How would you respond to Canon?

I've written a few posts here about my experiences with my EFS 17-55 2.8 lens. I bought it 7 years ago. Less than 2 years ago it stopped communicating with my camera. I sent it to Canon service in Costa Mesa CA, after about $300 for repairs and initial shipping it was "fixed".

Immediately after getting the lens back I went on vacation and when processing photos 2 weeks later I found many that were fuzzy. I did tests with the different focus modes on a test target. The photos clearly showed that the multi-zone AF gave much fuzzier results while Live View focusing gave the best results. I sent the photos to Canon and they immediately replied (within 4 hours on the Sunday of Labor Day weekend, which made me think that "Michael" was just a minimum wage off shore call center worker) with a boiler plate email that said the results were normal. I replied back, saying I wasn't satisfied and asked if it could be elevated to someone I could talk to on the phone. They never replied. I emailed the request a second time, no reply.

About 6 weeks ago the recently repaired lens again stopped communicating with my camera, but this time I had a cheap Canon 50mm 1.8 lens available to use. I immediately noticed the huge difference in sharpness with this lens. It was now obvious that my repaired lens was never fully functioning.

I sent the lens back to Canon Service in Costa Mesa with a letter outlining the entire situation. I told them I believed it was clear that their repair was never adequate the first time and stated that I didn't think I should have to pay for a second repair.

I just got an email, they are offering me a 20% discount off their standard repair rate of $219.

I don't have much confidence in this lens or their repair process right now. They are still asking me to pay almost $250 added to the previous repair of almost $300. Will I pay $43 dollars less, and a total of more than $500, and have it break again in 18 months? Will I pay $43 less, and a total of more than $500, and get back a "repaired" lens that still does not function properly? I'm definitely going to call Canon Costa Mesa and talk with someone about this, but how would you reply to this offer?

Edit: I should add that the first time the lens broke I had a 30D, the second time it broke I had a 70D, so it wasn't a camera problem.

Am I reading this correctly? You're sending a lens back two years after the original repair saying it was never right and expecting what exactly?

I have that model lens, probably for as long as you have yours. I sent it to the New Jersey center once for the same reason and to clean fungal growth off the inner elements. It has worked fine before and since on three different cameras. I live in a setting where there is salt air a good part of the year. I have taken to storing my gear in plastic bags with desiccant. I couldn't say whether or not you got a lemon or whether or not Canon in Costa Mesa can be faulted. We don't know how you treat your gear. There does seem to be a dissociation of expectations. I would recommend switching brands if you can. If you encounter similar issues with Nikon, Sony, Fuji, Panasonic or any of the others, then that's a clue that it's not the gear.

Well its 7 years old and obviously out of warranty, it pains me to say this but personally I would bite the bullet and give up.
Stick it on Ebay or wherever, list the faults and take what you get and then buy something else.
I realise its a PITA but you want it to take pictures not spend more money on it.
I had a similar problem recently with a computer,sometimes it worked and sometimes it fell over.After hours spent b****ing about I said sod it and bought a new one. Life is too short to be messing around with gear which does not work properly.
Another thought will they give you a good deal on a new replacement?

I'm with trout fisher. Either send it to canon, pay for the repair and stick it on ebay.. or just stick it on ebay with a huge disclaimer and list the faults, selling it for parts.

I think it is time to look for an alternate lens, maybe from sigma or tamron to suit your needs.

The frustration from dealing with this has to be killing off some joy for photography.. get rid of it, replace it, and move on.

Joe, you aren't reading it correctly. I'm not sending it back 2 years after the original repair and expecting something. I'm sending it back because 18 months after the original repair it broke again, in the same way as the first time. Wouldn't you expect a repair to last more than 18 months without breaking in the exact same way? And the lens isn't visibly damaged, nothing rattles when you shake it, nothing is cracked or loose. Both times it just stopped communicating with the camera, no AF, no aperture control, no shutter response, it's just dead.

Believe me, I don't use this lens for landscape photography in the Sahara or the tropics. I live in dry Southern CA, no problems with fungal growths here, and in case you're wondering the vacation was at Lake Powell, even drier. I used the lens for standard family shots: soccer games, birthday parties, etc. maybe 2-4 times per month. It hasn't been dropped or abused in any way. Always kept protected when not in use with a padded camera bag.

Chris, that's what I'm thinking, asking about some kind of deal on a reconditioned lens with this one as a trade. I just don't have any confidence in it anymore.

Kent Clark wrote in post #18011262
I'm sending it back because 18 months after the original repair it broke again, in the same way as the first time. Wouldn't you expect a repair to last more than 18 months without breaking in the exact same way?

I'd hope it lasts longer than that as I would with any piece of electronics hardware. However, I wouldn't expect anything from them unless I had a warranty to cover that length of time.

Send it to jamesburg....

unfortunately, that's the way it is. I went through similar trouble with the 50mm f1.4. Consider the third party option, MUCH longer warranty. I was able to get warranty repair on a tamron 5 years after purchase, pretty incredible if you think about it.

get it repaired, sell it off, and never touch that lens again. Some lenses are lemons, and the 17-55 has a history of poor quality. It's the nature of photography, gear breaks.

I had calling Canon on my to do list for today. But a few minutes ago I received a second email from the service center saying that they were going to repair the lens at no cost to me, which is great news. I do think I will sell it and buy something else though, my confidence in it isn't very high. Thanks for all of the responses. Sometimes you just want to hear what other people think about your situation.

I had the 17-55 f2.8 a few years ago with my T4i
I researched a lot, bought a clean one used and stuck a glass filter on the front, never had an issue.

Good to hear they are fixing it for free. Perhaps it has a defective part placed in it, once it's returned I see no reason to sell it.
If you are looking for a zoom crop lens, that or the newer 18-135mm stm are great. But that's not a fixed f2.8 lens.


Somewhat unrelated, many people love the new 16-35 f4 lens. I loved my 10-22mm on crop.
After buying it, I realized f4.0 was not what I wanted, and now it's up for sale.

My point: Gear should be based on your how you want you final results to look, most of all.
If you love the photos made with that lens, then the repaired one, or a new one, is best for your needs.

Hope that helps.

That's the thing, for the last 18 months I really didn't love the photos from this lens after it was fixed the first time. But they assured me it was working OK and my only other alternative was to spend $35 more to send it back and have them re-check it. I'm not using my gear as much as I was when my kids were young and I didn't pursue it. It was only after starting to use the 50mm 1.8 that I realized how poorly it was performing.

I would say "canon I am mad at you!" and then get on with it

I think it's really nice from Canon to offer a free repair. Of course, you'd expect them to do the first repair in such a way that fixes your lens to factory spec .