Fuji Canada broke my camera and is trying to make me pay for it

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MarkoKovacevic

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Hi all,

A dilema. I sent my camera to fuji canada for a free rubber replacement. I had emailed asking for a replacement grip and that I would install it myself (like I have on my Nikon's over the years.) They had said, send the camera in and we will replace it as a courtesy.

They now have sent me a repair estimate totaling nearly $500, saying the shutter won't open. The camera was working perfectly when I sent it to them. It probably has less than 15k shots on it. I don't even use it regularly - My ricoh GR fills my daily driver and I use Nikon for professional work, so it sits on the shelf most of the time. Certainly not used heavily.

Any ideas what to do in this situation?
 
Ask to speak to a Manager and explain that you sent it for a simple rubber replacement. You are now shocked by this bill and demand an answer as to how it happened. If the Manager can't help you, ask for their supervisor. The only other possibility is that it somehow happened in the mail.
 
His reply:


Thank you for contacting FUJIFILM Canada. Please allow us to assist you; I'm the one you talked to this afternoon.

I took a look at your camera (it is currently on my desk); to answer what was said on an email sent to fcanrepair@fujifilm.com by you, there is nothing on your that suggests the camera has ever been dropped, heavily used or broken. I didn't see any scratch, dent or bump when a lens gets attached to the body. Even the body cap is intact, with no sign of damage.

So, there is a strong possibility the shutter has been a bit "flickering" but not enough to be noticeable to the naked eye or when a photo is taken. Sending the camera here worsened the problem; who knows how the package has been handled at the courier's depot or in a truck, with all the moving/shaking that can go on.

So let's start with a 15% discount on the repair; thus bringing the grand total from $478.17 to $406.45. I am available to discuss; simply provide a phone number and time I can reach you at.

We sincerely hope this information has been beneficial to you. If you should have any further questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us in the future.

Thank you for your interest in FUJIFILM products and services.
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My Reply:
I refuse to pay 400$ for something that was working prior to sending it to you. If it was damaged in transit, then it should be covered by purolators insurance. I had even initially requested to be sent the part so I could install it myself. I did not want to send the camera off. The simple fact is - the camera was working when I send it off, and now suddenly it is not working. I refuse to pay for something that 1: I did not want to send off, and 2: was supposed to be free. If I had not send it off, the camera would be with me, working.

I'm very upset and very close to selling off my fuji lenses and going to Sony. I certainly won't use it for professional work in the future - how am I supposed to trust a camera with this bad quality control and subpar customer service, where if you send a camera in for a simple rubber replacement, they ask you to replace the shutter.

Please repair the camera at your costs (file an insurance claim with purolator if you need to) but I will not be paying for it.

I don't even understand why you don't offer the parts on their own - if I could have replaced the rubber by myself (LIKE I ORIGINALLY REQUESTED) my camera would still be working fine. I outright refuse your explanation that, by some tiny statistical probability, that the camera was flickering and the shipping just happened to push it over the edge. These are supposed to be well made cameras built for professional work.

If I knew this nonsense and giving me the runaround would happen I would have just kept my camera and dealt with the rubber peeling. You'll see in the original email that I did not want to send my camera off.

Please repair the camera and send it back, but I refuse to pay. I don't have an extra $400 sitting around to repair a personal camera that just needed a rubber replacement. This is ridiculous and leaves a very bad taste in my mouth.
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We will see what happens...
 
I think you said the right thing. Next, ask for Management. Sometimes, I write to the CEO or President of the company to get it on other people's radar. The CEO or President will not reply to directly, but they always have someone who answers for them.
 
Too much words in it. Average Ontarian Service Manager might not be able to pull it through. He gave you phone number, it is indication what I just wrote. Call and make him shaking, but do not raise your voice.
 
The possibility exists that they are telling you the truth and it came to them with a problem, right? It is on you to make a claim with the carrier not them. You hired and paid the carrier. I am surprised you are demanding a repair and not willing to pay or put in the claim with the carrier. You may have hard time getting a claim paid if you paid for insurance. Without insurance you will get about $100 at best.
 
sjw617 said:
The possibility exists that they are telling you the truth and it came to them with a problem, right? It is on you to make a claim with the carrier not them. You hired and paid the carrier. I am surprised you are demanding a repair and not willing to pay or put in the claim with the carrier. You may have hard time getting a claim paid if you paid for insurance. Without insurance you will get about $100 at best.
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They provided me with a waybill for Purolator. Therefore they paid for the carrier and it is on them to make the claim. Insurance is assumed as it would be silly for a company to to cover shipping for high value items and not have insurance.
 
sjw617 said:
The possibility exists that they are telling you the truth and it came to them with a problem, right? It is on you to make a claim with the carrier not them. You hired and paid the carrier. I am surprised you are demanding a repair and not willing to pay or put in the claim with the carrier. You may have hard time getting a claim paid if you paid for insurance. Without insurance you will get about $100 at best.
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Its tough but I think its going to end this way. They could claim the camera was broken to start with, and the blame will be either on the shipping company or you, not them.

Regards
 
MarkoKovacevic said:
They provided me with a waybill for Purolator. Therefore they paid for the carrier and it is on them to make the claim. Insurance is assumed as it would be silly for a company to to cover shipping for high value items and not have insurance.
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Oh thats different then. The problem is between the shipping company and them then. At least I would think that way.
 
mpaniagua said:
Its tough but I think its going to end this way. They could claim the camera was broken to start with, and the blame will be either on the shipping company or you, not them.

Regards
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I will argue that initially I just wanted to order the rubber piece for my camera and it was at their suggestion that I sent it in ( I wanted just the piece to install on my own, like I have done with my Nikon camera ) this proves logically that the camera was working prior to shipment - why would I want to order replacement rubber for a broken camera? If the blame is on the shipping company then the companies insurance should cover the costs of repair.
 
If the package was delivered damaged or wet then a claim is possible - it would have been signed for as damaged. I do not think a claim will be granted if the package was in good shape when delivered.
You are right the claim is their responsibility but I think it is a long shot. Can you prove it was working when it went into the box? You may be asked to do so.
 
MarkoKovacevic said:
Thank you for the advice. Might you know how I can find this contact information if needed? I tried googling but couldn't find it
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The President of Fujifilm Canada is Hiromi Sekimoto.

http://www.bloomberg.com/research/stocks/private/people.asp?privcapId=30999646

You can send an e-mail through the usual channels with "Dear Hiromi Sekimoto" and they should have a hierarchy in place so a typical customer service rep isn't allowed to answer it. Explain the whole situation... or mail it to him in letter form.
 
I'm hoping they kept the box.........

Perhaps took pictures or videos of unboxing???

Hard to prove damage in shipment without packing and box.

It's a hard one from both sides. While there is not any exterior impact damage that is but the easy to diagnose cause.

I think write a respectful letter to the Big Boss would not hurt. My read is the local guy has numbers to meet and is afraid the this might illuminate a problem with his teams procedures. In most companies most every level above the first customer contact has some ability to discount to a percentage. 15% sounds really low to me.

Keep us in the loop please and thank you.

B2 (;->
 
Positive update:

Good afternoon Marko,

It has been decided we will go ahead with the repair of the shutter and the replacement of the grip as a one time no charge courtesy. There will be no further warranty at all on all repairs done. We'll be in touch internally with Purolator for a claim.

We sincerely hope this information has been beneficial to you. If you should have any further questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us in the future.

Thank you for your interest in FUJIFILM products and services.
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