GL2 LOST at Canon Service Center

[Graham Bernard]

Originally Posted by Chris Hurd

Tague, check the camera to be certain that you are not shooting in the "Green Box" (easy recording) mode. Focus is still auto, even when set to manual, when shooting in this mode.

Chris, as far as I can tell, I can't select MF while in Easy Mode? Now if I COULD then there would be something wrong. In AUTO I can select MF, and lock-off the focus - very useful indeed! And in Manual Mode I can get my images out of focus at the drop of a hat! But easy mode? If Tague IS getting MF option in Easy mode .. . ughhh .. . take it back .. and seek some anger management course. After having been reading your thread here - I'm gonna need to. You poor bloke! I really feel for you. This is truly a very very unnatural experience with this camera and the after sales service.

What more can I say? I've got 2 of these puppies and I use them in a money earning environment PLUS ausaging my own need/passion to take video. The service I had recently got from Canon, here in the UK, was exlempary. Cold comfort for you, I know - but I can't complain. However, that is NO reason why shouldn't.

Take our advise and check and double check that you are in a MODE that allows for MF. PLease get back to us if you can or can't confirm this.

Best regards,

Grazie

[Tague Hurley]

Graham, Chris, definately not in "easy mode". I've tried MF is auto, av, tv, manual, everything. I think somehow the ring is just not connected to the actual focus mechanism. Baffled. Nobody ever heard of a problem like this? Shall I plan to make a trip to Irvine on tuesday? I'll be borrowing a friends DVX100a luckily. thanx again for each and every comment.

[Graham Bernard]

Do you see the "MF" icon letters apear within the screen? Yes/No?

G

[Ash Greyson]

Wow man... it just gets worse. Obviously, the camera is not new, it is most likely refurbished. Tuesday morning file all the complaints I listed, make a copy and then go to the service center and give them copies. Ask politely for a $120 REFUND and a new camera, when they say no tell them, "well, I have spent all this time and manpower dealing with your incompetence and I have a family to feed. So I have no choice but to pursue this legally." I would also, not joking here, contact all the local news affiliates and tell them your story. Most have consumer advocacy pieces a couple days a week. NOBODY wants that kind of bad advertising.

Another step is to turn Canon corporate against them. You have all you need to do that. Basically you tell corporate that you are going to give THEM a chance to correct the mistake of their incompetent service center.

Dont give up, stay persistent, at some point it will be easier to settle with you FAIRLY than to put you off and continue to screw you.



ash =o)

[Boyd Ostroff]

Originally Posted by Ash Greyson

So I have no choice but to pursue this legally."

Before you start talking about lawyers and such, you'd better read all the fine print on whatever repair authorization you signed. I'd be willing to bet that it promised very little in terms of their liability for lost cameras or how soon they are required to return your camera.

I'm guessing that you'll get farther by being firm but pleasant with them, frustrating though it may be. You have been treated outrageously, but what you are legally entitled to may be somewhat less than you'd hope for also.

[Chris Colin Swanson]

When my XL1S lost focus it lost it's auto focus and manual focus. It would work as the camera started up (while all the info is still displayed in the viewfinder) and then froze out. I sent it in and they had to replace a circuit board.
This unfortunately is not the only relevence to your situation. It took over 60 days to recieve my camera! This is in the UK so my situation is different. At canon.co.uk they list several repair centers so I took it into the one closest to me and not the main center. They informed me I would have it in a week which is great here because they only promise with a month. After the week I called them to find out a part was on order and it was scheduled in another week. This happened several times and after the month they could only give me more empty promises. They advised me I could take back the camera and go someplace else with it and sall over. The warranty had expired in the meantime and I was afraid of the hassles of this and the part still needed ordering.
After arguing to get relevant numbers at Canon to call. Canon told me that I could only get a replacement if I had brought it to their central repair center even though they have this one officialy listed! They said that the repair center I brought it into would have to argue for the replacement because they were the official client and not me! The repair center with the camera said they would not argue because they didn't want to create bad feelings with the central repair center. Finally my wife, who did most of the calling because I could not be rational at this point, was given a number to a higher up manager. He did some investigating and found out the situation and worked on it.
In one week I had the camera delivered to my door with a new lens. They didn't contact me to tell me they were delivering it. They just called 10 minutes before they showed up on a thursday morning. Luckily I was home! In the end they lost my uv filter and lost 2 months of filming. I am an amature so I can't claim any lost work but I lost out on filming the maturing of the fox family living behind my house and prospective work and practice filming some local spoting events.
I was at least able to put it behind me. My month long depression and sickness cleared up and I chose to just buy a new uv filter instead of dealing with them anymore since my aversion to them was so high by then. They had told me I shouldn't feel so bad because another person was in the same situation waiting as long for the same thing!! Like that was suppose to make me feel better when it confirms the incompetence and not confirming my bad luck. I wonder if the other camera owner's camera is still there? The other owner might have all the patience in the world, the Brits 'stiff-upper-lip' will not help this situation and being a loud american was the only thing that worked. I just wished I had been loud from the begining (in an assertive way of course) and not tried to prevent contribution to the amercan sterotype.

[Jay Gladwell]

Tague, when they gave you the NEW camera in a plastic bag, did it come with a warranty card? If not, what...?

First thing I'd do Tuesday is call Canon USA (not the 1-800 number) and talk with someone who has the ability to correct problems, explain the whole mess, and demand a new, working, in the box camera.

This has moved well beyond riduculous. It's outrageous!

Jay

[Chris Hurd]

Tague, as you know the best way to see a focus change is when you have a very shallow depth of field... if you insure that you are operating in the A, Av, Tv or M program mode and that the MF icon appears in the display... step outdoors and point to something about a dozen yards away, then zoom all the way in to extreme telephoto... turning the focus ring does NOT change focus? The standby lever is NOT set to "Lock," is it? Because that will force it to autofocus.

[Tague Hurley]

First I am a little hesitant to call in a lawyer yet. Doug did mention that they were not required to give me a replacement, and not required to give me another camera after only 2 weeks. He mentioned that in fact he had 30 more days to find the camera. But I believe he thinks the camera will not show up no matter how long they look. Anyways, I did get a piece of paper that said this camera has a year long warranty.


Yep chris I've tested the camera 1000 times and double checked everything. The focus ring just doesnt work. Today is Tuesday, the service center is open after the long weekend. Ill make a few calls to the corporate offices, I doubt that will get me anywhere. So chris if im sure the focus ring doesnt work, what do you thiknk I shall do?

thanx

[Tague Hurley]

Spoke with the canon corporate complaint line. They said first I have to deal with Doug. Let's see how this goes...

[Tague Hurley]

Doug stands by his word. He says the unit IS new, I have to take the camera into his technician.

[Graham Bernard]

Tague .. we are all listening for the "other" shoe to drop. Seessshhh . .. Grazie

[Steven Davis]

Well,

I suppose if that ever happened to me or anyone else, and 2000.00 of mine went missing, and if CANON didn't want to help, I'd file a police report as it being stolen.

I agree that a new camera is a nice thing to do, but please, dont' tell me that CANON is going to go under financially due to losing 240.00.


I love my GL2 and hope that this never happens to me, but as professionals, if we screw up on a project, we try to make amends.

I'm very glad it worked out, so to speak. I would still report the camera to the police as stolen. Ya never know.

[K. Forman]

I would send it to the shop in Jersey, and hope they are more careful.

[Tague Hurley]

So I thought I'd back track a little and give you canon's customer relations take on all this. As of today the 7th of September I am still without a working GL2. I made an appointment with Doug's technician to fix the "NEW" camera they gave me on Tuesday but had to break it because somebody else asked me to finish editing their piece, which still isn't done. As soon as it is done I will be going to have yet another visit with Doug and the folks at the Irvine canon service center.

So as I mentioned I called canon customer relations to file an official complaint and see what advice they had for me. The lady I spoke to, Christine, was extremely nice and understanding. She explained Canon's standards and researched my case. She told me there was definitely evidence that the repair took place and Canon had a right to ask for the repair cost, but it was obviously up to Doug's discretion. She also believes that the camera since it came with a 1-year warranty should be new, BUT she couldn’t verify based on the serial I gave her. She said if I have any more problems with this camera, besides the focus ring not working during this year, I should definitely contact her. She gave me her direct line. She apologized many times and was also baffled by my story. Basically she could not give me contact info for anybody higher than Doug, cause it was still his case or something like that.

Having dealt with her I can see why the general public agrees Canon has good customer service. I know my situation is extremely rare, I just think the Irvine Service Center dealt with it poorly. I will hopefully be stopping this thread once the "NEW" GL2 is in full working order.

Ciao,
Tague