Got my 7D back from Canon...

Hi all,

I figured I'd post up the end results of having to send my 7D to Canon for repair. The beginning of the saga can be found here... https://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthre​ad.php?t=995008 Some folks wanted me to give an update with details as to what caused an "Error 30" issue.

Instead of contacting and dealing Canon directly, I dealt with my local shop that I bought the camera from. I figured it was a nice perk of buying local that I could just give it to them and let them deal with it. In theory this is great. In practice....not so much. I dropped off the camera on Feb. 4th; Feb. 11th I get a call saying their in house Canon person looked over the camera and it is nothing they can do there. Fine. With the volume of service they do, a week was acceptable. The guy said he'd have it shipped out in the next couple of days. It was sent out on the 17th (a little more than a few days, wasn't too thrilled about that) Then, no updated status on the repair tracking tool they have on their site. A week and a half goes by and when I check again it says sent to manufacturer on the 28th. I'm not having a good feeling at this point. So I called and got nowhere with the person on the phone. Me being me decides to go over there to see what they heck is going on. Turns out, on the 17th, they...get ready for this one...accidentally shipped it to NIKON!! So once Nikon got it, they sent it right back to the shop, and then it had to be re-sent to Canon. Funny part is that it got to Canon this past Friday and I went and picked it up yesterday afternoon. So after all that hoopla, it was only at Canon for a couple of days.
On a technical note, they said that a circuit board was functioning incorrectly and replaced it. In addition, they did all the cleaning and other stuff that goes along with having a unit serviced. Boy it felt good to get it back. I made sure I brought a battery, CF card, and lens to test it out right then and there in the service department to make sure.

Moral of the story: It is nice to have a local brick and mortar store to take a product to to get serviced, and they may have the best intentions, and they may have a great reputation for service, but everyone screws up sometimes. Next time (hopefully there won't be one though) I'll be calling Canon up directly.

Dan, I wish I had seen this post last week....the exact same thing happened to my brand new 7D. I literally took it out of the box, took about 4 pics in my house, and it errored out to that error 80 code. I took out the battery, took out the mem card, tried a new lens, and it did exactly what yours did.

Fortunately, since I had JUST bought it, I was able to send it back to the store I purchased it from - they are just going to send me a new body kit. I imagine they will get that one warrantied/fixed by Canon.

I had to rely on my old Canon point and shoot for a whole bunch of race coverage, instead of using my new camera. Keeping my fingers crossed that the new one will work wonderfully and I will be able to contribute some great shots to this forum in the future!

So.... Don't bother paying extra $ locally and just buy online. If a problem comes up, handle it yourself and deal directly with Canon. Skip the middleman because who knows if they'll even actually have the knowledge to fix what's wrong.

Got it

I buy locally and get pricing better than on line pricing.
Do you think Canon sells direct to the public at whole sale pricing?
Nope.
No local business, no economy.

Think about it, before it's too late.

Sorry to hear about this, it must have been frustrating, but on the positive note, it must feel like you got a brand new 7D since your Circuit board is new and everything is freshly cleaned!

I read positive and negative things about Canon's warranty program, glad this one ended on a good note!

Nick5 wrote in post #12004939
I buy locally and get pricing better than on line pricing.
Do you think Canon sells direct to the public at whole sale pricing?
Nope.
No local business, no economy.

Think about it, before it's too late.

Would you consider the local economy so much if local prices were significantly higher than online? That's the situation most of us face.

Steve of Cornubia wrote in post #12005575
Would you consider the local economy so much if local prices were significantly higher than online? That's the situation most of us face.

You should always consider your local merchants first IMO. That doesn't mean that you have to buy from them but at least give them the chance to get your business. Many times, my local camera store will match (and sometimes beat) an online price from Adorama or B&H if I ask. If they can't match and the price difference is quite significant (or if the local store doesn't carry the item), I will usually buy online.
Support your local small businesses whenever possible

This is more a story of why the Bricks and mortar are NOT competing with on-line. We have a couple local shops, both more expensive....both do not match pricing. So what can a mortar place do.....they can't fix and retain warrantee in most cases. The only thing they offer is the ability to touch the product. They are supposed to give you service for the extra cost.....but as you see above....not so much.....because they hired some high school kids to man the shop! I have no problem paying a little more...but need to get something for it! Over the years, I have sent multiple items to Canon, each with 2-3 day turnover and problem solved. The Op's situation took a month....now that's service. As far as price....MY local economy...my family, can use the saved resources as well!

For starters, B&H is a brick and mortar(b&m) store. So is Adorama

Just because a local store doesn't compete, isn't always a online vs. b&m debate. Some stores just don't care and will gouge you no matter what. which many online stores do as well. We can't cherry pick a few good online stores and compare them to everything else. BestBuy is a perfect example of poor local pricing (in some cases) and they have an online presence too.

I always buy from a local store because over here we don't always have the option of buying from places that don't offer international shipping. I bought my 550D here and it was pretty close to B&H at launch. Although, as prices drop in the US, it is not reflected in our shops. (actually good when you go to trade one in)

As for highschool kids, that has nothing to do with service. Good customer service is not dependent on age, but willingness to help others. I have great service here from kids, granted Asian kids are generally far more polite and don't stand around **** about when their next break is.

No local business != no economy, people are still spending money.

None of this really matters since the OP was talking about service, not sales.

So let me get this straight....... you buy a brand new camera that fails shortly after owning it and it gets sent in for repair. You get back a repaired camera.

Since repairing is akin to refurbishing and the repaired camera you got back is essentially now a "refurb", shouldn't Canon issue a rebate for the difference in price between new and a refurbished camera?

I bought a refurbed CLP Canon G11 a short while, which right out of the box had obvious issues that should have been caught during refurbishing. I sent it in and got it repaired. Now I have a "refurbed refurb". Canon was nice enough to send me an extra battery for the trouble.

Steve of Cornubia wrote in post #12005575
Would you consider the local economy so much if local prices were significantly higher than online? That's the situation most of us face.

Taking my sales on the internet to say New York, does nothing for me locally and personally.
If local brick and mortars close up as they are, it has an impact not just on the store and it's employees that close, but the landlord, contractors, their suppliers, vendors, sales representatives, the local mom and pop pizza shop etc...
Less local business tax revenue will put the burden on it's residents with higher tax rates.
No local business leads to higher unemployment rates, crime, etc.
Are local prices significantly higher if "internet businesses" are willing to flood the internet with prices 5% above their wholesale pricing?
Are all local businesses selling at or above manufacturers list price?
For the local merchant to stock the shelves with camera equipment for example, it comes with costs.
If you or I are in the market for a new lens for example, we can drive to my local mom and pop camera store,try it on our camera body, feel the weight and see if it fits our needs. After several choices, we now made up my mind which lens to buy.
Some people walk out and buy at the "best price" on the internet, waiting several days for it to arrive.
Some people buy it today at that location rewarding them with sales and the value of the information learned. This is the only way they or any business can stay in business. If I have a problem with the lens or a technical question, they local shop will be there to answer that today or down the road. That service I receive down the road is sustained by sales and future sales.
Establishing a good business relationship with these two mom and pop stores has it's benefits. I have referred many of my "Photo friends" to their locations.
I have also received paying photo jobs from the camera stores.
It works both ways.
Finding a good local merchant you trust and feel comfortable doing business with in any business is crucial. In the long run, it will pay off for you and your local economy.

These days everyone is complaining about jobs.
Jobs are sustained with sales.
Looking at the Macro instead of the Micro does have its rewards.

Nick5....do you think the above OP's scenario, with the time line given.....Do you think that shop earned the right to charge more for their services??

jra wrote in post #12005681
You should always consider your local merchants first IMO. That doesn't mean that you have to buy from them but at least give them the chance to get your business. Many times, my local camera store will match (and sometimes beat) an online price from Adorama or B&H if I ask. If they can't match and the price difference is quite significant (or if the local store doesn't carry the item), I will usually buy online.
Support your local small businesses whenever possible

I agree with this....well said...

Why don't you send it yourself? Mine come back in less than 5 days both lens and body

jcpoulin wrote in post #12006915
Nick5....do you think the above OP's scenario, with the time line given.....Do you think that shop earned the right to charge more for their services??

I will say that I do not know Canon's service pricing structure for Canon Authorized Dealers. Canon may have a flat rate whether it is a dealer or general public. Again, I do not know.

However,I do know that if you or I take your camera, car, anything, for service to your local dealer, they have every right to profit.
They are providing you their services. in this case, the dealer is shipping, insuring, etc.
If Canon charges the public and the dealer the same for service work, again I don't know if that is true, why shouldn't the dealer be able to charge more.
They are dealing with your headaches.
Do you expect them or demand they do it for their cost?
Do you work at cost?
Regarding shipping to Nikon, shame on the person who sent it to the wrong facility.That is an issue for the OP to bring up to the owner. Asking nicely about that could help him in the future.
Until we got an actual invoice from Canon and the dealer for the same repaired services, how do we know that Canon's repair cost is actually less?
Just because you sent it directly to Canon does not mean you get wholesale/dealer pricing for service.
Most companies that "eliminate the middleman" are selling to you at Full Manufacturers List price. No discounting at all. You may think you got a deal because you dealt "directly".
I have seen this in many other industries, not just in photography.