Help! John Lewis refusing to fix camera under warranty

Lirin

Camera's are not as strong now as they used to be. The Canon I started shooting with was advertised on it's strength- Japan adverts featured the camera body lying on the ground with a car parked wth the wheel on top of the camera.

While accidents and faults can occur, the majority assumption is that it is a user fault. NOT getting at OP, that's the general rule of thumb.

I've worked a lot of areas in photography- selling, repairs, printing, testing, shooting.

I have had- a London pro for a BIG magazine return a lens as it didn't focus. Of course it didn't- he had it switched to manual focus.

A camera returned as it didn't shoot in colour- was set to monochrome. Again, a pro.

I've had unfortunate accidents- people honestly not understanding that their camera being dropped/dipped in paint stripper/ knocked into a pint/ lent to their best friend who lost it wasn't actually covered by the warranty.

On the other side, I have also seen cameras returned by tech's after a hasty diagnosis where they've been incorrect- which is why I've recommended you to ask for a copy of the repair/diag docket.

Same as vyle, I also tried to let people know they probably wouldn't be covered under warranty, and had a similar reaction. One man had bought two cameras 8 months apart from a shop I worked in. Same make and model. Returned one for repair under warranty- not to me, and should never have been accepted, as it wasn't a warranty repair anyway. Canon refused to even look at it, as he'd sneakily returned the first camera, which was out of warranty, with the sales docket for the second, which was still in. All serial numbers were listed on receipt.

The shop staff in JL will be largely unable to help. Canon will. Sand is a nightmare- general rules for a beach would be to try and keep the camera bagged as often as possible, never change the lens, open battery door, card door, etc, when using the camera try and stand with wind with you..... and so on.

Canon are unlikely to have photographed sand damage, they will have noted on report, sent diagnosis back, and will hold for a period to allow you to notify them of your decision. I would hazard a guess that Canon may be correct here- hard to say without seeing it- but I know from experience it only takes a few grains to screw up the mechanisims. Lens refusing to open- it's a compact or hybrid then? Which model?