Dead camera

[supergran]

I have had two camera's sent back to the shop at just over 11,000 shots, and neither have come back!

I was told they were not going to be fixed, (both under extended warranty) as it was worth more to fix them than the cameras were worth.

One was a sony cybershot W5 with spots on the pics, and they said it was a lens problem at just over 13 months old, and the other, Canon S3 IS at 16 months old with Image stabilisation problems. Both cameras have been well looked after, never dropped, left in hot/cold car etc. Always kept in bag when not is use..

My question is, is 10,000 shots, or near, the end of a digital camera? I am looking at replacing the Canon with a SX10 but am hesitant to spend that sort of money, if it is only going to last just over 12 months.

[candleman]

if its under warranty, and they cant prove mis-use (drops) then its my opinion they owe you a repair or replacement.

Dont let your warranty expire before you resolve this.
I once had a vacuum cleaner die with 1 week left on the warranty, they managed to stuff me around long enough with half-job checks and claiming they "repaired it" for the warranty to expire.

get hold of the store manager and dont let him blow you off.
If need be mention something like the "consumer guarantees act" (or your countries equivalent) and the disputes tribunal with a letter to the franchise owner. the term "reasonable life" is always a goodie to throw in there.
the pimple faced school kids that do those sorts of sales are just filling time, so dont believe a word they say.

if you paid for the extended warranty you they are obliged to honour it.

but thats just what i think.

[Sime]

My 30D has over 40k shots on it.. (I wore out the shutter button, but its great apart from that) I'm very surprised at the issues you're having - I'd like to know if you don't have any luck (Send me a message)

Sime

[Jamesc359]

I honestly can't imagine Sony trying to weasel out of a warranty as I just sent my 5+ year old camera in for a sensor repair about two weeks ago - which was about 8 days before they stopped offering to repair it for free. Sony claims it's been repaired and is now headed back to me. I know repairing it had to have cost way more than the camera is worth.

If it's on warranty and you haven't abused it, they have no reason not to repair it or offer you a refurbished replacement regardless of the cost.

[HoosierGal]

I agree with the others. If it's under an extended warranty then they must repair or replace it regardless of the cost to them. That's the whole point of the warranty.

[prrs4me]

Interesting. Please let us know how you make out.

[supergran]

I live in New Zealand, and this is part of the wording in the warranty, so I am screwed.

"What happens if my product can't be repaired?

If your product can't be repaired, or we choose not to repair it, we will either replace it for you or offer a gift card equal to the replacement cost of your product."

Well they only pay out what the last camera cost, and as I got it on special, it isn't enough to buy the SX10 IS. Which is the comparable model to the S3 IS . I was hoping I could track down a S5 IS to replace with, but no, their shops don't have any in stock.

So thanks for your comments, it was illuminating, and no, my cameras don't get dropped etc.

And I still have 3 and a half years left on the warranty!

[candleman]

Originally Posted by supergran

I live in New Zealand, and this is part of the wording in the warranty, so I am screwed.

"What happens if my product can't be repaired?

If your product can't be repaired, or we choose not to repair it, we will either replace it for you or offer a gift card equal to the replacement cost of your product."

Well they only pay out what the last camera cost, and as I got it on special, it isn't enough to buy the SX10 IS. Which is the comparable model to the S3 IS . I was hoping I could track down a S5 IS to replace with, but no, their shops don't have any in stock.

So thanks for your comments, it was illuminating, and no, my cameras don't get dropped etc.

And I still have 3 and a half years left on the warranty!

oh well... so long as they give you a full refund.. i had the same from Dick-Smith Electronics (another Kiwi here)
our DVD recorder died after 8 months.. i took it back but they refused to give me a replacement, because all they had was 1 model up. nothing of equal value.
so they gave me my money back. Thats just the way things are.. cant get around the norm unfortunatley.

so yup... so long as you get your cash as a minimum its not the end of the world, but its stil unfair considering they just made interest off your money for the last X number of months.

[Jamesc359]

Yeah, but you used their product for the past n months. That is worth a thousand times any interest the might have made on your money.