D600 customers taking frustations out on D610 reviews/ratiings

[Brian]

Nor anyone else for that matter.

Other products had problems in first year of production, and this is not the first product from Nikon that had problems.
The last one that I can remember that was this bad was the Nikkorex 35. Legend has it that Nikon took the unsold units and dumped them at sea. They replaced it with the Nikkorex 35-2, which was not much better. Then they quit making fixed-lens SLR's with leaf shutters altogether. So you have to go back 50 years to find a Nikon camera that was as bad as the D600.
The problem that I see- once a camera had been returned for the second time with the same problem, supposedly repaired: the camera should have been replaced. Requiring it to be returned three times and more is ridiculous. The camera has a high incidence of recurring problems, which points to a design fault. The introduction of the D610 and termination of the D600 emphasizes that point.

 

[mguffin]

I can appreciate the frustration felt by burned '600 owners but lashing out by trying to tear down the replacement offering strikes me as childish and petulant.

I agree... the power and the problem (one of them) with the Internet...

 

[NVSteve]

Second when an issue with a car is identified and there is a recall

That's where the analogy fails though-not every mfr will issue a recall for many things. Look at the last Jeep recall-the same one where the NHTSA advised for a recall and Jeep did nothing until the bad press pushed them into action. The vehicle I currently drive has a known issue with the radiator cracking, which leads to contamination of transmission fluid, which leads to a blown transmission. That one is not a recall, although the mfr upped the warranty on the radiator.

I'm with Hippie on this. I only purchase something because it is as close to what I want as I can find. If that means I'll keep it around 1 year or 30 years is of no concern, as I don't buy anything like a camera or car as an investment. They simply serve a practical use for me & I will use them until they no longer function, or if I feel something else out there will provide me with something much, much better.

As to the negative D610 reviews, I agree it is pretty sad on the part of the reviewers to rip on a camera just because the previous model gave them problems. With all of the postings dealing with Nikon Service Centers returning cameras in worse shape than when they were sent in, I won't be sending my D600 in. I've grown accustomed to cleaning the sensor before every shoot. Not that I am happy about that, but my options are fairly limited as I absolutely love what I am getting out of the camera.

 

[Horoscope Fish]

You want to know how to get heard by the people who can ACTUALLY do something? Here's what you do...

Call Nikon customer service and get a live body on the phone. Ask this person how, if you thought you had received some TRULY OUTSTANDING customer service, how you would address a letter so that it would get to the President of Nikon. Lay it on THICK... Explain you do NOT want this letter intercepted by some low-level, middle manager, oh no! You want this letter to go straight to the top because the customer service you received was JUST... THAT... GOOD. Again, lay this on THICK, be over the freaking top and be sure you make this person understand how serious you are that you want this letter to land in the hands of The Big Man (or Woman). Be excited... Be as persistent as you need to be to get this information. When you get this critical information, politely hang up. Do not, I repeat, DO NOT tip you hand at this point! You did NOT say you had, in fact, received excellent customer service... You said "IF" you felt you had, how would you get your letter to someone at the top... The fact of the matter is you didn't, and you are going to use this information to complain, but this "if" relieves you of any ethical "sticky wickets" that could possibly keep you awake at night if you happened to be burdened by a conscience.

With the proper address now in hand, hand write or type up an actual, hard-copy, explanatory letter and address it as you were instructed. This letter should be calm and rational; it should be well composed, not shot off in thirty rash seconds. Take your time and really explain what happened, be specific but keep it brief and stay on topic. Just like Joe Friday, "Just the facts, ma'am...". I would suggest you let someone else you know and trust read it over before sending it; making any changes they suggest knowing they are an objective third party. I can not even begin to tell you how effective this technique has been for me in the past in getting matters resolved. The key, is getting your story to the right person. Good luck.

.....

 

[carguy]

Yet another thread...

 

[Nero]

Other products had problems in first year of production, and this is not the first product from Nikon that had problems.

Like I said, it's best not to get products from anyone right away when they're released.

 

[hrphotography]

The question is....once the one year warranty runs out, what then? do you think Nikon will change the shutter for free?
No way...they will charge you $150+ for that. For a faulty design that they made we will have to ultimately pay. many of us had the shutters changed twice, thrice until now for free since this is a fairly new model.....imagine the frustration when you have to pay for the replacement!

& yes i know.....users can clean this & that themselves...but that is not the point here.

 

[BackdoorArts]

The 1 year warranty does not matter provided you are within the 90 day warranty on replacement parts, and if the shutter is going to spew any oil it always seems to do it in the first 300 shots. So provided you test your camera thoroughly as soon as you get it back from Nikon you should be fine if you require service again since the 90 day repair warranty will cover you - even if your full 1 year warranty runs out. I would also check with your credit card company as some will extend manufacture warranties by a year or more.

 

[Brian]

The question is....once the one year warranty runs out, what then? do you think Nikon will change the shutter for free?
No way...they will charge you $150+ for that. For a faulty design that they made we will have to ultimately pay. many of us had the shutters changed twice, thrice until now for free since this is a fairly new model.....imagine the frustration when you have to pay for the replacement!

& yes i know.....users can clean this & that themselves...but that is not the point here.

That's basically the real problem- Nikon has left a lot of D600 customers in the dust with the D610 being introduced so quickly. Many cameras have has problems in the first year, but the manufacturers revise and correct the problems: not just dump it and replace with a new model. As first-production cameras are returned for repair, the revised/corrected parts are used to update the camera.

Nikon simply needs to put in place a program to replace D600's being returned for the second time for repair with D610's. This program should include out-of-warranty cameras being pro-rated for the return. Leica did this for the M8 which has been out of production since 2009 when replacement parts for faulty LCD's were exhausted.

 

[BackdoorArts]

That's basically the real problem- Nikon has left a lot of D600 customers in the dust with the D610 being introduced so quickly. Many cameras have has problems in the first year, but the manufacturers revise and correct the problems: not just dump it and replace with a new model. As first-production cameras are returned for repair, the revised/corrected parts are used to update the camera.

Nikon simply needs to put in place a program to replace D600's being returned for the second time for repair with D610's. This program should include out-of-warranty cameras being pro-rated for the return. Leica did this for the M8 which has been out of production since 2009 when replacement parts for faulty LCD's were exhausted.

This argument is flawed in that even if Nikon were finding and fixing bugs in the D90, which I believe may be the oldest model still in production, those whose warranty ran out after a year would still be subject to paying for repairs after that period. If nothing else Nikon has mitigated the issue by removing the camera from the market so that the scope of the problem cannot grow, and given that the single point of failure seems to fail quickly the warranty to the repair itself covers you beyond the body's warranty period and should be sufficient to provide the owner with the opportunity to "break" it again and return it for service within that 90 day warranty period.

Should something else go wrong with the camera I believe that a call to customer service reminding them that Nikon likely possessed your camera for 2 months out of your 12 month warranty period and subjected it to multiple trips in the hands of couriers might be enough to get them to grace you with an extension on warranty time. If something else fails.

Lemon laws in the US allow for 5 strikes in a year with no resolution before the manufacturer needs to buy it back. I believe the 3 strikes we've heard about with Hark is sufficient, and Nikon appears to have done right by her. You can want them to play at 2 strikes but they are under no obligation. Nikon is no Leica, and neither is Canon. No one complains that GM or Ford service isn't like Roll-Royce, and for good reason - it would be insane to think that just because they both produce the same type of product that they would act the same.

You have every right to be angry with Nikon - I was. And while you might have a personal right to express unrealistic expectations, no one is under any obligation to fulfill them. As my Uncle Bob always said, "There are plenty of people in hell expecting a glass of ice water sooner or later. Do you think they ever get it? Suck it up and get over it." In other words, it's a bad situation, but there are ways of dealing with it. Moaning about what might be down the road is useless. As has been suggested, if you find yourself in a bind, contact the BBB and start a case. I suspect that there are some very reasonable people in their customer relations department - which has nothing to do with their service department, which I admit is a black hole into which your equipment goes and you're lucky if you know it's being returned before it shows up on your doorstep. There's a "system" in place that needs to be worked in cases like this. No one gives away something for nothing, which is exactly what you're asking for. Yes, you paid $2000 for a camera and it should act like one. You are now getting the repair service entitled you by that contract. You want better service? Pay $5000 for the camera next time.

 

[Brian]

Nikon is much bigger than Leica, sells a lot more cameras. They could do a lot better standing behind their products. Replacing the D600 within about a year indicates a design problem with the D600. Glad I bought the Leica. Nikon is not the same company that they used to be.
The car analogy- Ford just sent a recall notice on our 2008 vehicle, authorizing replacement of parts in the steering mechanism. It is long out of warranty. The number of problems with the D600 is "above the norm", replacement of such a new model as a D600 indicates a design problem. Most reviews of the D610 indicate it is a corrected model D600. Nikon should treat the shutter problem in the same manner as a car manufacturer treats a design defect: issue a recall, authorize replacement of defective parts with ones that correct the problem.

As far as Leica and Nikon- not all Leica cameras cost $5K and up; not all Nikons cost $2K and below. I bought an SP long before the M3. The SP did not need service, the M3 did. Nikon used to know how to make a camera every bit as good as a Leica; and they still do. They just need to learn a lesson in service.