Sony Sony What are you doing to me

So my entire attempt to blog my experience learning photography is on hold thanks to Sony. My camera a Konica Minolta 7D broke down. It was less than 10 months old and had a 1 year manufacturers warranty. Except that Konica Minolta solds its camera business to Sony.

May 29, 2006

It all started late May. May 29th to be precise. My camera all of a sudden stopped working. I t would turn on but would not take any pictures. However while turning on it made a funny clicking sound that lasted a few seconds. No it was not the AF lens. The exact symptoms were:

1. Shutter does not release.
2. When camera is powered up, after the initial lens shuffle a clicking sound is heard.
3. The auto shake bars (all five of them) to the right of the view finder are blinking
4. Shows 0 (zero) as the number of frames remaining in the view finder.
5. The problem is intermittent, i.e., it goes away after letting the camera rest for some time, but then recurs.

So I call Minolta who has me call Sony and they have me send the camera in for repairs. That was on May 31, 2006.

July 6, 2006

After a month in repair, around July 6, at Precision Camera their online status says repaired, shipped, shipment confirmed (please note the shipment confirmed part).

July 14, 2006

A week later no camera, so I call Precision. The lady says, the camera is still with them with a note on it saying that I have to call Sony. Hmmm, how does that equate to shipment confirmed? I have no idea.

I wanted to ask her exactly when was Precision camera going to inform me that the camera was not shipped and that I was to call Sony, but I figured she would have no intelligent answer so I let that pass. Anyway.....

So I call Sony. They say the camera cannot be repaired as they are no longer making spare parts. They offer me a DSC-H5 in replacement. While on the phone I quickly check online on the DSC-H5, hmmm a $400 camera in place of a $1100 camera. A point and shoot camera instead of a SLR. No lenses vs. a couple of thousand dollars worth of lenses I have. Great job Sony.

I tell the Sony Customer Service that the exchange is unacceptable. That a point and shoot is no replacement for a SLR. At which point she said "SL what?" Right then I should have known I am headed downhill. I tried to explain it to her in simpler terms and said "I have a Ferrari, you are offering me a Yugo in exchange." There was a pause and she goes ohhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.

The lady then sheepishly says that Sony will alternatively offer a refund by prorating the cost of the camera over 7 years. Since my camera was less than a year old and cost about $1,100 I should get about $950 plus. Sony says I must mail them my proof of purchase, i.e., a bill stating how much I paid for the camera. Since the camera was in its first year of warranty I felt I should get all my money back, but for now I was OK.

I did mention to the lady that Sony should at minimum offer the new Alpha A-100 as a replacement and not the DSC-H5. She didn't even know what that was. Sigh!! I said I will fax my proof of purchase for the Minolta 7D and would like to get my money.

July 17, 2006

So I fax my proof of purchase. no news for a while. I was told someone would call me the day or the next day after I fax proof of purchase.

July 20, 2006

Finally I get an email from Sony stating that I need to provide proof or purchase of a DSC-H5 to get a refund. huh? What the fuck was that? I never owned a DSC-H5.

So I call Sony trying to explain to them I need a refund for a Minolta 7D that is still under warranty and that they are saying cannot be repaired. After being on hold for about an hour I finally get to talk to someone and express my frustration. I was assured that they have set their records straight. I hope they can resolve this issue so I can buy a new camera.

I am asked to re-fax my proof of purchase. I do so. I call back to confirm and am told there is absolutely no way I can confirm that they received the fax. I was told if they have received the fax they will call me in 2 to 3 days. I explained how I had already faxed the information in the past, but to no avail. They would not confirm receipt.

July 26, 2006

So I have not yet heard from Sony. I call. By the way, in the previous calls I was told to always directly ask for Level 2 support. So I call and ask for level 2 support. The lady says I first need to give her my event ID. I do so, and she says, "h! so this is for your request for a refund for a DSC-H5?".

I exploded. WTF!!!!!!!!!! I had to start all over again and explain to her the entire story. At the end of my explanation she says "well now I understand, so, foirst you must return the DSC-H5."

I was in shock. This has to be the twilight zone. In what language am I to explain the whole story to them? Sensing my extreme frustration she finally connected me to level 2 support.

The gentleman here was a LOT more knowldegable. He said he had not received my faxes (both of em) and said there was no point sending a third fax as there is no way to confirm the receipt.

So, he tells me the following:

1. Sony is currently processing cases for people who inititaed support 5 days before me, thereby implying I will not hear from anyone for at least 5 days. At that time if they do not have my fax they will call or email me. This is a lot better than the previous statements of "someone will call you later today."
2. He also said there is no 7 year prorating and that if the camera was under waranty I will get all my money back.

So, now I have at least a week to wait. Lets see what happens.

July 31, 2006

I get a letter from Sony. Guess what? They want me to fax them my proof of purchase for the camera. But wait, there is good news too. There is a direct line to the lady who sent the letter.

Aug 1, 2006

I call the lady. She was very polite, courteous and helpful and told me I will get a 100% refund for my Minolta 7D. The check will be cut on August 9 and that I should expect it to reach me in 10 business days from then. Finally. But somehow I will wait till I get the check and cash it.

During this ordeal I wanted to know if I was the only person who was having this problem. So I went to dpreview and started asking questions on their online forums. Here are three threads that will be quite enlightening.

Camera Stopped Shooting

Minolta 7D Anti Shake Problem Log

Argh!!! Sony

My run around with Precision Camera....

So why am I writing this incident on my blog? Well buying an SLR is a big decision and requires quite a bit of research. Plus in addition to buying the camera, you need to buy lots of lens. When you buy such an expensive camera you need to know you bought the right product from the right company because service and support are critical features.

So now that I do not have a camera I will start by writing my search for a new camera. Yes, despite Sony's pathetic service, I will evaluate their new Alpha A-100 DSLR too.

Keep tuned.

Aug 11, 2006

I get a call from Sony Electronics. The guy leaves a message which went like "aaah hmmm, we need to talk, call me, I am blah blah from Sony Electronics and my number is xxx-xxx-xxxx."

Now I go paranoid. I am convinced that there is something wrong with my refund. I call him back but he is never at his desk. Finally I get a call back from him. He said he wated to know why I was so upset with Sony. Not sure how he knew I was upset. I told him my story. He listened, I thanked him and that was the end of it. He told me that my refund was processed and that I should be receiving it soon.

Nothing he said has changed my mind about Sony in any significant manner. Though I did thank him for calling.