Sending the 120-300 2.8 for repair before selling

So I've sat on my 120-300 2.8 OS non sport for over a year now without using it but for one baseball game. Since getting the 200L I just have had zero interest in picking it up. Well sitting for so long without use evidently caused the OS unit to fail... and It's been like that for several months. I had intentions of selling it but never really "Pushed" selling it. Well I decided that in order to sell it I must repair it. I don't want to sell it non functional. So off it goes. Over the phone Sigma basically said the OS unit was $200 itself plus labor and will also check everything else as well. Not sure if this will hold it's resale value or not but I just don't feel like selling anything broken.

Plus... Still up in the air if I should even sell it or not. I could offload the 200L keep the 120-300 and pickup the 16-35 2.8 III, 24-70 2.8 II and 400 2.8L but then I'd need to get bigger bags.

that's the right thing to do. pretty scary that the OS failed from lack of use

ed rader wrote in post #18381403
that's the right thing to do. pretty scary that the OS failed from lack of use

Read up on it and that seems the general consensus although I think mine was due to heavy use. Even though I haven't used the 120-300 in a year it's still the #2 most used lens I've owned. The 200L is 3rd and fixing to pass it up.

how much is it even going to cost to ship that thing?

DreDaze wrote in post #18381683
how much is it even going to cost to ship that thing?

$36.54 usps insured for $1600.

I think total repair and shipping I'll be around 300 I hope.

well now....

Told before I sent:

Ouch...so what can you do?

Paper weight.

chuckmiller wrote in post #18385470
Paper weight.

No. If it's no other choice but $740 then I'll pay it. I'd rather invest 740 to make back 700 profit.

I'm kind of pessimistic about any camera brand's customer service. The main beef I've had is when I was aboard an aircraft carrier with my *then new* 5Dc. I was sweating, and noticed a bead of sweat did hit the LCD. While going down below, the LCD fizzed out and then the rest of the camera refused to operate. I went to a local Office Depot to buy a Canon Rebel just to get some more photos. I sent the 5D in, and then got the worst service I've ever gotten. The camera itself was in the service center, and you couldn't directly talk to a technician. The best I could do was talk to a representative, who kept asking me if I somehow dunked the camera in water. Since it was deemed water damaged, it wasn't going to be covered by a warranty, so I asked that all original parts be sent back to me (and it was a $850 repair). When I got the parts back, I saw it was several circuit boards they had to replace, but the only corrosive damage was one tiny spot on the main circuit board. Luckily current DSLRs have better weather sealing, so it's more hard pressed to encounter such a problem. But I did have to do some soul searching to stay with Canon, when one of their reps asked if I had dunked my camera in water!!

I would ask for a picture of the bent ring.

TeamSpeed wrote in post #18385586
I would ask for a picture of the bent ring.

The OS unit literally rattled like it fell off it's tracks. rattled. Think of a golf ball in a plastic cup and rock that cup back and forth this is what it sounded like. I asked perhaps it bent when it was shipped there since it was loose and shook all around.

This is actually not the first time they used the lens was dropped excuse... my 70-200 OS developed a crack that was perfectly straight along one of the extruded lines in the plastic. They said it was me dropping the lens. I fought them and they ended up fixing it under warranty but same scenario as this. I'll have to put up a fight.

I would say I've done them well on sales. I shouldn't be forgotten on service and I'll remind them that. My history of new Sigmas:

Sigma 24mm 1.4 A - $799
Sigma 30mm 1.4 - $349
Sigma 35mm 1.4 A - $709
Sigma 50mm 1.4 A - $850
Sigma 85mm 1.4 A - $1199
Sigma 10-20mm - $449
Sigma 17-50 2.8 OS - $549
Sigma 17-50 2.8 OS - $425
Sigma 70-200 2.8 OS - $949
Sigma 24-70 2.8 OS A - $1299

Lifetime total $7500 and thats a pretty large dent for a 3rd party company.

I demand repair at reasonable price. I am loyal customer and will leave in a heartbeat... Remember Tamron issues I had?... Goodbye.

Looks like it would at least be the same I had with my 5D: since you're paying for it, you can insist on getting all the original parts back. They should honor that. May send you for a tizzie though! I know I was rather disgruntled that my $850 repair was for several parts that wound up being the main board with a tiny bit of corrosion.

I would let them know your purchase history and protest TBH. Do it by phone, let your voice be heard. Maintain that you didnt drop it and or file an insurance claim if they insist it was damaged. It could have been damaged in transit. I've done that before and had all the repairs covered by shipping insurance.

I can't imagine them caring how much you have spent with them...they probably hear that from everyone whether they've bought the lenses or not.