D600 = Lemon

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hrphotography

Senior Member
Hello everyone. I am writing this post after getting extremely frustrated after dealing with Nikon customer service. we all know that this model has a shutter problem, causing oil spots dust etc etc. My camera has been to Nikon twice and each time as per the note attached they replaced the shutter mechanism. I read in this forum someone had the shutter replaced thrice within one year. So I contacted Nikon to know, what will happen once my warranty expires and the problem returns. After dealing with their 'horrible' customer service I am much more frustrated than before. As per their senior manager, D600 does not have a design flaw in shutter. There are no 'oil spots' and only 'dust' which is a 'normal' thing to happen. I exchanged some 20 emails with this guy but every time he would dodge the real issue. When I asked him if there is no design flaw, why Nikon changed shutter mechanism twice in my camera, he replied 'Nikon cleaned your camera and returned to you'. Then I attached images of the documents from Nikon clearly stating that the shutter mechanism was replaced each time, his reply was that he has tried to answer my questions and no one at Nikon can offer more. And he did not escalate my case and I could not find a way to contact anyone above him.

This is BS! I know for some people here, D600 is a second backup camera but for me it’s the only camera, it was a big deal for me to spend 2000 for it and i/we got a lemon. And to top that Nikon is refusing to acknowledge the problem. In fact telling me that my camera was just cleaned each time. They have discontinued the model and now the value of this camera is half of what I paid for it. They would probably charge more than $ 200 for shutter replacement once the warranty expires.

I know the sensor or the first pass filter can be cleaned by user as well, but I didn’t pay $ 2000 for this. This is my last Nikon product for sure but I just wanted to know if anyone else has contacted Nikon about this?

How should we approach this? any idea?​
 
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VectorZ

Senior Member
As pissed off as I am about my THREE D600s, each time I've dealt with Nikon customer service I have been pretty happy. Now, when I get my camera back this week and there's still a problem I will push for a refund, but I'm not there yet. I assume since there are different service centers, a lot depends on which one you deal with. Mine is on the west coast of the US, as I live in Oregon, but obviously each center is going to handle things differently.
 
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Sambr

Senior Member
Very sorry to hear about your problems. Nikon in Canada has been stellar in regards for repairs and customer service.
 
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hrphotography

Senior Member
Thanks everyone. Nikon "fixed" my camera too, but whats gonna happen when the one warranty expires?

getting the camera fixed under warranty is not the issue. I hope you appreciate that One year warranty is not for design flaws . A design flaw will ‘always’ remain unless it is rectified. Nikon performed these "temporary" fix two to three times on cameras and still the spots return.

There should be a solution to this. The customer service rep is not willing to escalate my case to higher level and I could not find a way to do that myself....this is ridiculous!!!!
 
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VectorZ

Senior Member
So right after I posted that I've been pretty happy with Nikon I got notified that my camera is being sent next-day air. I had mentioned to the supervisor that I was going on a trip and it would be nice to have it back. He said he'd do his best to expedite it and that's exactly what he did. THAT is customer service and going above and beyond to make me happy.
 
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VectorZ

Senior Member
singlerosa said:
The vast majority of D600 users (like me) have no problems. Sounds more like a bad manufacturing run than a design flaw.
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I've had three of them, 6 months apart, the last one from a completely different vendor. It's just luck (or lack thereof) of the draw.
 
BackdoorArts

BackdoorArts

Senior Member
Nikon warrants each repair for a period of time, and the issue in question either appears almost immediately, or does not appear again. So, if it's sent in for service the best thing you can do when it comes back is to shoot, shoot, shoot, and in my experience, shoot in Continuous mode as it tends to exercise the shutter more thoroughly. In both cases oil spots appeared in under 300 actuations, which I shot in the first 24 hours after getting it back. Shutter #3 has shown no such spots - though dust is there, as it has been on my D800 and D7000. Too many people confuse the two.

And btw, my D600 is no "second camera", even with a D800 in the house. It's my primary shooter unless I absolutely need MP's.

Best of luck with it. I strongly disagree with the idea that the model is, in and of itself, a lemon, but it does have problems. My experiences with customer service, like VectorZ, have been largely positive. I've found that going straight to the local customer service number, bypassing the service department, got me more timely and more accurate information.
 
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Nathan Lanni

Senior Member
janathan said:
Hello everyone. I am writing this post after getting extremely frustrated after dealing with Nikon customer service. ...
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I would suggest you check with the Better Business Bureau. Years ago I had trouble with GM and took them to arbitration and won my case. The unique thing about the BBB is they have national agreements with manufactures to enter into arbitration with you, and BBB's arbitration decision is binding on the manufacture but not you. You get to pick your arbitrator from a list they provide. In my case I picked a retired air force colonel who was highly intelligent and fair. You have another thing going for you - this is a well known problem. Given this is a well known problem, it's clear Nikon had a problem so it's a fairly easy connection for an arbitrator to make between your camera's issues and Nikon rolling out a new model so soon after introducing the d600. There's plenty of evidence that you could bring to the hearing.

Another route is a web site that has information about class action lawsuits, but unfortunately I can't remember the name. When BMW had significant problems with the fuel pump in one of their models they got a lot of negative press and mounting pressure on this site. A number of people filed independent class action lawsuits which forced a factory recall. Do a search and you can find it.

Cheers and best of luck to you.
 
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