Well, If it is not right this time, I would contact the insurance company with all the correspondence and see what they can do. I would imagine they would disallow Nikon's invoice and buy you a new camera. A good insurance company can help out a lot, by putting pressure on the repair facility. Use their clout.
Ciao, Graywolf http://pages.prodigy.net/graywolfphoto ----- Original Message ----- From: "John Mustarde" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Wednesday, August 20, 2003 9:46 PM Subject: OT- Nikon USA Repair Horror Story (long) > Many of the oldtimers on PDML know I had a Pentax repair horror story > a few years ago. Well, now I have a Nikon repair horror story, It > goes like this, if you care to read it: > > I hit a soft patch and performed a lo-speed semi-endo on my bicycle. > I was on a little photo trek down the canal trail to a rural airport. > I ended up with the imprint of a D100 on my ribs, and the D100 ended > up dusty and gouged. No problem, I surmised, as I surveyed the damage > and checked for broken bones, because the camera was covered by my > all-risks insurance policy. > > I called the insurer, who said send the camera to Nikon for an > estimate. I prepared a short but detailed list of repairs needed, and > sent it along. A week or so later I get a form letter from Nikon > estimating repairs at $741. The insurer agreed to pay all, so I was > about set. > > But I know how bad communication can be, so I called Nikon and asked > specifically would they repair the items on my list. I told the guy > the outer body was gouged in several places and needed replacing. The > person on the line said the $741 was a one-price figure which covered > "major repair" and they would take care of everything. I still really > didn't believe him, so I asked a second time would they replace the > outer shell, and put the camera in like new condition. He again said > they would. > > So a few weeks later the camera comes back. You guessed it - the > outer shell still had major gouges in the grip area from where it hit > the rocks. Not good. I was not happy, to say the least. If Nikon > had told me in advance they would not or could not repair it > completely, the insurer would cheerfully have bought me a new one. > > So I'm sitting with my ugly, damaged camera in my lap. I called Nikon. > The Nikon employee initially didn't believe me when I said Nikon > didn't fix it. She said, very defensively, "how do you know it's not > fixed" and I said "because I'm staring at it in the box you sent me, > and it still has gouges in the grip area." The Nikon lady was upset, > but she recovered her composure and arranged for a recall UPS label > sent to my email immediately. > > So after a few days, the camera is back at Nikon. I get another of > their form letters. This time is says "repairs - cosmetic" with a > zero dollar charge under warranty for the first repair. I didn't > really understand the reference to "cosmetic." But I was soon to find > out more than I cared to know. > > I called NIkon to make sure they were going to replace the outer shell > for sure this second time around. This time I asked to speak to the > repair manager, but after checking with several people and having me > hold a few minutes the Nikon employee came back and refused to allow > that. Said the repair manager does not take calls from repair > customers under any circumstances. Whooie, that instills confidence. > > Now it gets hairy. The Nikon employee said, quite arrogantly and > almost sarcastically, that Nikon never intended to replace the outer > shell, because the damage was only *cosmetic*, and Nikon USA does not > perform *cosmetic* repairs (their emphasis, not mine), no matter what > the price. Whooie. I finally manage to get a supervisor on the > phone, one from the intake department, not a repair manager. She says > Nikon simply will not make *cosmetic* repairs. > > But this time they *are* making the "cosmetic" repair. Seems like I > convinced them. Something to do with the very specific letter > describing what I wanted fixed when it was first sent in for repair. > > Hopefully, the camera will be back in my hands in like-new condition > within a couple of days. If it is not in like-new condition, I will > probably file another claim with my insurance company for diminished > value, or just get them to replace the damn thing. > > Nikon's repair philosophy is seriously flawed. They won't make > cosmetic repairs? After I sent them a letter specifying cosmetic > repairs? Then followed up with a phone call during which a Nikon > employee confirmed they would make the cosmetic repair as specified? > What the heck did they actually do for my $741? As far as I can tell > for sure, they gave the body a wipe and cleaned the sensor. Pretty > darn expensive if you ask me. > > Oh, and to add insult to injury, they kept the little plastic Nikon > LCD cover from my camera. Good thing I removed the battery and strap > and IBM Micro Drive or they might have kept those also. > > To their credit they are sending me another LCD cover. They probably > have a lot of them laying around from other customers. > > Psst - Nikon - one more little thing: I sent you my camera with a > beat up old Vivitar body cap. You sent it back with a nice new Nikon > body cap. Thanks for nothing - I really liked my old Vivitar body > cap. How the heck could you lose it? It was attached to the camera. > Or did you decide to send me a new one, to make the camera look > better... cosmetically speaking... > > -- > John Mustarde > www.photolin.com > --- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.512 / Virus Database: 309 - Release Date: 8/19/03
