use Mack (NJ) for repair photo equip?I purc

[Jonathan Wienke]

Generally, the reason these warranties are offered is because the item is "gray market" and has NO US warranty. If you have a Canon USA warranty card, I wouldn't bother, but if not, Mack is all you can get.

BTW, what is the source of the "relatively large number of mechanical problems reported with the 1Ds" comment? I've taken over 7,000 shots with my 1Ds and haven't had any problems with it yet, nor have I heard of anyone else needing any kind of repairs on their 1Ds. I would be suspicious that this is a scare tactic to get you to buy the warranty...

[Jonathan Wienke]

What issues are you having with your 1Ds?

[marty m]

I purchased my 1Ds from B&H. They offer an extended warranty from Mack -- 3 more years for $300. Based upon the information on the web site Mack is a camera repair outfit in New Jersey.

Is anyone familiar with Mack? Do you recommend it?

Anyone have any thoughts about whether an extended service plan is a smart or foolish investment?  I generally don't buy these plans -- since problems show up in the first year of the manufacturer's warranty.

However, they have been a relatively large number of mechanical problems reported with the 1Ds, and more than a few comments that it might be smart to purchase extended warranties for the 1Ds.

[marty m]

Jonathan -- thanks very much for your comments and guidance.  You have helped me out and provided advice on other issues and postings on the forum and it is greatly appreciated.

(1)  FYI, the Mack warranty extends the US warranty on US products.  They also provide the only coverage provided by B&H for grey market products.

I also was independently referred to the following review of repair facilities on Photo Net which is very educational:

http://www.photo.net/neighbor/one-subcategory?id=1

All of these comments persuaded me to skip the Mack warranty.  I'll hope and assume that any problems that may develop will occur in the first year under the Canon warranty.  (Which is generally the case -- and why extended warranties are a bad investment.)  If problems occur after it expires I'll just send the camera directly to Canon and pay for their repair services.  Better to pay and hopefully get the job done correctly the first time.

The reviews on Photo Net were very educational.  The comments about Mack range from "a monkey can do better" to "worthless, absolutely worthless."   It appears to take Mack two, three or four times to get the job done correctly, assuming that they get it done at all.  You can also read responses from Mack and B&H -- you can read both sides and decide for yourself.  My conclusion is that there are very few positive comments about Mack in any of the forums.

This only confirms my earlier stated view of extended warranties.  I should have known better than to have wasted even a nanosecond considering an extended warranty -- especially is it was not offered directly by Canon in the first place.

(2)  With regard to my comment about the "relatively large number of problems" reported with the 1Ds.  That was an unscientific statement on my part -- I readily concede that I would be hard-pressed to defend it.  I base it upon comments posted in the Galbraith forum where a fair number of problems have been reported.  I have already had such an intermittent problem with my 1Ds -- time will tell if it is serious and needs to be repaired.  My impression, again it is only an impression, is that there are a larger number of problems being reported than normal -- or what you'd expect for a professional camera in this price range.

[Leigh]

Mack Warranties are not exactly an extension of Canon's Warranty.    Mack does their own evaluation, and repairs, so you're pretty much at their mercy.

  A better solution:
 Buy with a Visa Platinum credit card.   That, automatically, gives you a one year extension of the Canon Warranty, and you can send the lens to Canon for service.    IN ADDITION:  Any time before the two year coverage ( 1 yr Cannon / 1 yr Visa) has expired, most Visa Platinum banks offer Visa Enhancement Service's "Performance Guarantee" (VPG) which offers 3-5 year extensions for far less than what you paid for the MACK.

  Here's a factual example:    I noted a problem with my 100-400 IS Zoom;  It was 23 months past the purchase date, and the Canon Warranty had expired 11 months prior.     I sent the lens to Canon's NJ repair facility; The repair cost $327; I paid Canon, sent the paperwork to Visa, & was promptly reimbursed for the entire amount.  I was also able to buy an additional 5 year warranty from them for $135.

  One unfortunate note:   Visa will not offer the VPG extended warranty if you have previously purchased one elsewhere---such as MACK, or GE.

Leigh

[Tim May]

Mack warranties are not all that great.  Check this post.

http://jlacklen27.wordpress.com/

[steelbird]

I purchased my 1Ds from B&H. They offer an extended warranty from Mack -- 3 more years for $300. Based upon the information on the web site Mack is a camera repair outfit in New Jersey.

Is anyone familiar with Mack? Do you recommend it?

I worked briefly at a camera shop in NYC - the MACK warranty is essentially just a "spiff" - a product that a salesman pitches to get some additional commission cash.  It's not worth very much as a warranty, but it's very valuable to the people who sell it.

[eronald]

Generally, the reason these warranties are offered is because the item is "gray market" and has NO US warranty. If you have a Canon USA warranty card, I wouldn't bother, but if not, Mack is all you can get.

BTW, what is the source of the "relatively large number of mechanical problems reported with the 1Ds" comment? I've taken over 7,000 shots with my 1Ds and haven't had any problems with it yet, nor have I heard of anyone else needing any kind of repairs on their 1Ds. I would be suspicious that this is a scare tactic to get you to buy the warranty...
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This thread is educational. My 1Ds is excellent: It's now on it's second sensor (banding) and third shutter. Yes, the shutters really wore out. Of course, I have taken more than 7000 shots with it. And all the repairs were done free of charge by Canon CPS, who are very good at making sure that cameras meet the Canon spec, and work fast and well.

Edmund

[scottatmackcamera]

Millions of people are satisfied with their purchase of a standard warranty. They understand that is only covers manufacturer defects. We do however have a contract which covers everything but water, theft, loss & fire. It is called the Diamond Service Contract. An advantage is being able to purchase the contract from anywhere you like and not from the store you buy the camera from.

We have always been committed to being a service contract company that stands by their contract and we are not out there to get all the money from our customers. We give estimates when deserved, repair what needs to be repaired, replace & reimburse as needed and so on...

Companies like Adorama continue to sell our contracts because they know that for each bad experience are hundreds of positive ones. Unfortunately not every single customer will be happy with their products.

I apologize to whoever has had a bad experience in the past, or who ever had a long turn around, or estimate, etc... but our contracts clearly state what is and is not covered.

Scott @ mackcam.com

ps.  I have tried to get reply to the post from jlacklen27's blog and that person deletes the reply.

[ssgphoto]

I have purchased a mack warranty several times including for my 1Ds. I have only had to use it once on an N90 a few years back. They replaced the whole shutter assembly that would have cost several hundred dollars. I just gave that camera away- that shutter has outlasted the original!  If I recall, that warranty cost no more than $75. Service took 2 weeks, not exactly CPS speed but the repairs were perfectly good. If Canon offered an extended warranty I would get it, but you can be sure it would cost a lot more than the $300 for the 1DS. Considering a shutter or sensor repair cost its really not a bad deal.

The platinum card purchase for extended warranty is great but it only covers a extra year. But its worth doing that too.

[schrodingerscat]

Another alternative is the ESP policy by Ritz. It runs about 15% of purchase price but covers everything, including all types of physical damage.

As long as the serial number is intact and the product can be identified, they will repair or replace it.