ChrisMcKee Designs

YOU CAN WITH A CANON:

• Can Pay Just over a grand for a new SLR
• Can deal with a useless third part support team (canon doesn’t have its own)
• Can spend a fortune in phone calls trying to get the thing resolved.
• Can Get the camera back after three weeks
• Can find grease on the internal mirror and that the camera doesn’t operate as well
• Can spend another wad of cash in the tech-line speaking to the third party morons
• Can be contacted by support and made to (at my expense) send the camera back again.
• Can wish you’d bought another brand.

 

The saga began two weeks after purchase, the name Canon EOS 30D, the problem; automatic exposure control and circuit problems. The camera itself worked fine in Manual Mode, which after forking out for an SLR I forced my self to use nothing other then. Only problem was when the girlfriends graduation came about I had to set the camera up before handing it to the girlfriends mother for her to take some shots… Thank god for RAW mode. So I got some decent shots of her and her dress myself and her mother took some good shots and luckily the lighting didn’t change enough to bugger up the settings so we survived. I managed to get some project work finished, and then I thought I’d better sort this out.

The purchase was now beyond the 28 days so I went straight to Canon. Now I have to point out canon uses 3rd party tech support. You know, a call centre in the middle of Iraq where they only know what the screen tells them and the extent of the advice available stretches to “send it back to canon”, “return to the shop”, or “we’ll get back to you” which as with many companies rarely happens.

So the camera was sent of to H Lehmanns the canon repair shop, by sent I mean I drove the 110 mile round trip to drop it off, and three weeks later I drove it again to get it back. Camera seemed fine (going off the LCD screen) and the exposure system was working. After testing it at home though I noticed loss of definition in the images (here’s hoping that’s just not a canon thing) and there was dirt on the internal mirror (probably a cleaning fluid that wasn’t properly removed).
By all accounts H.Lehmanns had done (from what I can tell) a good job, they’d fixed the error it was bought in with and that was that, so I contacted canon several hundred more times and eventually after emailing canon rather then the crap techteam I sent the camera off to canon.

All in all this is my fault for not contacting the shop I bought it from, but when I did I got no reply… and by the time I thought it was taking too long I’d emailed Canon (not techteam) and they’d replied asking for me to send the camera direct to them.. again. Only bloody emailed the shop at .com rather then .co.uk.

The shop did reply in the end though with the following...

Hi Chris,



After looking into the returns procedure, I have established that there is a 14 day dead on arrival policy with our distribution channel,

The warranty will then be dealt with by Canon directly for the duration of the 12mth RTB warranty.

This means that you will have to persevere with Canon, and advise them again of the problem you have with the camera again. 


I am sorry we cannot assist you any further with this matter, and would recommend that you escalate the problem with Canon to receive a prompt and full repair of your camera.
Regards

Good job i'd already mailed it to Canon really isn't it.

Few Cardinal rules of purchasing (especially electronics this expensive)

• Do I only have rights for 30 (or some other figure) days after purchase?

No. Depending on circumstances, you might be too late to have all your money back after this time, but the trader will still be liable for any breaches of contract, such as the goods being faulty. In fact, the trader could be liable to compensate you for up to six years.

• Are all goods supposed to last six (or five) years?

No, that is the limit for bringing a court case in England and Wales (five years from the time of discovery in Scotland's case). An item only needs to last as long as it is reasonable to expect it to, taking into account all the factors. An oil filter would usually not last longer than a year but that would not mean it was unsatisfactory.

• I know I can demand my money back within a "reasonable time" but how long is that?

The law does not specify a precise time as it will vary for most sales contracts as all the factors need to be taken into account to be fair to all sides. The pair of everyday shoes may only have a few days before the period expires but a pair of skis, purchased in a Summer Sale, may be allowed a longer period by a court.

• After the "reasonable time" has passed, what can I do?

You may seek damages, which would be the amount of money necessary to have the goods repaired or replaced. Frequently retailers will themselves offer repair or replacement. But, if you are a consumer (not making the purchase in the course of a business) you have the statutory right to seek a repair or replacement as an alternative to seeking damages.

• Is it true that I have to complain to the manufacturer?

No. You bought the goods from the trader, not the manufacturer, and the trader is liable for any breaches of contract (unless he was acting as the manufacturer's agent).

• Do I have to produce a receipt to claim my rights?

No. In fact the trader doesn't have to give you a receipt in the first place so it would be unfair to say that you had to produce one. However, it might not be unreasonable for the shop to want some proof of purchase, so look to see if you have a cheque stub, bank statement, credit card slip etc., and this should be sufficient.