Arbitrary Policies Around Warranty Replacement - Canon - Will ACCC Help?

dealsucker on 04/01/2017 - 18:21
Last edited 04/01/2017 - 18:21

Hi Guys,

Just wondering if there is a law around arbitrary requirements for warranty coverage and if I can complaint to ACCC and get it resolved. Here is what happened.

Raised a service request with Canon for a faulty battery for my Canon 7D Mark II which still under warranty. I was told over the phone to go to Canon Service Center in Clayton Victoria, since I did not want to courier it to NSW, to get a replacement. Drove all the way to Clayton (1 hour+ drive) only to find that they not only need the battery but will also need to keep my camera which will be sent to Sydney for reasons which neither I agreed with nor can I fathom and then will have to come back again after 1-2 week to collect. Worse still the service center is only open Mon to Fri which means for a battery which would cost me $50 if I were to buy it myself, I will have to travel 85 kms both ways TWICE and that too during working days so probably a leave from work too! Not to mention that they wasted my time today and gave me wrong advice over the phone.

They did this to a customer which already has Canon gear worth atleast $7000! I am sorry but if the poor sensors in Canon camera's did not push me over, my latest and more importantly my only experience with Canon's customer service has surely pushed me to seriously think about migrating to either Nikon or Sony. I cannot believe how a big company like Canon can have such poor customer service for a mere battery replacement!

What is your advice guys.

  1. Shall I take it up with ACCC?
  2. There is no escalation procedure as far as Canon is concerned so it is either their way or the highway.
  3. What is your opinion on the arbitrary requirements to claim warranty. This is totally against consumer interests.

Thanks in advance.

Electrical & Electronics

Comments

  • Baysew on 04/01/2017 - 18:39
    +1

    Why didn't you just go back to the shop you purchased it from?

    Sounds like the actual repair work is handled in Sydney.

    • dealsucker on 04/01/2017 - 18:44

      I bought it from Dick Smith. I could understand if something was wrong with the camera and it needed repair but why do I have to leave my camera with them for 2 weeks for battery replacement?

  • spackbace on 04/01/2017 - 18:52

    IMO, buy the battery and move on. $50 is a relatively small price to pay to rid yourself of the aggravation. This could draw on for weeks etc, countless calls, plus the trip to the Service Centre.

    Only other solution would've been to go to the retailer, which you obviously can't in this situation, leaving Canon as the be-all and end-all to help you.

    • dealsucker on 04/01/2017 - 19:03

      I want to do that but that would be an easy way out for both me and the company. On principle I cannot let Canon get away with such poor levels of customer service. Their gear isn't cheap.

      • spackbace on 04/01/2017 - 19:06
        +1

        At the end of the day, the best case scenario will be to go back to the Service Centre, and swap for a new battery. That's best case! They won't mail it to you or anything, they'll expect to test yours and swap for a new one.

        What do you want to achieve out of this besides a new battery?!

        • [Deactivated] on 04/01/2017 - 19:33

          I left the pro photo industry to retrain and do something I enjoyed. Trust me move on Canon has the worst customer service ever, you will waste a ton of time fighting them to get in the end nowhere. But hey if you want to go for it it check this link out from a working Pro.
          http://www.photocounter.com.au/2013/canon-warranty-dispute-l…

  • [Deactivated] on 04/01/2017 - 19:03

    You are seriously having a rant over a $50 dollar battery which isn't covered under any manufacturer warranty longer than 6 months as a best case in a non commerical usaage of the item

    1. They have a few authorized service centres
    2. Of course they need the camera as the fault could be with the camera causing the battery to play up, if they have everything they can test it to ensure the fault doesn't come back, piss poor effort on their part but with any electronic goods its always wise to take the whole unit with you.

    I have a few hundred dollars in camera gear and have never had an issue with Canon

    Feel free to migrate brands, don't let the door hit your ass on the way out, I find being polite helps with the service centre, I had an old DV camera play up just outside of warranty and they replaced a main board free of charge with labour, being polite and not ranting helps, you're a small timer with 7k in camera gear, I have seen guys with 100k of gear get the same level of service as I did, being POLITE, not raving and ranting, Its a wonder they didn't show you the door.

    Batteries are consumables and in most cases won't be covered under warranty anyway, but this depends if you're a commerical user or a residential user as this will make a difference.

    Also threatening the ACCC, really? you have not even let Canon help you out, God help people on this site.

    • dealsucker on 04/01/2017 - 19:14
      +1

      I am not a commercial user. I never had a problem with my Canon gear as well but the only time I ever needed it, they have disappointed me badly. Also, the camera is absolutely fine because I also happen to have another 7D and I used its battery in the MKII with absolutely no issue. Secondly, the "battery recharge performance" under battery menu on the camera itself is down to one notch out of 3 on both 7D and 7D MKII.

      Secondly, the battery is covered for a year from the date of purchase and is still under warranty. The 7D MKII isnt even used much. The shutter count as of today is less than 5k's.

      • [Deactivated] on 04/01/2017 - 19:16

        Then let Canon perform the tests they need to on your device to ensure its actually okay, I have found Canon to be very fair and pedantic about testing the cameras, BTW I have been inside both the Sydney and Melbourne offices and must admit, I can see why they want your device, they are strict with testing to make sure you get a quality device

        You paid alot for it right?

        Would you not want to make sure its tested before you get it back

        • dealsucker on 04/01/2017 - 19:19
          -1

          What makes you think I was not polite with the service centre? Do you think I drove 45kms one way to "fight" with the service centre. I know for a fact that the camera is perfectly fine. The faulty battery is being shown as faulty in both 7D and 7D MKII. There is a reason why I am saying that this is a arbitrary policy. With such poor customer service, I would not dare leave my camera with these guys for 15 days for battery replacement.

        • [Deactivated] on 04/01/2017 - 19:23
          -1

          @dealsucker:

          Thats your issue then, I stand by them as a reputable and good company to deal with

          1. I will say yeah they gave you incorrect information and should have asked for the device and battery
          2. why won't you leave your camera with them, sounds like you have something to hide, a lot of fuss over a battery don't you think

          If you don't like their repair policy then buy a battery and move on, no offence you sound like a real twit about the whole issue

          They need your device to test it

          END OF STORY

          Seriously if you act like this here I will assume you were rude at the service centre

          The customer service I experienced has been nothing short of excellent, I wish you the best with your repairs but I feel youre making a big deal over a SMALL ISSUE, are you also a authorized repairer of the camera, whos to say there is an issue with your dick smith device that caused the battery to fail, Canon repair techs are the best in the business and would want to once again make sure your device is working to their standards, not to your "so called standards"

  • aussieprepper on 04/01/2017 - 19:21

    Batteries come with a very short warranty. Some cells may only last 2-300 recharges depending on frequency of recharges and how they are treated so generally batteries have a short warranty. I have LG cells that i use to test torches i build and are put under high loads. They maybe have a max of 40-50 recharges on them and they are already showing wear and tear.

    I think its fair that cannon wants to check out the camera also. The camera could have a fault like a high standby current draw which could be effecting battery performance.
    Ask them to ship your products when they are ready?

    • [Deactivated] on 04/01/2017 - 19:24

      Exactly, there is a lot more to this story than I am wanting to believe by the OP
      won't leave his camera with the repair agent.

    • dealsucker on 04/01/2017 - 19:42

      They do not need to because the behavior of the battery in question is the same in both my cameras. The camera firmware itself shows the recharge performance as being average already. Besides when asked what is the reason to keep the camera, they said they need to make sure that this is the battery that came with tje camera! How difficult it is to check the battery condition at Canon's service center?

      • [Deactivated] on 04/01/2017 - 19:46
        -3

        As I have outlined NUMEROUS TIMES to you

        They need YOUR CAMERA to check the performance of the Battery, I am sure they can check the serial number of the battery to ensure its legitimate, as we know how grey imports can be

        I think they are being fair, but if youre wanting to not surrender your device just buy another battery and move on.

        • dealsucker on 04/01/2017 - 19:49

          I wont repeat myself. The reason they gave me to leave my camera is becuase they are not sure if this is the battery that came with the camera because the sale receipt does not have the serial number of either the camera or the battery. You are free to judge and make your own assumptions.

  • dealsucker on 04/01/2017 - 19:47
    +1

    The reason I do not want to leave my camera with them is because of my interaction with the service centre. What if they were to scratch it or it comes back with dust on the sensor? That will be a much bigger headache than a $50 battery. It is akin to asking the customer to leave his car for 2 weeks becuase they need to replace battery! Just check the darned battery.

    I had my MacBook scratched during repair by Apple but then again they were Apple and hence replaced the scratched part. After my interaction with Canon i do not think i can trust them with anything. Also remember this is my first dealing with Canon's customer service and it has not been good.

    • aussieprepper on 04/01/2017 - 20:12

      Your not understanding it's probably not the battery itself. Not many things can go wrong with the battery unless they are caused by us or the actual camera? I know they want the camera so they can see how many cycles the battery has done. How many times have you charged and discharged the battery?
      It's common if your car battery isn't old to leave your car at the mechanics for a check up in case of other issues.
      If you leave your camera just take pics to document its condition.

      Any ways mate the decision is up to you. I just spent 60 USD on batteries for torches they don't last for ever.

    • spackbace on 04/01/2017 - 20:51
      +1

      Use camera 2 to take pictures of camera 1 prior to giving it to them?

      I'm not sure why you insist on arguing with people here, either you a) want to give them your camera to try to get a new battery, or b) you don't. ACCC will side with Canon on this because they're trying to sort the issue for you, you're just not happy with how they're going about that.

      Balls in your court but already this issue has cost you time, and the time spent arguing on here is more time wasted… How much do you get paid hourly? Because I reckon you've wasted more than that on dealing with this.

  • tonyjzx on 04/01/2017 - 22:36

    move to nikon

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