How is Canon's customer service & tech support?

[Mr. Toy]

I think I want to get an S45. I visited Canon's USA website and found that there is no direct way to get customer service or tech support.

I had a question about the camera, so I sent an e-mail. I got an automated reponse with a list of links, none of which came close to answering my question. My inquiry was then supposed to have been forwarded to another level, but I haven't heard back. I've never before had a company be so unresponsive to customer inquiries on a website. Needless to say, this has not left a good impression.

Any comments or experiences? I'd be especially interested in reading how well Canon handles problems/complaints.

 

[Andj P]

I think I want to get an S45. I visited Canon's USA website and
found that there is no direct way to get customer service or tech
support.

I had a question about the camera, so I sent an e-mail. I got an
automated reponse with a list of links, none of which came close to
answering my question. My inquiry was then supposed to have been
forwarded to another level, but I haven't heard back. I've never
before had a company be so unresponsive to customer inquiries on a
website. Needless to say, this has not left a good impression.

Any comments or experiences? I'd be especially interested in
reading how well Canon handles problems/complaints.

Hmmm... I found there support number with 30 seconds:

quote:

For toll-free technical support, please call 1 (800) 828-4040 during regular business hours (currently Monday-Friday 9:00 a.m.-8:00 p.m. EST, excluding holidays).

Before you call, please try one of our convenient online support options. Simply hit the 'Back Button' on your browser to return to the Support Menu.

--
Andj
Canon G3 and S30 Owner

 

[Harv]

The support number is in the manual. I called a rep twice, speedy response, and sent my s40 in twice for repairs. First time, the camera came back in 5 business days; the second, about 10. I found their customer service and support very good.

 

[jcohen]

Does Canon charge anything for phone calls? The reason I ask is because Sony (AWFUL customer service, by the way) wanted to charge me $19.95 to ask a simple driver question when I called last (about my Vaio)....my warranty was up, and so were the free phone calls.

 

[Andj P]

Does Canon charge anything for phone calls? The reason I ask is
because Sony (AWFUL customer service, by the way) wanted to charge
me $19.95 to ask a simple driver question when I called last (about
my Vaio)....my warranty was up, and so were the free phone calls.

I don't believe that to be bad service. When you buy a product the manufacture incorporates a certain amount of the products cost as the support cost. This support cost is paid when you initially buy the product and lasts for the warranty period as advertised at the time of sale. Support costs are huge. The phone bills, capital costs, human resource costs, and the various other expenses it takes to run a call center are enormous. Companies cannot afford to provide unlimited support for a product indefinitely which is why a warranty limits their obligations to you.

It's not a Sony issue here... just about any manufacturer will charge you support costs after the warranty is up. When I worked at IBM Thinkpad support a few years back the support charge was $35 USD for every out of warranty or unsupported Thinkpad Call... it wasn't comissioned BTW. Microsoft does the same after you've made two calls. HP, Compaq, and just about every other manufactuer is just about the same as far as I know. Working in a tech support/call center environment teaches one alot about the economics of support costs.

Tech Support reps are more then willing to help you (assuming you have a good attitude) but the help you require is not something they are going to "write-off" as a business expense.

The way I see it is if you really need the help then you can afford to cover the companies costs for your call to them. If you find the costs excessive there are hundreds of online forums or websites out there where you can find the answer the same answer with a little bit of legwork.

I apologize for the manifesto and all but I'm just trying to provide another perspective on things. Maybe I'm pessimistic or just overly rational but nothings free nowadays... except hotmail

--
Andj
Canon G3 and S30 Owner

 

[Andy Somnifacient]

As a direct answer to that: yes, they do provide free tech support on cameras. The call is toll free, and they don't limit the number of times you can call. You can call on an old Powershot 600 and still get free tech support. You could even break out a rangefinder that came out 40 years and get the same support. Not bad for toll free tech support.

Andy

Does Canon charge anything for phone calls? The reason I ask is
because Sony (AWFUL customer service, by the way) wanted to

 

[Andj P]

The support number is in the manual. I called a rep twice, speedy
response, and sent my s40 in twice for repairs. First time, the
camera came back in 5 business days; the second, about 10. I found
their customer service and support very good.

On a side note, I'm still waiting on my s30 to come back from Canon Canada repair. I dropped it off on gasp December 19th 2002 and after just getting off the phone with them for the 4th time I learned my "backordered" parts came in on Jan 10th 2003 and that it should be done by the end of the week or so.

Go Canon! sarcasm

I could really care less because I bought the G3 and all but I'd be pretty steamed if the S30 were my only cam. Sent it in for two dead pixels. Just crossing my fingers that it doesn't come back with an even worse ccd hehehe.

Cheers.

--
Andj
Canon G3 and S30 Owner

 

[Mike Hunt]

Sony is even worse.

 

[Mike Hunt]

Does Canon charge anything for phone calls? The reason I ask is
because Sony (AWFUL customer service, by the way) wanted to charge
me $19.95 to ask a simple driver question when I called last (about
my Vaio)....my warranty was up, and so were the free phone calls.

I don't believe that to be bad service.

It's not bad - it's horrible!

Sony only provide a miserly 90 day warranty hile others provide 1 full year.

Sony charges for all calls after warranty runs out while their competitors do not.

 

[Mike Hunt]

On a side note, I'm still waiting on my s30 to come back from Canon
Canada repair. I dropped it off on gasp December 19th 2002 and
after just getting off the phone with them for the 4th time I
learned my "backordered" parts came in on Jan 10th 2003 and that it
should be done by the end of the week or so.

You think that's bad? My Sony camera was held up for repair for 8 weeks, and Sony refused to give me any info about its status until it was ready to be shipped back.

The defect they supposedly repaied resurfaced months later when the camera was well beyond Sony's pathetic 90 day warranty but still less than a year old.

Sony sucks.

 

[NKH]

i sent in my 420EX speedlite for warranty repair and got it back in 9 days. the first time i sent in my G2 for warranty work, it came back in 10 days. everytime i have called them, i didn't have to wait more than about 4 minutes and the people i talked to were pleasant and courteous. i would have to say their customer is excellent.

now, OTOH, it sounds like you have a question that could be easily answered here at this forum. the only good email responses i've gotten have been from the smaller companies like lensmate and maha energy, etc. and i really think that product sales info is more a job for retailers than the manufacturers.

I think I want to get an S45. I visited Canon's USA website and
found that there is no direct way to get customer service or tech
support.

I had a question about the camera, so I sent an e-mail. I got an
automated reponse with a list of links, none of which came close to
answering my question. My inquiry was then supposed to have been
forwarded to another level, but I haven't heard back. I've never
before had a company be so unresponsive to customer inquiries on a
website. Needless to say, this has not left a good impression.

Any comments or experiences? I'd be especially interested in
reading how well Canon handles problems/complaints.

 

[JBB]

I think I want to get an S45. I visited Canon's USA website and
found that there is no direct way to get customer service or tech
support.

I had a question about the camera, so I sent an e-mail. I got an
automated reponse with a list of links, none of which came close to
answering my question. My inquiry was then supposed to have been
forwarded to another level, but I haven't heard back. I've never
before had a company be so unresponsive to customer inquiries on a
website. Needless to say, this has not left a good impression.

Any comments or experiences? I'd be especially interested in
reading how well Canon handles problems/complaints.

For my part, I have found Canon support very good. I had a problem with my camera when I first bought it. I was just about to go away to Europe and needed my camera. After a couple of calls I was in contact with a person who (at my suggestion), sent a loaner camera until my return, when I was then able to send my original camera back for repair. No problems since. For me, customer service one of the primary reasons I become and stay a customer, whether it's a camera or a car. Jeremy K.

 

[Doneko]

now, OTOH, it sounds like you have a question that could be easily
answered here at this forum. the only good email responses i've
gotten have been from the smaller companies like lensmate and maha
energy, etc. and i really think that product sales info is more a
job for retailers than the manufacturers.

Here is a Canon support number I know by heart: 1-800-OK-CANON.

I also found that this forum is a way better resource that Canon's tech support. Those guys hardly understood when I explained my issue to them. You won't be able to talk to real experts, but they will be able to answer questions that are answered in the manuals.

 

[Mr. Toy]

Thanks for all the responses. Sounds like Canon's phone support is excellent. Clearly their web support is lacking, but as long as phone support is good, that's perfectly fine with me.