Unexpected revelation with Canon support center

When I send something to Canon I use the factory box with factory foam inserts as they were designed to protect the content the best. Last time I received the lens back with one foam cap gone. Today I called to find out where it is and the customer support specialist adviced me not to send the box again as they do not guarantee that they will return the box. In most cases they do but there were cased they did not.

So keep in mind and do not send the box if you want it back. As far as I know absence of the box lowers the resale value.

Once they also lost the warranty card and there was absolutely no way to get it back. Not that I needed it but again I had problem later when trying to sell the lens as the buyer thought it was a grey market or refurbished.

Yeah its been posted on here several times over the years.

Tsmith wrote in post #12100083
Yeah its been posted on here several times over the years.

It better be posted on Canon's website.

Thanks for the tip... I sent my 17-40mm f/4L IS lens in with the box and it was returned. I will definitely will not include the box if I send any lens in again.

As far as worrying about the warranty card, that should not concern anyone.

The warranty is no longer in effect if the original owner sells the lens second hand. And, since there isn't a warranty, it should not matter if the lens is gray market or bought from a Canon USA authorized dealer.

The Canon USA warranty is the ONLY DIFFERENCE between USA and Gray market gear...

BTW: Adorama provides their own one year warranty on gray market items they sell...

I have never had a problem with Canon service but, their delivery person (I think it was FEDEX but, may have been UPS) tossed the lens over a 6 foot chain link fence to land on concrete in my courtyard. Lucky Canon packed it well...

I called canon and even they said that they honor the same warranties grey market or not. They said it only has consequences if you are not an end user.

if you do not use the box, what's the best way to pack a lens for shipment? lots of bubblewrap in a carbboard box?

Canon returns lenses by using lots of brown paper wrap, all crunched up into a long shawl shape, then curls it around each item.

The three times I've sent stuff in, they told me not to send original packaging. Each time when it was returned, each piece was in a plastic bag swimming in a box of EPS peanuts.
This was Irvine. I would not use them again.

My MK3 went in for a repair recently to the NJ location. Not sure how I knew not to send it in the original box, maybe the guy in the phone said it, or I read it here. Could have even been on the instructions of the service request they email you. In any case, I boxed it up in bubble wrap and peanuts. It came back in a different box packed in bubble wrap, plastic zip lock bags and peanuts. No issues. Canon’s service it about as good as it gets in my opinion. My experience is with two genuine repairs; a shutter on a MK2 and the recent problem of a dead MK3. Both repairs were done quickly and professionally. I say “genuine” repairs, because I wasn't dealing with inconsistent focus issues or some other intermittent hard to reproduce problem that may have created the need for more than one trip to mother ship causing hurt feelings and subsequent bad opinions of the service department...

Back a few years ago when I was faily "niave", I had to return my 100-400mm to Canon for repair. The wholesaler I purchased the lens from said they were going to arrange pick up and send a courier out to my house.

Now a few years back I purchased a Sony laptop - fairly expensive, possibly a little more expensive than the 100-400 - and when they said they would send a courier to pick the laptop up, the courier arrived with a specially designed foam box, labels, everything. This was my benchmark.

So this time I was expecting a similar experience. Nope, some hairy-arsed driver with nothing arrives at my door saying he's come to pick up "something"....

Consequently seeing as I had packed the lens up nice in its original Canon box, thats all I could give him at the time, the lens in its original box.

Luckily it did come back a few weeks later but it was covered in labels and a bit dented/scuffed. I wasnt too happy about it but I suppose I should've known better...I do now.

Refresh Image wrote in post #12100348
It better be posted on Canon's website.

It is there, you just need to read it.

Lacks_focus wrote in post #12101679
My MK3 went in for a repair recently to the NJ location. Not sure how I knew not to send it in the original box, maybe the guy in the phone said it, or I read it here. Could have even been on the instructions of the service request they email you. In any case, I boxed it up in bubble wrap and peanuts. It came back in a different box packed in bubble wrap, plastic zip lock bags and peanuts. No issues. Canon’s service it about as good as it gets in my opinion. My experience is with two genuine repairs; a shutter on a MK2 and the recent problem of a dead MK3. Both repairs were done quickly and professionally. I say “genuine” repairs, because I wasn't dealing with inconsistent focus issues or some other intermittent hard to reproduce problem that may have created the need for more than one trip to mother ship causing hurt feelings and subsequent bad opinions of the service department...

same here, the email they sent you (or the repair form) has enough information... it says not to send the original box. I've only had 1 repair and it was shipped back to me via fedex express (2 days) and the box was packaged nicely

anthony11 wrote in post #12101326
The three times I've sent stuff in, they told me not to send original packaging. Each time when it was returned, each piece was in a plastic bag swimming in a box of EPS peanuts.
This was Irvine. I would not use them again.

Maybe they dont like you. Lol i just received all my stuff from canon irvine and i was so amazed at how they packaged it. The items had the brown bubble wrap wrapping each item the it still has the brown bubble wrap on top and bottom. It was packaged so good that after taking my items out, i cant put all the bubble wraps back without exerting any pressure. Thats how i know they were in there securely.

Refresh Image wrote in post #12100024
As far as I know absence of the box lowers the resale value.

While I do try and keep all my lens boxes, I can't for the life of me understand that. I myself wouldn't expect any kind of reduced price on a lens with no box. What does the box do for me besides clutter up my storage space?

I hereby propose we all band together and say NO! to equipment devaluation from the exclusion of OEM packaging!! Then I could throw away all my boxes!

musashi wrote in post #12102361
Maybe they dont like you. Lol i just received all my stuff from canon irvine and i was so amazed at how they packaged it. The items had the brown bubble wrap wrapping each item the it still has the brown bubble wrap on top and bottom. It was packaged so good that after taking my items out, i cant put all the bubble wraps back without exerting any pressure. Thats how i know they were in there securely.

Note that my problem wasn't with their packaging, but rather with them sending back the gear either untouched (my 50 f/1.4 at one stage) or worse than it was when I sent it (24/105 and the 50). They also failed each time to update status on their web site or by email - my only indication that the gear had even been received was when it showed back up at my door.