Nikon Repair Service

GracieAllen

Senior Member
This is just going to be me complaining and generally whining about Nikon repair service, so if you're not in the mood, skip this topic.........

Nikon f500/f4 AF-S... Good lens. Quite good lens... Until it wasn't. This lens lives in a Pelican Case, in a padded slot. It gets babied FAR MORE than my car, computers, spouse, etc. Year or so ago it started providing images that weren't as tack sharp as they'd previously been. They weren't tack sharp any more on the D300, the D810, OR the D7200.

SO, after screwing around for AT LEAST a year, thinking it wasn't POSSIBLE there could be a problem with the lens - this includes doing the focus adjustment where I shot images from +20 to -20 in increments of "2" to see if the lens was simply back-or front focusing, on TWO different bodies, and STILL believed it was ME, not the lens, I FINALLY decided it needed to go in to be checked...

SO, I jumped through the hoops, taking the D810 and the 500 out to shoot some images up close (20 feet), and far away, ranging from about 50 yards to a couple hundred. Used the trusty Gitzo 3540 XL (which is EXTREMELY STABLE AND HAS NO CENTER COLUMN), Markins M20 ball head (again, very solid), and a 10 pound beanbag to damp any movement on the tripod. AND, of course, mirror-up mode and a remote release. And used the special Nikon software to check 'em, and sent them in the RAW images as instructed, ONE IMAGE PER EMAIL, for Nikon to examine...................................................... And got 'em ALL BACK 'cause they were TOO BIG FOR NIKON TO GET IN THE EMAIL. Which would be OK, except Nikon SPECIFICALLY SAID send RAW images, full size... which means right around 40MB each....

SO, I made them smaller, using the special Nikon software to dump jpegs... This way, they'd be less than 20MB - not MUCH less, but less... And sent 'em, and got 'em ALL BACK AGAIN 'cause Nikon says they HAVE to be less than 20MB. Which they were. SO, I dumped them AGAIN, and told the software to keep them to 10MB or less, and sent them AGAIN......

And got a guy on the phone, who looked at them, and made noises that went something like, "WOW, those aren't even sharp when around the MINIMUM focus distance." Followed by, "Good grief, and the farther away, the worse they get. Yup, there's a problem." Cool... I'm not crazy... He followed up with "It typically runs about $150 for repairs, depending on what's needed."

SO, I shipped the lens off, with $7500 in insurance, gulped a bit at the $150 shipping bill including the special liquid-filled bags that they squeeze to mix the goo, that then gets fitted around the lens to set up into a form-fitting foam protector... Off it went to California. I WANTED to go to the East coast but I'm about 9 feet west of the Mississippi, so they said it HAS to go to L. A.

Some time later I got the estimate for $464. Which I FIGURED meant there was some MASSIVE problem like the autofocus had puked all over itself, or the lens elements had fallen into the bottom of the lens body, or some OTHER gigantic problem that would require umpteen hours to fix and return the lens to perfect...... It wasn't ACTUALLY an estimate since they had a credit card on file, and just went ahead and did the repair without my signature.

And some time later the lens came back... Happy day...

SO, went BACK out to shoot some amazing images with the all fixed, better than new, lens... And just for comparison, I took along the Sigma 50-500 and the Sigma 150-600 JUST SO I COULD COMPARE and MARVEL AT THE ASTONISHING QUALITY OF THE BETTER THAN ORIGINAL, 500/f4.........

Got home. Looked at images... Looked at 'em again. Made 'em 100% and looked close... Odd. These are really nice and sharp... OH, WAIT, those are from the Sigma, these wretched, soft, worse than before images are from the 500/f4 that just came back... Looked at the invoice... OH, the $464 repair was for somebody to REPLACE THE LENS MOUNT and check the auto-focus..... HUH? 15 minutes to unscrew 3 screws and a $50 (my guess) part?

Yup, out to CA, in the shop, back to me, and this POS is as bad or worse than it was BEFORE THEY TOUCHED IT.....

Shot some more images, same way as last time. Called in to Nikon, got another guy on the phone, and went through the same process again... And got the same kind of comments, except this person wasn't as circumspect. More of the, "Wow, that's bad." He could SEE the images from the previous visit, and decided the new ones were even WORSE......

SO, I "requested" a shipping label 'cause I'm not paying to ship this thing again, got one, and sent it again. Today I got the acknowledgement that they have the lens, but it says, "NO PROBLEM DESCRIPTION", so I called AGAIN, and this time I requested a supervisor or manager or someone that lives in a room with a door on it so I could make SURE someone was aware that I was VERY CLEAR ABOUT THE PROBLEM, AGAIN...

He's going to contact service and suggest that the lens be fixed. I "requested" that THIS TIME, SOMEONE - I DON'T CARE IF ITS THE SERVICE MANAGER, OR PRESIDENT OF NIKON USA, ACTUALLY PUT THE LENS ON A BODY, TAKE SOME IMAGES AND VERIFY THAT THE THING ACTUALLY TAKES A SHARP PICTURE BEFORE THEY SEND IT BACK... Don't know if they will, but I'd REALLY like not to have to do this a THIRD time......

In truth, other than the slower maximum aperture, the Sigma is unbelievably good, ESPECIALLY given that it costs about 15% of what the Nikon did... AND it works extremely well with the Sigma 1.4X TC, so overall, if I was a regular photographer, looking for a decent long telephoto without having to dump $7000+, I'd have to look long and hard at the Sigma and/or Tamron alternatives... And EITHER can be hand-held, and can be carried without getting a hernia...

SO, 'nuff whining. I'm awaiting the return of the UNDOUBTEDLY now BETTER THAN ORIGINAL, ASTONISHINGLY SHARP, lens.
 

Zeke_M

Senior Member
I too have suffered at the hands of Nikon Repair Service. Not to the tune of 7K.
Nikon refused to honor the warranty on my D3100. I paid the $140 charge to get the camera back.
The last time my D3100 needed refreshing I sent it to an independent shop.

I like their gear. I generally assume Nikon won't stand behind their products and buy accordingly.


To hell with Nikon Repair.
 

BackdoorArts

Senior Member
I can't speak about the staff in CA, but aside from parts being on back order the first time I sent my D600 in for the shutter the folks in NY have been good. That said, I've learned to be proactive with any customer service organization and I always include a note detailing precisely what my issues and expectations are with any repair service, and at the first sign of a problem I'm asking for a supervisor. It gets my blood pressure going, but I'd rather be the angry guy up front than have to suffer when something's not done right - or at least have a personal phone number to call and speak directly to the supervisor who ensured me it would be right.

Sorry for the hassles. It's a shame that quality work doesn't seem to be a thing we expect anymore, anywhere. There are still folks who take pride in their work but we seem to be moving towards the insurance model where you do the least amount of work for what you're getting paid and hope they don't complain.
 

GracieAllen

Senior Member
Bummer. I've thought all along my situation was somehow unique and unusual...

BackdoorHippie, I"m much like you. When the lens went in the first time, there was extensive documentation AT Nikon. AND, a detailed note in with the lens stating what the problem was, a reprint of the various emails with details, and my expectation that it would be FIXED...

The SECOND time, I decided documentation didn't work and elected to ensure that the Service person with whom I spoke FULLY understood that this was a return and that I was "distressed"... There was no argument about getting a shipping label OR ensuring that Nikon would ensure the lens for the replacement value.

And, like you, yesterday I spoke to the phone answerer and quickly requested a transfer to a supervisor or manager. The manager assured me he would be communicating directly with the service people to ensure that THIS TIME the lens would be FIXED...

And like you, I'd PREFER not to have to get angry or have my blood pressure increase, but I'd much rather be as emphatic as needed to encourage the to FIX THE PROBLEM... And, since I deal with Adobe (dreadful), DirecTV (appallingly dreadful), and Centurylink (I don't have the words to describe how utterly wretched they are), I've gotten pretty good and making repeated phone calls, working my way up the food chain, and being a general pain-in-the-ass until the problem gets rectified... Or, as I've said on more than one occasion when DirecTV prepares to transfer me for 4th or 5th time "I'm retired. I've got LOTS of time to sit here and keep calling until you fix <whatever>."

I've also found it EXTREMELY valuable to DOCUMENT EVERYTHING. I now get the name and employee ID of every person with whom I speak. I take notes, especially for anything where promises are made. And I require that statements made involving prices or other assurances be accompanied by an email so when I call for the 13th time I can tell the person that states that "no one here would ever say that", I can cite date, time, name of person, ID, and a forward of the email if needed...

I'm ABSOLUTELY certain that Nikon, and the vast majority of companies, still have MANY employees that are working their tails off to do a good job. Unfortunately, customer service appears to have fewer of them than in the past. These days, when you actually get connected to a knowledgeable person who takes accountability to resolve a problem and follows through, it's SO unusual as to be noteworthy. It is, in my opinion, a sad commentary on the generation populating the ranks of phone answerers in support organizations.
 

GracieAllen

Senior Member
I suspect that most of you are too young to remember the Iran hostage crisis of <a whole lot of> years ago, but, we're at "DAY 11, LENS HELD HOSTAGE"... Somewhere in the bowels of Nikon USAs repair facility in Los Angeles, my lens is sitting in a box or on a cart or on a shelf, or just kicked into a corner "waiting on parts"... Unfortunately, the person with whom I spoke doesn't have any clue WHY it's on parts hold, how LONG it will be on parts hold, WHICH parts it's on hold for, or anything else other than "It's on parts hold."

It was "ON PARTS HOLD" LAST time too, and we know how that turned out... Hopefully, this time it's on parts hold FOR SOMETHING THAT WILL ACTUALLY FIX IT!

<heavy sigh>
 

harleridr

Senior Member
You may want to talk to the people at Havel in San antonio, TX. I have used them for a nnumber of years. they have a great staff and best of all, they will listen to you.
 

MaxBlake

Senior Member
I have a Nikon lens in need of some repair, and stories like this one make me want to simply buy a new lens ... even though I got a 5-year warranty at the time of purchase. I know that sounds crazy ... but so do stories like the one being told here.

Did the lens ever get fixed to your satisfaction, GA? Just curious ...
 

GracieAllen

Senior Member
It finally came back the second time. Along with a CD of images they'd taken with it to prove it was now reasonably sharp.

So, it's back, and it appears to work. I SURE HOPE I never have to use their repair service again...
 

MaxBlake

Senior Member
Thanks for that update, GA; glad to hear that Nikon at least made a stab at getting you back up and running. Sure would like to hear from you after you've put the lens through some paces to see if you are truly happy with it. I'm still on the fence with sending my lens in and have been collecting details and feedback to determine if it's worth the hassle.
 

Woodyg3

Senior Member
Contributor
Wow. I can't believe how long that took. I'm sorry you had to go through that, and I hope the lens works well for many years to come.

Nikon, as a company, really baffles me. It seems that good, fast customer service often comes only when it is a big problem being reported in the media. You's think they would want to take care of someone who owns one of the most expensive lenses in their lineup.
 
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