Yesterday I sent my 18-250mm f3.5-6.3 DC Macro OS lens back to Sigma for repair. It is still under warranty.
Today(!) I received an e mail from them with a quotation for the work necessary and telling me that they were going to charge me £98.99 to carry out the following work:
"CLEAN FOCUS MECH.
REPLACE SWITCH
RESET, CHECK & TEST
Remarks
Upon inspection the lens has had a substance spilt causing the issue.
This is not covered by the warranty."
I sent it to them because the lens had been slow to focus, as if the focus ring was sticking, and the 'lock' switch was very stiff.
Does anybody know what a 'substance split' is? I have done a google search and can't find any reference to this phrase. I just want to check that I can't argue that the work should be carried out under warranty.
Only guessing, Jan, but I guess they're saying some liquid has being spilt (rather than split) on the lens mechanism causing the problem. It's not very clear, though.
@snaggy the writing sounds like theyr'e trying to sound generic but lets say you spill coke or coffee onto the lens. It gets inside the focus rings etc, dries up and then creates friction
thanks for that, I am pretty sure I haven't spilt (or split!) anything onto it, but what you are saying does sound like that is what they are claiming. Can't believe I didn't guess it might be a typo - assumed it was some techie-speak.
Guess I am going to have difficulty arguing against that, so will just have to pay up
I think if it were water, they'd have said water, but that wouldnt have made the focus mechanism stiff and slow. It does sound like it'd have been some kind of sticky substance when dried which implies sugar... sorry :(
@frankhymus I agree with Frank. I always push back in these instances when I have not done anything like they claim--they should be able to at least provide a shot of where they see it. Worth the try.
Definitely ask for proof - sometimes they will try it on in the hopes that you do not argue - if you know that nothing has been spilt on it, then you need to ask them to show you that it has - photo's etc. It could be mechanical fault that they are blaming on a spilt drink because it is the best explanation, not one that they have any evidence of.
This is my problem with lens repair -- totally different but vexing. I dropped one of my favorite Canon lens and dented the zoom mechanism. I left it at Calumet Photo in mid August. When I called about it last week, I was told the conditions in Japan (storms, economy, whatever) have made parts hard to get and it could be 6 months before I get my lens back! Does this sound reasonable? Should I have mailed it to Canon for the repair?
@byrdlip@iwatts@darylo@toast@frankhymus Thanks for all your replies. I fear that I should question things with Sigma, but have a nagging doubt that although I am sure that I have not spilled (or spilt! or split!) anything on the lens I do leave my camera lying around the place and cannot be 100% sure that one of my little darling teenage children hasn't and (probably quite wisely) had the guts to confess.
Also, I am sure that I will get it back much quicker if I pay for the repair and I must say I do feel rather bereft without it!
Will take on board all that you have said and have a think about how to proceed, but thanks again.
@catwoman2 That does sound incredibly frustrating Mary. I think I would be tempted to call Canon and see if they have the parts and how long it would take them to do the job, because 6 months is clearly not acceptable.
@catwoman2 If it's a relatively common model of lens that's still in production, Canon will usually turn around repairs in 1-2 weeks.
If it's a very rare lens, or has been out of production for a while, there may be a shortage of parts which could justify it taking longer, but for a common zoom lens that's still being sold today, it's unlikely that Canon wouldn't turn it around in that time frame.
If you qualify for Canon Professional Services membership (and pay to sign up) they will offer 3-day or 2-day turnaround on most repairs.
@abirkill I stopped by Calumet Photo store today and learned the staff had just received the repair estimate -- $800.00. The lens costs $1100 new so we all agreed it wasn't a good idea to have it repaired. They said they'd never seen a repair that high and then offered to sell me a replacement. Ha. I told them I'd think about it. I loved that lens but. @jantan, I will contact Canon. I'm having a few doubts about Calumet. They bought Penn Camera which was the place to go in DC. So I figured they were now the best place to go. Maybe not.
@catwoman2 So after a month of the lens being away, they just happened to have received the estimate on the exact day you happen to call in? Well, that could be coincidence I guess...
I would strongly question why the estimate has taken so long -- their previous claim that the parts weren't available should have no bearing on how long it takes to get an estimate -- indeed, it seems counter-intuitive that they could have found out that the parts were unavailable without first having done the estimate.
To find out that the parts were unavailable from Canon US and had to be ordered from overseas, they would first have had to find out which parts needed replacing -- at which point, they should have all the required information to generate the estimate. So at least part of their story doesn't appear to add up. Regardless of parts availability, the estimate should have been with you pretty much as soon as they started looking at the lens.
I would definitely consider sending the lens to Canon -- they do seem to have unofficial fixed-price/subsidised repair rates for a lot of equipment, as long as it's not so far damaged as to be unrepairable. From what I've seen elsewhere, many quotes come in at around $200-$400, even for expensive lenses with extensive damage.
Hmmmmm. As soon (ha) as my lens is returned, I'll contact Canon. In the meantime, I'll write Calumet off my list. Thanks for your input and suggestions. All I'm out now is $35 to cover the store,s mailing expense. Forgot to mention it's a Canon EF24-105mm F.4.0L.
@catwoman2 Sounds like a plan. That's by far the most popular L lens that Canon sell, and is the kit lens for most of their full-frame cameras -- I can't see any way that a repair on that would need to wait on parts.
(No direct experience, but good reviews on the Canon Rumors site). You can also buy it direct from the Canon refurbished site for $819 (with a discount that ends on Sunday, but the discount is very common and you won't have to wait long for it to be repeated): http://shop.usa.canon.com/shop/en/catalog/ef-24-105mm-f-4l-is-usm-refurbished
Again, no direct experience, but everything I've read about purchasing refurbished lenses direct from Canon has indicated that they are indistinguishable from new -- and again, the lens will come with a full US warranty.
If you do get it repaired from Canon in a sensible amount of time and for a sensible price (less than $800) I'd be pushing very hard for Calumet to refund you the $35.
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Guess I am going to have difficulty arguing against that, so will just have to pay up
@toast @snaggy
"spilt"
I think if it were water, they'd have said water, but that wouldnt have made the focus mechanism stiff and slow. It does sound like it'd have been some kind of sticky substance when dried which implies sugar... sorry :(
Also, I am sure that I will get it back much quicker if I pay for the repair and I must say I do feel rather bereft without it!
Will take on board all that you have said and have a think about how to proceed, but thanks again.
If it's a very rare lens, or has been out of production for a while, there may be a shortage of parts which could justify it taking longer, but for a common zoom lens that's still being sold today, it's unlikely that Canon wouldn't turn it around in that time frame.
If you qualify for Canon Professional Services membership (and pay to sign up) they will offer 3-day or 2-day turnaround on most repairs.
I would strongly question why the estimate has taken so long -- their previous claim that the parts weren't available should have no bearing on how long it takes to get an estimate -- indeed, it seems counter-intuitive that they could have found out that the parts were unavailable without first having done the estimate.
To find out that the parts were unavailable from Canon US and had to be ordered from overseas, they would first have had to find out which parts needed replacing -- at which point, they should have all the required information to generate the estimate. So at least part of their story doesn't appear to add up. Regardless of parts availability, the estimate should have been with you pretty much as soon as they started looking at the lens.
I would definitely consider sending the lens to Canon -- they do seem to have unofficial fixed-price/subsidised repair rates for a lot of equipment, as long as it's not so far damaged as to be unrepairable. From what I've seen elsewhere, many quotes come in at around $200-$400, even for expensive lenses with extensive damage.
If it does come back unrepairable, it can be replaced for much less than $1100. GetItDigital on eBay sell this lens for $749 with a full US warranty:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/USA-Warranty-Canon-EF-24-105mm-f-4L-IS-USM-Autofocus-Lens-for-Canon-DSLR-Cameras-/151103797004?
(No direct experience, but good reviews on the Canon Rumors site). You can also buy it direct from the Canon refurbished site for $819 (with a discount that ends on Sunday, but the discount is very common and you won't have to wait long for it to be repeated):
http://shop.usa.canon.com/shop/en/catalog/ef-24-105mm-f-4l-is-usm-refurbished
Again, no direct experience, but everything I've read about purchasing refurbished lenses direct from Canon has indicated that they are indistinguishable from new -- and again, the lens will come with a full US warranty.
If you do get it repaired from Canon in a sensible amount of time and for a sensible price (less than $800) I'd be pushing very hard for Calumet to refund you the $35.