My 4 month old Nikon D7200 DSLR camera has been at Nikon’s Melville, NY repair center for a month now. The status for the last month has been “Parts Hold.” Nikon is apparently waiting for Nikon to send them a lower flash cover to complete the repair. I have no idea how much longer this repair will take. In the meantime, I’ve been deprived of the use of my camera, and my 12 month warranty is getting eaten up because my camera is sitting idle in Nikon’s big, modern repair facility that seems to have every amenity except the parts needed to repair my camera.

I understand things break. I understand it take some time to fix them. But waiting for a month for a part for a new camera that is relatively recent production, and is still available in quantity from sellers as new, is a bit problematic for me. This isn’t a 1989 vintage 35mm camera, rather, it is a camera still featured on Nikon’s website.

My other problem is that the longer is sits at Nikon, the more of my 12 month warranty gets eaten up. This, in a larger sense, is even more troubling.

Warranties have value. Monetary value. They are a “feature” of the camera and are an enticement to buy a product. However, a warranty only has real value if you can use the product. In other words, if I buy a camera and set it on my shelf and never use it, the warranty has no value to me. But if I use my camera, then there is an opportunity for a covered problem to develop, for which I can exercise my warranty. I have an opportunity to put enough use into the product for a manufacturer’s issue to become apparent. I can then exercise the warranty, have the defect fixed, and realize the value of the warranty. In my situation, if I get the camera back after 1 month, and a problem arises on my 13th month of ownership, then I’m SOL, even though I’ve only had the camera in my possession for 12 months.

The warranty also represents risk to the company that issued the warranty. It represents a risk that a company may have costs arising from repairing a product under warranty. Ideally, the company wants no expenses associated warranty repairs. The company has two ways to control that risk: either build a product that won’t fail, or reduce the term of the warranty. And the latter is essentially what happens when a product sits for an inordinate amount of time in some repair facility. I am deprived of the use of the camera thereby reducing my chances of uncovering a covered problem, and the company reduces its risk of future warranty claims by keeping the camera out of my hands and out of use for as long as possible while eating up the length of my warranty.

Extrapolate this out: If Nikon’s average repair time for any given warranty problem is 1 month, then for every 12 cameras they take in for repair, then they wipe away a year of collective warranty time away from their customers. That must have significant monetary value to the company, given the number of warranty claims they must get monthly.

I’ve done a lot of internet research and have found that Nikon’s repair times are ridiculously long. There’s speculation as to why this is. Regardless of why, Nikon to reducing the value of our warranties by keeping or products so long while, simultaneously, likely saving themselves bundle in future warranty claims.

I’ve contacted Nikon on 4 occasions to get an ETA on my camera, each time with a promise to call me back. They never have.

Nikon can remedy this by extending the warranty for the amount of time they have the camera. I don't know if they will, because they won't communicate beyond saying "Parts hold." And I can't find anything in my documentation or on the internet to confirm that Nikon will do so.

I am seriously thinking of sending my complaint and research to the NY attorney general’s office.

Nikon makes a nice product. But their service sucks.

STI makes a nice handgun, but their service is total and complete shit.

Never needed service when I shot Nikon.

The one time I have used Canon service they were awesome. I bought a used 1D Mark IV, well out of warranty. I believe I was the third owner. There was a service bulletin type fix (mirror box) that they still honored and paid postage both ways.

While it was there (Irvine CA service center) they cleaned/inspected/adjusted everything and didn’t like something about the mechanical shutter so they replaced it at no charge.

Had it back in 10 days door to door.

When my warranty claims occurred like yours, asked for the warranty to be extended accordingly.

What's the worse they can say?

quote:

Originally posted by 911Boss:
Never needed service when I shot Nikon.

The one time I have used Canon service they were awesome. I bought a used 1D Mark IV, well out of warranty. I believe I was the third owner. There was a service bulletin type fix (mirror box) that they still honored and paid postage both ways.

While it was there (Irvine CA service center) they cleaned/inspected/adjusted everything and didn’t like something about the mechanical shutter so they replaced it at no charge.

Had it back in 10 days door to door.

I got the same service from Canon. An out of warranty digital camera with a malfunctioning optical part was fixed free of charge. Canon paid for the recall shipping both ways.

quote:

Originally posted by GWbiker:

quote:

Originally posted by 911Boss:
Never needed service when I shot Nikon.

The one time I have used Canon service they were awesome. I bought a used 1D Mark IV, well out of warranty. I believe I was the third owner. There was a service bulletin type fix (mirror box) that they still honored and paid postage both ways.

While it was there (Irvine CA service center) they cleaned/inspected/adjusted everything and didn’t like something about the mechanical shutter so they replaced it at no charge.

Had it back in 10 days door to door.

I got the same service from Canon. An out of warranty digital camera with a malfunctioning optical part was fixed free of charge. Canon paid for the recall shipping both ways.

I've had great service from Canon as well. At the time I was not a member of their service plan. I had (still have) an old 5D Mk1 that took a tumble off a tripod (my fault), cracked the housing. It wasn't cheap, but service was fast, one week if I recall correctly.

Now I'm a member of their Canon Professional Services, with Platinum service package. 10 free lens cleanings (canon pays for next-day shipping both ways), 24 hour priority turn around for repairs and 20% off repair parts. They pay for next-day shipping both ways, if I have to send an item in for repair. There's also a lens evaluation program, but I haven't used it yet.

I had specific repairs I wanted them to perform on a 5D MkIV (couple things broke and finally decided to get them all fixed at the same time) so I think it was worth the money to be in the program this year. If you never have equipment failures and don't need the insurance of quick-turn around, it might not be worth the money.

I posted a bit on Consumer Affairs and e-mailed a link to Nikon. Low and behold, my camera is now no longer on a "Parts Hold," now it's listed as "In Shop." What a coincidence.

Back in the day and I mean WAY back in the day, like the seventies, some of us in the service in the Far East, bought and came back with the Nikon Photomic FTN, the most expensive Nikon made at the time. A friend had one and after 2 or 3 years, he had a problem and took it in for service. Something had failed in the meter housing. He was told the part was unavailable. Seems it had a higher than expected failure rate and Nikon had not made enough replacements and had no plans to make more. His expensive camera was worthless.

quote:

Originally posted by NK402:
Back in the day and I mean WAY back in the day, like the seventies, some of us in the service in the Far East, bought and came back with the Nikon Photomic FTN, the most expensive Nikon made at the time. A friend had one and after 2 or 3 years, he had a problem and took it in for service. Something had failed in the meter housing. He was told the part was unavailable. Seems it had a higher than expected failure rate and Nikon had not made enough replacements and had no plans to make more. His expensive camera was worthless.

It might have been a "Grey Market" camera. Nikon cameras sold by a authorized dealer had a warranty card included. Grey market cameras, usually no. I'm told that Nikon repair sometimes would refuse to repair a grey market camera.

I'm familiar with the FTN. Many photo journalist's used them. I'm surprised there would be a parts shortage for that camera.

quote:

Originally posted by GWbiker:

quote:

Originally posted by NK402:
Back in the day and I mean WAY back in the day, like the seventies, some of us in the service in the Far East, bought and came back with the Nikon Photomic FTN, the most expensive Nikon made at the time. A friend had one and after 2 or 3 years, he had a problem and took it in for service. Something had failed in the meter housing. He was told the part was unavailable. Seems it had a higher than expected failure rate and Nikon had not made enough replacements and had no plans to make more. His expensive camera was worthless.

It might have been a "Grey Market" camera. Nikon cameras sold by a authorized dealer had a warranty card included. Grey market cameras, usually no. I'm told that Nikon repair sometimes would refuse to repair a grey market camera.

I'm familiar with the FTN. Many photo journalist's used them. I'm surprised there would be a parts shortage for that camera.

Pretty sure it was bought in a stateside PX.

I got my camera back yesterday. Took just over a month. Poor communication aside, it came back functioning perfectly, cleaned, with nary a finger print on the rear LCD screen.