Worst customer service ever

I was having FZ50 for about 8 month and got a problem so sent it to the repair center at IL. I was told that there was a corrosive damage on main board and lens (I live in Tucson, by the way...no humidity at all). The problem that I had was there was a vertical line on the left side of the picture when I took a picture with shutter speed faster than 1/2sec. When I took a picture with longer exposure (i.e., more than 1 sec), there was no vertical line. And I was told that it was my fault and not covered by the warranty.

The funniest thing was the price for repair ($849), which is twice as much as the new product!! What kind of stupid system is that?

So, be ware that if there's something wrong with your panasonic camera...it is your fault...never covered by the warranty.

--
Insectopia

The reason you don't see the vertical line in exposures over 1 sec is that the camera's doing dark-frame subtraction -- the sensor is still broken for those exposures, but the processing removes the bad data.

I pretty much resigned myself to the foregone conclusion that if something goes wrong with my Fz30 or 50, I'd be saving them for parts, after reading before I bought them, the warranty was only 90 days... It has since been posted that it's a year except for the ccd which is still 80 days... Plus there've been very few positive reviews of the IL. service center although the Canadian service center got a glowing review once... I cross the Niagara and the canadian Pany sevice center is only a two hour drive... I have taken my Olys to the Oly canadian service center twice with better service than either US Oly service center gave me although I never had to pay for any sevice form any of the Oly centers...

Hell, I had to cross the border just to get a hands on feel of the Fz30 because no big name B&M or local photog shop ever carried either the 30 or 50... I'm amazed any 30 or 50 was bought considering a lot of areas outside bigger metro areas never had them in stock... Pany probably would've doubled Fz30 & 50 sales if every BestBuy & CircuitCity carried them like they did the Fz20, 5,7 & 8 & now the 18...

The only reason I went ahead & got my Fzs anyway was there was/is no other choice for me... Even all these new ones from Casio, Oly & Fuji aren't eligible due to lack of design features I need or exorbitant prices or both...
--

The Amateur Formerly Known as 'UZ'pShoot'ERS' 'Happy Shootin' Comments, Critique, Ridicule, Limericks, Jokes, Hi-jackings, EnthUZIastically, Encouraged... I Insist!



* [email protected] * http://www.pbase.com/rrawzz *

Their treatment of you was obviously unfair. You have been ripped off by this mighty Japanese company. Shame on them. The new Fujii camera announced yesterday may be 10% bigger and 20% heavier and 50% more expensive than a FZ50 but based your experience and the experience of the man in Holland with Panasonic's "customer no-service", I would grit my teeth and get it instead of the FZ50.

If I were you I would consider this a learning opportunity, to learn about the small claims court process. Pay the fee (probably just $35), fill out the forms, file them, and see what happens. Panasonic may not show up to defend themselves. You should then win by default. Keep an accurate diary in ink of your expenditures, events, phone calls, and dates and please keep us informed.

Appeal the decision higher and ask for proof that it was something you could have done.
--
terry
http://tbanet.zenfolio.com/

TEBnewyork said:

Appeal the decision higher and ask for proof that it was something
you could have done.
--

Click to expand...

I agree.

File a complaint with the BBB, talk to a manager of the repair center, if that doesn't work, talk to his boss, etc. Keep going up the chain of command until you get it fixed. Email Customer services, Keep all records of who you talk to and email correspondence. Eventually you'll get it taken care of, just be persistent and let them know you're not going away.

If all else fails, file a claim in small claims court.

I've had an old 2 megapixel camera from Sony for the past 7 years, Living in Louisiana and now Florida, and it still works perfectly.

There are absolutely NO disclaimers about the warranty not covering the camera depending on the climate you live in. heh. It sounds to me as if the board was defective from the get-go. In 20 years I have never seen the kind of corrosion that they speak of when it comes to silicon boards and soldering. The kind of corrosion they're talking about would require a good long dunk in saltwater.
--

DK -- It's not the camera, but what you can do with it that is the difference between a bad photograph and a great one.

dkwhite said:

The kind of corrosion they're talking
about would require a good long dunk in saltwater.

Click to expand...

I think a quick one will do.

I once saw pictures from someone disassembling his Canon 20D that had
been dropped into the sea and there were rust everywhere, it was
completely irrepairable.

Of course this does not explain the OP:s problems. (S)he should insist they
take responsibility, ask them to send images to prove it.

Just my two oere
Erik from Sweden

I too am having trouble in convincing Panasonic that I have a problem with my FZ18 which was bought in September 2007. On using it in California with clear blue skies I found a 'blob' on the left hand side about half way. On checking first that I didn't have a mark on my lens contacted Panasonic from California and explained the situation. On returning home I sent photographs only to be told that it was a fungus and that I must have had it in a damp enviroment . It is kept in a camera bag except when using it, plus I have taken photos for 50 years with no such problems. The company I bought the camera from have looked at the photos under CS3 and said there is a problem they think on the inner focusing pieces of glass. I have been in contact with another member of the forum has had a similar problem, his was resolved with a refund from the shop where he bought it.

In brief Panasonic said they can't do anything except send it to a service agent where they will probably be a handling charge - it's still under warranty. I am now sending it back to Panasonic via the camera company who have said they will forward it for me.

I have had five other Panasonic camera and used them in all coniditions with no problems.

tucsonian said:

I was having FZ50 for about 8 month and got a problem so sent it to
the repair center at IL. I was told that there was a corrosive damage
on main board and lens (I live in Tucson, by the way...no humidity at
all). The problem that I had was there was a vertical line on the
left side of the picture when I took a picture with shutter speed
faster than 1/2sec. When I took a picture with longer exposure (i.e.,
more than 1 sec), there was no vertical line. And I was told that it
was my fault and not covered by the warranty.
The funniest thing was the price for repair ($849), which is twice as
much as the new product!! What kind of stupid system is that?
So, be ware that if there's something wrong with your panasonic
camera...it is your fault...never covered by the warranty.

--
Insectopia

Click to expand...

In Britain, purchasers have first recourse to the product vendor when a purchased item fails to function properly.

Any manufacturer's warranty only gives extra rights which neither substitute for, nor detract from, the possibility of taking back to the shop who's sold the item.

Is that the same where you are?

Peter

--
Peter - on the green island of Ischia
http://www.pbase.com/isolaverde

Man, that sucks, this is no use to you now but my advise...Haggle for insurance when buying!

I recently bought my fz18 from the high street (aberdeen, uk) and asked if they would match the internet price, which they wouldn't...after making lots of hmmph noises and frowning faces they eventually agreed to give me full insurance for 3 years. It was all too easy, I should have asked for a case and memory also!!

JWillis said:

I too am having trouble in convincing Panasonic that I have a problem
with my FZ18 which was bought in September 2007. On using it in
California with clear blue skies I found a 'blob' on the left hand
side about half way. On checking first that I didn't have a mark on
my lens contacted Panasonic from California and explained the
situation. On returning home I sent photographs only to be told that
it was a fungus and that I must have had it in a damp enviroment .
It is kept in a camera bag except when using it, plus I have taken
photos for 50 years with no such problems. The company I bought the
camera from have looked at the photos under CS3 and said there is a
problem they think on the inner focusing pieces of glass. I have
been in contact with another member of the forum has had a similar
problem, his was resolved with a refund from the shop where he bought
it.

In brief Panasonic said they can't do anything except send it to a
service agent where they will probably be a handling charge - it's
still under warranty. I am now sending it back to Panasonic via the
camera company who have said they will forward it for me.

I have had five other Panasonic camera and used them in all
coniditions with no problems.

Click to expand...

--This is the same thing I've been through. I had fungus growing on the inside of the LCD. Bigston said it was my fault and refused to repair it without charges. I had to send it in TWICE because after repair, they left dust inside the camera and smudges on the inside of the new LCD screen. They charged me again for that too despite being entirely their own fault.

I've acquired no fault insurance on my home owners policy and now will just throw out any defective cameras and simply replace them. Much better/cheaper/faster than dealing with a bunch of liars and fools.

I've had good luck with Mack warranties too. Panny doesn't seem to screw around with Mack about honoring their warranties so you might consider that. It takes longer for repair, but there have been zero problems going through Mack.
-Kurt Horsley

Thank you Kurt, I have certainly learned my lesson the hard way. Could you give me a link to the insurance you spoke about. Thank you.

Jean

In the good ol' USA, you are usually very limited on being able to return the item to the store where you bought it. Most times, if the package is opened, you will only get a partial credit/refund, and usually this return has to take place in like 2 weeks from the time of purchase. There are exceptions to that (large warehouse stores like Costco for example), but for the most part unless you buy an extended warranty at the time of purchase, you have to deal with the manufacturer rather than the place of purchase.

--
Chris
Effzeeone now has a Effzeefifty!
(Gear in profile)

JWillis said:

Thank you Kurt, I have certainly learned my lesson the hard way.
Could you give me a link to the insurance you spoke about. Thank you.

Jean

Click to expand...

--I buy an additional policy from State Farm and attach it to my homeowners policy. If you have an insurance agent, just go to his office and ask for a "no fault" policy for your camera equipment. It covers everything from theft to accidential abuse. It covers any and all problems and instead of requiring repair, they just pay you whatever you paid for the camera. Take your receipts for your equipment...you'll need them. Whatever you paid is the limit to what they will reimburse you...no more, no less.

I cover my computers too. They charge by the item and it's replacement price but every item I have is less than one dollar per month to insure. Computers, my FZ50, even my old FZ1 is still insured as are my C-2100's. About 60 cents each per month to insure. For less than five bucks each month I'm fully covered.
-Kurt Horsley

--I was looking at the L1 over on Amazon.com a few minutes ago. In the review section I see there are complaints about Panasonic service there too. Sounds exactly like the same thing over and over.
-Kurt Horsley

Thanks for that Kurt, I live in the UK but will look into the same kind of insurance when I renew my household policy.

Jean

I had to deal with Panasonic service once and Nikon service once.......Nikon is an example of how service should be handled....even after a misunderstanding they quickly got in touch with me to admit they made a mistake and it would be corrected immediately, which it was........

Bigston on the other hand is terrible......the communication between they and Panasonic does not seem to exist.......Panasonic needs to rethink this service arrangement.
--
Gene from Western Pa

http://imageevent.com/grc6
http://grc225.zenfolio.com/
FZ10....20 and 30 and FZ18

D50 ....D80 - 18 to 200VR- 50mm 1.8 - 80 to 400 OS



Just trying to learn and it's slow going!