what is the acceptible time to wait for a camera repair?

Andy From Sligo

wife bought a Nikon S33 waterproof camera fro Camera Centre in Dublin in April 2015 so still under warranty. Lovely camera, she was really impressed with it and the results. Took really good care of it and treated it as the instructions said. on the third use of it under shallow water it packed up when she come out of the water she noticed water had got inside it all so it wrecked now. On closer inspection it looks like the waterproof seal on the battery compartment has split already and thats where the water got in. I think pretty poor design where the battery door slides to close rather than clicks to close so I should imagine this puts a strain on the waterproof seal. Anyway we emailed Camera Centre support about a week ago and they never replied so she rung them up today in Dublin and they told us to send it back to them at our expense and expect to wait 6-8 weeks for 'repair'

- wife not very happy, didnt buy a new camera a couple of months ago just to have it broke on third use and have it away for repair and has no backup waterproof camera - do you think they should be repairing it or should just offer a replacement?

magicbastarder

if it's under warranty, you would at least expect a replacement camera to use if the wait is going to be that long.

Andy From Sligo

magicbastarder wrote: »

if it's under warranty, you would at least expect a replacement camera to use if the wait is going to be that long.

thats a good point, never thought of asking for a loan of a replacement camera whilst the other one is away - its worth asking them I suppose, nothing to loose

LeoB

I would post that in Consumer forum on Boards.ie. The customer service in some of our shops is pathetic because we don't kick up enough fuss.

I would not be accepting a repair, I would be looking for a replacement camera. Its not the genre of photography you can use a camera that is unreliable.

Tiriel

Moved to Consumer Issues with a redirect link left in Photography - hopefully you will get more information and guidance here. Best of luck.

P. Breathnach

LeoB wrote: »

...
I would not be accepting a repair, I would be looking for a replacement camera. Its not the genre of photography you can use a camera that is unreliable.

She might prefer a replacement, and there is nothing to lose in asking for one. But if the vendor says that all she can have is a repair, she can't do much about it. A repair must be proper, bringing the camera back to a new(ish) state and, most important, must be effective and permanent.

If a proper repair is not made, then she can reject the camera and demand either a replacement or a refund of her money.

slimjimmc

If you consented to dealing with this as a guarantee claim then imo you have to follow the terms of the warranty, and if that means sending it back at your own cost then so be it. In my experience most guarantees will attempt a repair and only replace if a repair is not feasible.

Your statutory rights allow you to seek a repair at no cost or a replacement or even a refund. The rights are invoked against the seller not the manufacturer.
If you really want a replacement or a repair at no cost to yourself then you should seek it directly from the seller under your statutory consumer rights. In most cases it's enough for the seller to offer a repair (which must always be at no cost to you) but if waiting for a repair causes you significant convenience you can require them to give a replacement. If neither a repair or replacement is feasible you can rescind the contract and get a full or partial refund.

Oryx

^^^the consumer cant require the seller to give a replacment. The solution must be agreed between both.

slimjimmc

Oryx wrote: »

^^^the consumer cant require the seller to give a replacment. The solution must be agreed between both.

Actually you can require a refund instead, no agreement necessary.
http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/2003/en/si/0011.html

(7) The consumer may require an appropriate reduction of the price or have the contract rescinded if —
(a) the consumer is entitled to neither repair nor replacement, or
(b) the seller has not completed the repair or replacement within a reasonable time, or
(c) the seller has not completed the repair or replacement without significant inconvenience to the consumer.

Andy From Sligo

Just an Update: - my wife took the camera in Person back to The Camera Centre in Grafton Street last Friday (3rd July 2015) and they wouldn't give her a replacement new one, no refund, no replacement lend of one to keep her going until her camera comes back from repair. Just got a receipt for leaving the camera in for repair which said "repairs on Average should take no longer than 6 weeks" but the member of staff said it would take up to 8 weeks even though my wife pointed out it say 6 weeks on the receipt he give her it didnt make no difference.

Needless to say If my wife ever wants a camera or a piece of camera equipment from The Camera Centre in the future they have lost our business and if anyone asks her in the future (she does get people ask her where they should buy cameras and accessories from) then she's not going to recommend them at all or just tell them her experiences - they cannot expect (especially a large well known business) to treat a customer like this and expect any repeat business we'd be a fool to use them again after the way she has been treated over this purchase from them - the whole point when you buy something from a 'reputable' shop/business is that should there be a manufacturing fault show up not long after buying the product that they will pull out all the stops to get you sorted out with a replacement camera there and then or offer you a total refund, not to be treated like the camera is out of warranty and needs repair.

- I also dont know how one can run a business and be ok with selling a product but not have something better in place/better system in place when someone brings back something a few weeks after buying it - in this way the consumer looses out which is not right the consumer law should be more on the consumers side rather than the sellers side . - some people might be thinking oh well come on 8weeks is not bad for a repair/replacement and that the camera centre is fulfilling its obligation under warranty so theres no problem, but she bought it because she needed it, she didnt buy it for it to be away for repair and to be left with no suitable camera for what she needed it for.

well as I say the only right it seems we have is that we dont ever have to buy anything else ever again from the Camera Centre in Dublin and we will exercise that right and also let others know what our experinces were using them and how unhelpful they were to honour a suitable outcome when something bought from there was taken back under warranty. i doubt if our decision to not buy anything ever again from them or recommend them to anyone will affect their business in any way whatsoever because most probably hundreds of people have used them over the years and will continue to use them to buy cameras and equipment and get repairs done with them but for us at least we will not be rewarding their poor after sales service with using them again.

athtrasna

I think expecting a temporary replacement camera is totally unrealistic. I also think your criticism of the retailer is over the top. It's not an ideal situation nor is it the end of the world, it's just a camera.

dudara

Does your wife use the camera for work, or for personal purposes?

Andy From Sligo

dudara wrote: »

Does your wife use the camera for work, or for personal purposes?

It was a hobby / she was using it for a exhibition she has coming up

LeoB

athtrasna wrote: »

I think expecting a temporary replacement camera is totally unrealistic. I also think your criticism of the retailer is over the top. It's not an ideal situation nor is it the end of the world, it's just a camera.

I don't think the criticism is over the top at all, in fact Andy from Sligo is being quite civil about it. I appreciate people using forums like these to point out the good or the bad service they receive. We contribute hansomely to their business. It would influence me as to where I would take my business. This shop is so well established and a reputable business I am surprised they could not contact Nikon and help their consumer out.

We accept such crap from some retailers. What is the point in shelling out money for something you cant use? Not like it is 3 or 4 years old we are talking weeks and this is not doing their business any good at all.

I don't believe they could not have given the lady some camera, even a lesser quality one to tide her over.

Andy From Sligo

athtrasna wrote: »

I think expecting a temporary replacement camera is totally unrealistic. I also think your criticism of the retailer is over the top. It's not an ideal situation nor is it the end of the world, it's just a camera.

well i happen to think it is acceptable and realistic to have a temporary replacement - I have left TV's in the past to repair shops, they have lent us TV whilst our one was being repaired, we have left our car into a garage and it waited for a part and meanwhile the garage lent us a car - these werent demanded they were just 'offered' by the place we left the stuff in for repair.

I know its not the end of the world - the camera was over a hundred euro, its not peanuts (well not to us) she was depending on it and it let her down , was depending on it to use it - not to be left in ages for repair.

I happen to think the criticism is valid - we wont be using them again, we weren't instructing other people on this group not to use this particular business - and we wont be recommending them to our friends - I cannot see how that criticism of the business is over the top.

If we get a replacement camera or a offer of a refund in full within the next week obviously I will update the situation on here accordingly. The ball is in their court now whether they want a customer with bad experience of using them or a customer with a good review of after sales service.

athtrasna

LeoB wrote: »

I don't believe they could not have given the lady some camera, even a lesser quality one to tide her over.

Where is the replacement supposed to come from? The camera in question is a niche product. How is a business supposed to finance having a stock of temporary replacement cameras to hand? What would have happened if the replacement was broken a customer? I stand by my thinking that a temporary replacement is not feasible for the business

Andy From Sligo

wife spotted a Nikon S33 on display in Display cabinet and asked could Borrow that for a week or just a few days to get me out of trouble and he said no that she would have to wait until her one came back . - and i'm also pretty sure if Camera Centre got in touch with Nikon or whoever supplies Nikon cameras and equipment to them that I reckon they would have had a spare one maybe to lend out. - no, I reckon its one of these situations whereby they (camera centre) have a system in plan and there was no leeway it all had to be done by the book there was certainly no bending backwards to help the customer out

Andy From Sligo

LeoB wrote: »

I don't think the criticism is over the top at all, in fact Andy from Sligo is being quite civil about it. I appreciate people using forums like these to point out the good or the bad service they receive. We contribute hansomely to their business. It would influence me as to where I would take my business. This shop is so well established and a reputable business I am surprised they could not contact Nikon and help their consumer out.

We accept such crap from some retailers. What is the point in shelling out money for something you cant use? Not like it is 3 or 4 years old we are talking weeks and this is not doing their business any good at all.

I don't believe they could not have given the lady some camera, even a lesser quality one to tide her over.

you have it right what is the point of shelling out money on something you cant use. - and yes, this is a big'ish reputable company, thats why we chose them because we thought we would be getting good aftersales service should anything had gone wrong after ordering it - makes you think really that maybe a smaller independent camera shop might have been more willing to sort something out quicker or a lend of a camera whilst one was in for repair. Maybe a smaller independant business would be more appreciative of consumers return business rather than a bigger company - well certainly been stung i think next time and in future we will use a small business or order online or something

ssmith6287

That Nikon S33 in the cabinet. Would you be happy if you bought that, only to find out someone had been using it before. Also when you leave a car into a garage you are not given like for like, generally anyway. It gets you by. So if this was a decent camera, a dslr for example, you would most likely need an exact replacement for it to fulfil its duties. I think its unrerasonable to expect a lender. Do they sell second hand or display models? If so, if i was the retailer I would have offered to sell you the second hand one, and refund you the full amount providing the other cam cameback as faulty and not as physical damage. Theats prob the most reasonable thing to do

Andy From Sligo

ssmith6287 wrote: »

That Nikon S33 in the cabinet. Would you be happy if you bought that, only to find out someone had been using it before. Also when you leave a car into a garage you are not given like for like, generally anyway. It gets you by. So if this was a decent camera, a dslr for example, you would most likely need an exact replacement for it to fulfil its duties. I think its unrerasonable to expect a lender. Do they sell second hand or display models? If so, if i was the retailer I would have offered to sell you the second hand one, and refund you the full amount providing the other cam cameback as faulty and not as physical damage. Theats prob the most reasonable thing to do

yep she may have run with that if offered i suppose - but to have bought a new camera to have it break weeks later and left high and dry whilst its in for 'repair' well i dont think its acceptable

ssmith6287

What model camera and what was the fault?

P. Breathnach

ssmith6287 wrote: »

What model camera and what was the fault?

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=95983529&postcount=1

Andy From Sligo

ssmith6287 wrote: »

What model camera and what was the fault?

Nikon S33 waterproof camera which turned out not to be ...... er waterproof!

Andy From Sligo

UPDATE: I am pleased to say my wife got her camera back last week (after all this time!) from The Camera Centre, Dublin and they supplied her with a brand new replacement and they even covered cost to post it to Sligo. Didnt replace the SD card that was damaged when the water got into the camera , but we can live with that.

I Still personally will not recommend or use Camera Centre now to anyone any more in the future like I used to , or if i do I will tell them about how long we had to wait for this replacement under warranty and the poor unhelpful service they gave when she returned it.