Additional charge on Sony camera repair

xJonny

Hi all,

I recently sent my Sony compact camera in for a repair at their central service centre as it stopped working due to the lens not extending/retracting properly. Quick googling suggests it a common fault due to dust. I bought it almost 3 years ago, so it is not under warranty now.

After entering the camera details and selecting the problem online, I was quoted a fixed fee of £117. I thought that it was a little high if it is just dust but begrudgingly accepted it and sent it off. A week and a half later, I was then sent an email saying that payment was due and to call them. I made the payment via credit card over the phone and expected the repair to progress.

However, I have just received an email today of the "repair estimate" of around £160, of which I supposedly paid a £117 "deposit" towards. £160 feels quite a lot to repair a camera which cost less than £300 about 3 years ago with low/moderate use. Googling the part number on the estimate showed a forum post where someone said their camera's lens system and sensor was replaced when the lens retraction part just needed to be disassembled and cleaned. Luckily for them, they were in warranty.

Anyway, the email also states that a "refusal" fee of £54 applies if I reject the repair or do not respond in 14 days. Having paid the £117 quote and being unaware of the unreasonably high refusal fee (in my opinion), what are my options now?

Thanks!

System

These places exist to find faults and repair them. Don't be surprised if they find faults with your faulty camera and want money to fix it.

What does the (original) contract say? It doesn't matter if you feel it's too much now if you agreed to it earlier. Have they misled you or have you simply not read the detail?

£54 for an inspection (and I assume shipping?) doesn't sound unrealistic for a service centre.

xJonny

mutzi wrote: »

These places exist to find faults and repair them. Don't be surprised if they find faults with your faulty camera and want money to fix it.

What does the (original) contract say? It doesn't matter if you feel it's too much now if you agreed to it earlier. Have they misled you or have you simply not read the detail?

£54 for an inspection (and I assume shipping?) doesn't sound unrealistic for a service centre.

Hi mutzi, I'm not sure if you misread.

As I said, I agreed to the original quote of £117, however am not happy that they tacked on another £40-odd.

The reason I find the "refusal fee" unreasonable is because it would only take 10 seconds to turn the camera on and see the problem with the lens I described and then decide the whole lens system needs replacing.

The original quote says

Out of guarantee repairs will be carried out at a fixed price cost. This cost includes labour, parts, and carriage costs. All prices are inclusive of VAT and are displayed on the Repair Delivery Note below.

knightstyle

So was it a quote for £117 or an estimate and how were you told about this?

LilElvis

Have you asked them why they want more money when you paid for a fixed price repair? Is there any small print on the quote you accepted whereby they could increase their price subsequent to receiving the camera/diagnosing the actual fault?

xJonny

knightstyle wrote: »

So was it a quote for £117 or an estimate and how were you told about this?

LilElvis wrote: »

Have you asked them why they want more money when you paid for a fixed price repair? Is there any small print on the quote you accepted whereby they could increase their price subsequent to receiving the camera/diagnosing the actual fault?

Hi, thanks for replying. The £117 is listed as the fixed repair price in an email confirming all the details e.g. my address, camera model, serial number.

Having looked again, the small print says:

! The Sony European Guarantee does not cover physical or accidental damage, (including but not limited to, neglect, accidents, fire, liquids, chemicals or substances, incorrect supply or input voltages and other external forces and impacts). If a product is found to have failed for any of these reasons an estimate of the repair cost will be provided,
where economical and where the actual repair cost is going to exceed the fixed price repair cost. Should you decide not to proceed with the repair at the estimated cost, a handling fee will be applied and the product will be returned unrepaired.

Which I assumed would not apply as it is a mechanical problem with the lens and not e.g. a cracked screen?

unholyangel

What was the process exactly? You entered details online, got an email containing a fixed cost repair price and then entered into the contract on that basis?

What website did you go to? Did they mention anything about rights under the consumer contract regulations?

System

That seems to refer to a warranty, which you said was expired?

The whole email (minus personal details) might help us point you in the right direction.

xJonny

unholyangel wrote: »

What was the process exactly? You entered details online, got an email containing a fixed cost repair price and then entered into the contract on that basis?

What website did you go to? Did they mention anything about rights under the consumer contract regulations?

Yep, that sounds about right. I went on sony.co.uk, to the support section and then repair registration. Entered personal/camera/fault details and got an email with confirmation.

mutzi wrote: »

That seems to refer to a warranty, which you said was expired?

The whole email (minus personal details) might help us point you in the right direction.

Hmm , the first time I read though it I did think it was for people trying to get in-warranty repairs for physically damaged items.

The email is as follows:

Dear X,
Thank you for registering your product repair, a summary of the details you have provided are given below. Please save or print this e-mail as the Registration Code will be important should you need to check on the repair progress or contact us over any aspect of the repair.

Now click here for further instruction on how to return your product

Please ensure you send the product to us using the Freepost address given in this attachment within the next two weeks. If we have not received the product within this period the registration details will automatically be deleted. As a consequence, the registration process will need to be fully repeated.

Upon receipt of your product Sony will send you an acknowledgement to confirm that we received your product safely. This will be sent to the postal address you have given as part of the registration process and where possible by text message or e-mail. Once the repair is complete we will return your product to the same address by registered mail. If the repair is chargeable, a pro-forma invoice will be sent to you and the product dispatched after we have received payment.

Contacting Sony about your repair.

Do not reply to this e-mail.

After sending your product you can check repair progress at any time by clicking on the Repair Tracking link that can be found in the Support section of sony.co.uk web site. Should you need to contact us please ring 08702 408060 (Mon to Fri 9a.m. to 5p.m.)
INHOME
Registration Code: X Registration date: 31-07-2016
Model: X Serial Number: X
Purchase date: XX-XX-2013 Warranty: No
Repair Price: £ 117
INHOME
Packaging: Original Packing
Condition: Used
Fault description: General function problem
When: Constantly
Additional info: Problem with lens not retracting
Accessories: Batteries

Guarantee Repairs

Please make sure that you include a clear photocopy of the original receipt issued by your Sony dealer to confirm the date of

purchase. If you do not enclose proof of purchase, we will have to treat the repair as out of warranty and therefore chargeable.

! The Sony European Guarantee does not cover physical or accidental damage, (including but not limited to, neglect,

accidents, fire, liquids, chemicals or substances, incorrect supply or input voltages and other external forces and

impacts). If a product is found to have failed for any of these reasons an estimate of the repair cost will be provided,

where economical and where the actual repair cost is going to exceed the fixed price repair cost. Should you decide not

to proceed with the repair at the estimated cost, a handling fee will be applied and the product will be returned

unrepaired.

Chargeable Repairs

Out of guarantee repairs will be carried out at a fixed price cost. This cost includes labour, parts, and carriage costs. All prices

are inclusive of VAT and are displayed on the Repair Delivery Note below.

plus the delivery instructions.

System

Chargeable Repairs

Out of guarantee repairs will be carried out at a fixed price cost. This cost includes labour, parts, and carriage costs. All prices are inclusive of VAT and are displayed on the Repair Delivery Note below.

I am reading that situation as if the quote above is the only part of the terms that apply, everything above is about "in" warranty work.

If that is all it says then I think you are entirely in the right. Getting them to see that might be a battle though.

unholyangel

From what OP has said, the retailer has not complied with consumer contract regulations either which make it mandatory for retailers (in distance or off-premise contracts) to provide certain information to the customer before the customer is bound by the contract.

Part of the information they need to include is:

(f)the total price of the goods or services inclusive of taxes, or where the nature of the goods or services is such that the price cannot reasonably be calculated in advance, the manner in which the price is to be calculated,

(l)where a right to cancel exists, the conditions, time limit and procedures for exercising that right in accordance with regulations 27 to 38;

(n)that, if the consumer exercises the right to cancel after having made a request in accordance with regulation 36(1), the consumer is to be liable to pay the trader reasonable costs in accordance with regulation 36(4);

The meaning of the first two should be obvious. The last one...regulation 36(1) basically orders the retailer not to begin provision of the service before the 14 day cooling period is over unless the consumer has made an express request. Where the consumer makes such a request, the can be liable for services provided up until they cancel. If they didn't make such a request or if the trader failed to supply the consumer with the information in paragraphs (l) and (n) above, then the consumer can cancel within the cancellation period without liability.