Yay... go Tamron - New lens release rants

Tom Reichner wrote in post #18276133
No, it is not rolling the dice at all. It has to do with how much effort one puts into it.

As I surmised earlier in this thread, and as Frodge proved a couple pages ago, a PHONE CALL to Tamron is the way to go! If all one does is to communicate with Tamron via email, then of course you have a good chance of getting shafted, of getting a canned response, and of getting a $250 invoice.

If you email their Customer Service, then you are really doing yourself a disservice, and you will never find out just what they are willing to do for free. Emailing them with a question about this issue, and then getting an invoice for $250 emailed back to you, doesn't really mean, or prove, anything. Such correspondence is meaningless because you haven't even given yourself a chance to see just how far sweet-talking and schmoozing can get you.

Do what Frodge did - give them a phone call and speak to someone there, and put to use the nice pleasant conversational personality that God gave you. Then see what their response is. I bet that then you will get a response like Frodge did. And if you don't, then just wait a day or three and call back.......chances are you'll get somebody different and they will be more helpful.

These things, in reality, are negotiations, not "set in stone" policies. Schmoozing and plentiful happy-talk gets things done - often for free!

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It is definitely an exercise in chance. You say so yourself! (highlighted in your quoted text) You call a service centre and it is up to chance which person you get on the line and what mood they are in. The information they give you will be affected by that and by your tone on the call. There is also the question of whether the advice they give you is actually in line with what will actually happen.

The thing to do here is go in with our eyes wide open. Tamron won't extend their warrantee past the first owner, so we know with a new lens purchase that our resale value is diminished. Particularly in this somewhat new era where compatibility issues are increasing.

Grey market lenses are a well known issue- try to avoid how they price gouge their high-rent markets and lose warrantee coverage.

I am still curious about Sigma - their somewhat new docking station eliminates the firmware issue for some of their lenses, but what of the rest? Do their warrantees extend to the next owner like car manufacturers do? Please share if you have knowledge or experience on this matter.

I'd like to think that Tamron would be friendlier towards their customer base, considering their inability to design a lens that is robust enough to accommodate the next camera body. I suspect that with sufficient publicity their policy could change.

Charlie wrote in post #18276224
the compatibility issue is borderline recall type defect.

This was my take and reason for this thread. Regardless of anything they should offer free firmware fix otherwise you quickly end up with not working lenses in just a few years. They are letting this lineup sink and are quickly re releasing their lineup to be snap in compatible

And I bet you anything they have all the lenses updated to the G2 lineup before the warranties are finished.

I don't blame them for the new lineup and I think it's a good thing but they obviously want to move away from the "recall" situation quickly.

Sounds like buying a used car! Talk is cheap...show me the "free" firmware upgrade documentation.

SixDeeFan wrote in post #18276366
Sounds like buying a used car! Talk is cheap...show me the free firmware upgrade documentation.

I just sold my 150-600 G1, and provided the firmware upgrade paperwork to the new owner. He didn't ask for it, but if he ever learned about this issue he would know that he was OK.

I don't usually register warranties, because under US law, you don't need to in order to have coverage. All you need is the sales receipt. However, I do register my Tamron lenses and activate the warranties online, so I don't have to dig up my receipts if I ever needed service. (Six years is a long time to remember where you put the receipt.) I suspect that if they have this record of you being the original owner of the lens, then you would have little trouble talking to a rep and getting out-of-warranty service.

pknight wrote in post #18276371
I don't usually register warranties, because under US law, you don't need to in order to have coverage. All you need is the sales receipt. However, I do register my Tamron lenses and activate the warranties online, so I don't have to dig up my receipts if I ever needed service. (Six years is a long time to remember where you put the receipt.) I suspect that if they have this record of you being the original owner of the lens, then you would have little trouble talking to a rep and getting out-of-warranty service.

Could be. I also scan my receipts too for insurance purposes

Frodge wrote in post #18275733
At least we know Tamron will honor the firmware upgrade on non-grey market lenses.

SixDeeFan wrote in post #18275760
Good luck with that! My first invoice states otherwise. I'm waited with baited breath for this elusive person to step forward!

I thought you said that you were quoted the $250 because someone had entered the wrong serial number. That probably led them to the conclusion that the lens was not purchased from an authorized dealer, and therefore not eligible for service. Your invoice clearly states that if you provided a receipt (i.e., proved that it was eligible for service), the service would be free. Once the serial # was corrected the service was completed for free. It seems to have worked just the way Frodge was told in his phone call.

pknight wrote in post #18276383
I thought you said that you were quoted the $250 because someone had entered the wrong serial number. That probably led them to the conclusion that the lens was not purchased from an authorized dealer, and therefore not eligible for service. Your invoice clearly states that if you provided a receipt (i.e., proved that it was eligible for service), the service would be free. Once the serial # was corrected the service was completed for free. It seems to have worked just the way Frodge was told in his phone call.

I think for most here the question is valid serial number Authorized purchase but bought second hand. Everything written or official anywhere says you pay. A front line call center guy tells Frodge different. I'm not sure that's quite overturning evidence.

Also to Tom's point say you get a call center phone answerer to say "Free" then you send it in why would the repair center change their policy, even be aware of it, and not just say, "Sorry you were mis-informed but this is the policy". Again until it's in writing or someone actually send it in, it's just wishful thinking to hope so.

Frodge how many call center folks said the 70D had no known focus problem with wide aperture lenses?

I'm not sure that there is one issue that is "the" question for most people on this thread. There seem to be many issues and agendas here. My selfish concern is with out-of-warranty lenses, since I have never purchased a second-hand (or will it be third-hand, or fourth-hand...who's to know?) lens. And, thanks to the six-year warranty, it will be some time before I would be able to find out myself, if indeed I ever have a camera that has an incompatibility. Also, IIRC, Frodge's contact at Tamron did not make a definitive statement about used lenses. He was more definitive about single-owner out-of-warranty lenses.

It would be nice if Tamron would update used lenses, but that would depend on their ability to tell whether it was originally purchased from an authorized dealer. I say that because Tamron's rejection of grey-market lenses is perfectly legitimate, and justified. Imagine if you were an authorized dealer trying to sell Tamron lenses, and the market were flooded with imports that undercut what you could charge. If Tamron USA wants to have a dealer network, they have to take a hard line on the grey market.

Sigma doesn't have the same import grey marker problem though. Tamron seems to have issues keeping that under control.

pknight wrote in post #18276383
I thought you said that you were quoted the $250 because someone had entered the wrong serial number. That probably led them to the conclusion that the lens was not purchased from an authorized dealer, and therefore not eligible for service. Your invoice clearly states that if you provided a receipt (i.e., proved that it was eligible for service), the service would be free. Once the serial # was corrected the service was completed for free. It seems to have worked just the way Frodge was told in his phone call.

Correct. I registered the lens with Tamron when I purchased it from B&H. It was the second time it had been in for warranty service. There should have been no confusion. The update was performed "under warranty"... not quite the way Frodge had reported.

Your email response is from a front line customer service person too.

Frodge wrote in post #18276467
Your email response is from a front line customer service person too.

Good point, though it's possibly not even from a person but an automated response.

travisvwright wrote in post #18276509
Good point, though it's possibly not even from a person but an automated response.

Usually, an automated response is more authoritative than a front line guy's.