If it's not one thing, it's another (DReb related)

[FlipsidE]

Ok, I gotta be honest. Owning a Digital SLR has been one of the most stressful experiences I've had in a long time.

I am now on my fifth DRebel in less than two weeks. Let me explain.

1st DRebel - It worked fine, but after taking a few shots, I noticed a scratch on the body. Now, I know I had treated that camera extremely carefully, so I dont' think there's any way I could have put that scratch there. Plus, this is not the last "brand new" DRebel I have seen at Best Buy with a scratch on the body.

2nd DRebel - again, worked just fine, but this one had an especially noisy lens. Not noisy as in picture, but noisy as in audible sound. After paying $1000 for a camera, I didn't want to have to live with that noise. I tried everything I could...even got a good suggestion from a board member, but to no avail.

3rd DRebel - good amount of hot pixels that showed up at all shutter speeds (two groups of about 15 pixels each, one red and one blue) and one that was pretty much dead (almost completely white all the time).

4th DRebel - Same as above but less hot pixels. This time I only had about one group of 20 or so red pixels that appeared at all shutter speeds.

5th DRebel - FINALLY FINALLY got a clean sensor, a quiet lens, and not a single blemish on the body. But, in exchange for all the other problems being fixed, I ended up with what looked like about 5 to 7 dead pixels on the LCD. Well, no problem...I can live with 'em, and I'm not sure Canon would even cover this under warranty. While updating my firmware today, though, I got a great look at the LCD at a different angle and while well backlit with a fairly bright color on the LCD (that light grey firmware update color). Looks like the LCD is in fairly bad shape. I can pick out 9 distinct spots where there are dead pixels on the LCD. Not to mention that it almost looks like some of those span two to three pixels (almost look like small tears in the screen).

After all of the trouble I've had, that clean sensor is the absolute number one thing that I am after. And, I have a VERY bad feeling that if I tried to exchage this camera for a new one, I would end up with yet another set of very noticable hot pixels. Now, I'm still under my 14 day no questions asked warranty at Best Buy, so I could return it for a sixth. But, now I must truly ask myself. Is it worth the possibility of yet another bad sensor, another noisy lens, or another scratched body to get the LCD problem fixed? I just don't know. I know that, as troubled as the LCD is, it will throw off some of my perceptions of my shots in the two second review. But, it might be something I could get used to. Plus, I have a fairly busy day tomorrow, so if I did get another camera, I'd have to spend the couple of hours needed to snap a few pictures to make absolutely sure that the sensor is clean.

UGH, I honestly don't know what to do. I'm almost ready to call Canon and see what they can do for me after five bad Cameras.

Any opinions would be great...and thanks for reading this book of a post.

Thanks

FlipsidE

[Reminisce]

Wow that sucks Flip, sounds like 5 lemons in a row. Where are you ordering yours from?

[FlipsidE]

Actually, I bought it from Best Buy. I honestly prefer to buy locally as much as I can. Buying locally allows me to be able to return them and get a new item (whatever it may be) on the same day if there is a problem. And, as impatient as I am, that's a definite plus for me.

FlipsidE

[FlipsidE]

See, while the possibility of gettin five lemons in a row is very slim in general, the chance is still there for any vendor I buy from.

If I bought from a website, it would have taken now five returns via usps/ups/fedex which would have taken considerably longer than two weeks.

FlipsidE

[cc10d]

Might even get one of the ones you have allready seen, Huh? Bummer deal, :roll: only you can decide that one though. - I havn't even checked out my cameras for all those things, don't know if I got any of them or not. But sure do enjoy the picture taking and the resulting pictures. Really enjoying my dslrs from Canon. Drebel, 10D, 20D. all good cameras, each with their own advantages.

[ron chappel]

Some of those problems are genuine faults,however i'm sure (without having any proof whatsoever) that canon put the less than perfect parts into the 300D/Dribel.
The best bits went into the 10D i'm suspect :D
Or more likely the Dreb has a lower reject rate on minor faults.

It's a pity you didn't stop at the first one-or too bad they didn't swap the second camera's lens only.
Sounds like they're giving you worse ones each time :shock: :lol: (sorry,won't laugh again)

How about this-mine has light scratches on the sensor itself! :shock: :shock: .They won't show up in any pics though so i really don't care.
And after hearing your experiences i don't think i'd want to exchange it anyway :?

[FlipsidE]

I have had more than a blast snappin shots around my apt complex. I've had so much fun takin night shots with just ambient light (very relaxing). I've taken some decent insect shots, and honestly, I've learned quite a bit.

But, all in all, when spending $1000 on anything (be it a computer, a camera, a TV, you name it), I want to make sure that it is as perfect as it can possibly be. I can understand a minor defect in an LCD screen or a single hot pixel appearing on a sensor that's capturing 3072 pixels x 2048 pixels. But, I cannot be happy with what I've gotten so far out of the DRebels.

I spoke with both Canon customer service as well as Best Buy customer service tonight. Canon customer service was just shocked to hear all the problems I'd been having. Best Buy customer service was very understanding and offered up some suggestions. They were very willing to help.

I do plan to take this camera back and get yet a sixth, but I think I will do that at a different Best Buy store (I have a couple more I could choose from). If for any reason I find another problem, I plan to return that camera and have Best Buy ship a new one to me directly from their warehouse (so that no one in a store can have the chance to get their hands on it). If I find still another problem, I plan to just get my money back and try another place (be it online or another local shop).

FlipsidE

[elbirth]

personally, I'd take it back and get a 6th one... you're obviously not satisfied with it, you're still under the "no questions asked" period, so why not take advantage of it now while there'll be no penalty for replacing it other than taking a little bit of your time? Who knows, the next one you get might be flawless (or even closer to it).

I'm wondering if the Best Buy you're going to just got a bad batch of cameras or something... is there any possibility of you going to a different store location?

[robertwgross]

First of all, I guess you will need to deal with Best Buy to try to get this one straightened out.

Second, in the future, I would try to buy from a real camera company. Best Buy is not one.

Third, it would be neat if there were some way to check the serial numbers of the ones previously gotten from Best Buy. Wouldn't it be interesting if they are just rotating the "new and apparently defective" units amongst new purchasers? It would not be the first time that it had happened.

---Bob Gross---

[FlipsidE]

^^^

I have already seen Best Buy try to sell me a camera with fingerprints ALL OVER the LCD and scratches on the body...not once, not twice, but three times. Yep, they tried to sell me the same scratched camera three times in a row (when I brought back cameras 2, 3, and 4).

FlipsidE

[robertwgross]

FlipsidE, it seems that you already have seen the sort of problems that you get with Best Buy. That is very typical of the way that a non-camera-store, deep-discount department store operates.

If they sell a camera to customer 1, and then customer 1 brings it back the next day complaining of a scratch or something, then they give customer 1 a quick replacement. That first camera goes into the back room, supposedly to be sent back to Canon. Of course, it doesn't go anywhere. The "Product Quality Department" at Best Buy goes over it and looks for serious defects, and if there aren't any, then they replace it into the original packaging and it goes back out to the camera department shelf to wait for customer 2 to come along.

In most jurisdictions, there is a law against that. However, if they don't get caught, then they continue.

That's why it would be so cool if irate customers kept track of serial numbers that might be used in court. Of course, irate customers don't want to go to the bother. They just want to get a perfect unit and be on their way.

As a side note, I will mention that a different large electronics store in my area does something similar, except that the Product Quality Department repackages the product and then puts a big white sticker on the outer box saying that the Product Quality Department has checked the product and it is guaranteed to be good. Of course, that means just about zero. I would never buy any big-ticket item with such a sticker on it unless it were being offered at 50% discount or something.

---Bob Gross---

[FlipsidE]

As I said, I intend to visit a different Best Buy tomorrow and have a nice civil chat with the store manager informing him of every one of my problems. Then I intend to nicely ask that they give me a camera that has never touched the showroom floor. Hopefully that will fix the problem, but it's never a guarantee.

Either way, there will definitely be a call put into the district manager for my area informing him not only of the problems I've had with five cameras so far, but also informing him that his employees tried to sell me a scratched camera three times in a row.

As a last resort (before giving up on Best Buy), I will ask them to ship me a brand new one from their warehouse. If it still has problems, I will nicely ask for a refund and take my business elsewhere.

EDIT: I really wish I would have thought to write down the serial numbers of the cameras though.

FlipsidE

[drisley]

Really bad luck man.
I had similar experiences with one of Best Buy's sister stores.
After the 3rd return, they gave me a 4th G3 and I discovered in the parking lot is was actually the 1st one I returned *l*

[Motorsports Photo]

Hey, maybe this thread should be copied to www.bestbuysux.org

I guess its easy for a company selling that much stuff to have at least a few disgruntled customers, but when they make the same mistakes over and over and over...!

-Pete

[MrChad]

Wow paying full MSRP for the Drebel at best try and still getting hosed?
I'd definately order a 10D for nearly the same price from Bhphoto.

Better quality camera for not much more.
And I'm sure any $50 tamron lens would be better then the EFs kit lens.

Do you have any camera shops locally, why are you using Best Buy?
You surely couldn't pay more for the Camera then you are now.

I hate best buy.

[Sector001]

bestbuy has an excellent return policy. 30 day money back guraantee. i have the digital rebel, and it's fine. except i bought mine from PC Richard's. maybe u should n't buy it from bestbuy anymore.

[pcasciola]

If you plan on going there tomorrow for an exchange, I would ask the salesman if they could credit you with a return and sell you a new one with a new receipt, that way you could cash in on the $100 Canon rebate on the dRebel.

[cmM]

I honestly stay away from Best Buy as much as possible. They're horrible!

[FlipsidE]

Well, on my sixth Dreb right now, and I have to say that I *think* (I'll hold final judgement until later) I finally got a good one.

FlipsidE

[drisley]

Well, on my sixth Dreb right now, and I have to say that I *think* (I'll hold final judgement until later) I finally got a good one.
FlipsidE

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