canon camera / warranty

dannybird

Hi,

I have a canon EOS 5D that cost £2600 2.5 years ago. After not using it for a week i picked it up and there was a problem with the TFT. I drove it up to their service centre and a few days later I got a call to give me info on what was wrong and a quote. They quoted 167 to replace the tft and i subsequently agreed with them to go ahead with the repair. A week later they called me to say there was a further problem and that the cost would now be closer to 300. Im dubious about this but moreover I feel that a camera that has been well cared for and cost this much such last longer. Clearly its out of warranty but is there any legislation that says that an item should last for a reasonable amount of time? and if so what is the best way to persue this?

many thanks,

danny

moonrakerz

dannybird wrote: »

is there any legislation that says that an item should last for a reasonable amount of time

In short - no !

This is a summary of the Law in that area, but even that is a bit "wooly" in some areas.

http://www.berr.gov.uk/whatwedo/consumers/fact-sheets/page38311.html

dannybird

thanks for the link - looks like I have no choice then, very dissapointed with canon though - the circuit board and tft should last more than a couple of years, if only i didnt have lens' I'd swap to another manufacurer...:mad:

wonder if the home insurance would cover it...

Proc

dannybird wrote: »

thanks for the link - looks like I have no choice then, very dissapointed with canon though - the circuit board and tft should last more than a couple of years, if only i didnt have lens' I'd swap to another manufacurer...:mad:

wonder if the home insurance would cover it...

Home Insurance generally doesn't cover for mechanical breakdown or wear and tear. They would only cover if something had actually happened to the camera in order to break it (i.e you dropped it down the stairs).

Having said that, most standard home insurers have a single article limit of around £2,000, unless otherwise specified. So, in this instance, it probably wouldn't be covered anyway.

tldr; If you can remember dropping it, it's correctly insured, and the drop caused the damage, home insurance would pay. If not, you've got an expensive paper weight.

MyLastFiver

Unfortunately products do develop faults out of warranty. If the TFT broke on my Canon SLR, I would be pleasantly surprised that I'd only have to pay £167 to get it fixed.

I think your cause for complaint would be that you agreed to the repair at £167, then they substantially increased this cost. If Canon people cannot correctly diagnose the fault before quoting, then they should stand by their original quote and suck up the loss themselves.

I doubt whether legally you have a case but morally I think you do. I would complain, asking for a refund of the difference between the original quote and the final price paid. I would keep escalating the complaint as necessary until you get to the boss of Canon UK.

If you have an EOS 5 then you are either a pro or a serious enthusiast, and, because of proprietory lens and flashgun compatibility, are a "career user" of Canon equipment. Canon should show a little flexibility and goodwill here to a customer such as yourself. If you go high enough, I expect you will eventually reach someone who recognizes this.

Even if you just receive some vouchers, it would be a nice little moral victory in my opinion.

Good luck.

moonrakerz

To be honest something like an expensive camera is something that it might be worth considering an extended warranty/insurance for.
I did that for my Nikon, hunted round and got a policy from John Lewis - Sod's Law of course - the camera has been faultless !!