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Hasselblad Service

Dolce Moda

New member
I finally got my H3Dii-31 back from service today...after 7 weeks to have the CF card slot fixed. Wow.... worst packing job ever.

It was simply placed in a bag between the two styrofoam blocks in a box that was too tall for them to be held securely.
The bag was not taped or wrapped. There was nothing securing the styrofoam together and there were no packing peanuts or other sort of packing on top of the top styrofoam piece.
Naturally, in transit the camera jolted loose and bounced around inside the box until the focusing screen came loose and was then scratched. There was broken styrofoam that i had to pick out of the camera body.
You would think that seeing as it is coming from the factory that it would be properly packed and taped so the camera would not bounce around during shipping. The same was true of the lens,viewfinder and
grip. Thankfully, they were not in the same plastic bag but were packed similarly.

I paid quite a lot for this camera and to have it packed like an Ebay Holga is a very poor reflection on Hasselblad.

The upside is the camera works!
 

etrigan63

Active member
Talk to your Hasselblad rep and let them know about this. Equipment like this deserves white glove treatment by service personnel at all stages of the game. It's not an eBay Holga as you said.
 

Dolce Moda

New member
I am actually quite astonished. I have had a good relationship with Hasselblad up until now.
I went to a seminar last week that they put on and was impressed.

I have had ebay sellers pack old camera items like they were the crown jewels and to have this from the factory...
 

fotografz

Well-known member
Did you send the camera to them in the original Hasselblad box?

Obviously, NO excuse for them not packing it right. Absolutely none. :thumbdown:

However, it is good procedure to keep the original boxes for gear this valuable in case it has to be shipped back for service. I just today got my new H4D/60, and the box and protection is even bigger and more protective than with previous cameras. I think you could ship Nitroglycerin in this box ... :eek:

Hope they resolve it quickly.

-Marc
 

johnnygoesdigital

New member
Quite frankly, I was also surprised when my first H3D/31 arrived. The box felt cheap and the tabs on the bottom never stayed in. Same with the H4D, second rate packaging, perhaps it does explain many technical issues with these cameras. Usually, when returning a faulty camera for service they don't even insure it as a high value item, thus the rough transit. On the other hand, the Phase One 645DF comes in a pelican style hard shell case with a perfect fit for a DF body, DB and 80mm lens-plus room for filters, etc.- that is also the legal size for on board air travel. I would encourage Hasselblad to change the packaging in favor of the hard case style. It speaks volumes about the quality IMO.
 

Dolce Moda

New member
Hi Marc

Yes I shipped it in the original box and then placed that box inside a bigger box and filled it with packing peanuts.

When it returned to me, it was packed simliar to the way I packed it except there was a separate brown box that is about 2 inches taller with the original box.

Inside the original box was my viewfinder and lens. They were in open plastic bags just placed between the foam. The 3 inch foam tray was placed on top... so they were fine.

The other brown box contained the body and digital back. The back was attached to the body with a body cap on the body. The focusing screen was exposed. This was placed in an open plastic bag that was between a new set of foam pieces like the ones
that come in the original box to hold the camera. There was also a CD with Phocus 2.6 in there.
Because the brown box was 2 inches taller than the original box, and because there was no foam tray to secure the top of the foam... there was about 5 inches of free travel between the top foam piece and the top of the brown box.

The camera then bounced around inside between these two pieces of foam, breaking off chunks of styrofoam and dislodging the focusing screen... where it was eventually scratched by where the missing battery grip would attach (i guess).

The whole problem could have been easily avoided by simply reassembling the camera and putting it back in the original box. A couple of pieces of tape on the new styrofoam and some packing peanuts in the empty space above the styrofoam would have done the same thing too.

The reply from Hasselblad was "sorry for the inconvenience" and a promise to send a new screen... which is good. They want me to send them the damaged screen.

I think it is sad that Canon can pack a $50 printer with more care than Hasselblad can pack a customer's MFD camera.
 

fotografz

Well-known member
Sounds like a monkey packed it.

Why they wouldn't have reassembled the camera and placed in their own shipping box is beyond comprehension.

I'd run full tests on that camera right away.

Hasselblad gear has come in those tabbed boxes all the way back to V cameras, and I've never had an issue shipping anything in them ... but they may have learned, since the H4D/60 came in a much bigger, sturdier box. One of my H Promo Kits came in a Pelican type case, but I sure wouldn't use that to ship for service, it'd cost a fortune.

I sent my HC100/2.2 for repair/CLA ... and didn't put it in the original box :eek:

Good luck!

-Marc
 

jecxz

Active member

Dolce Moda

New member
Again the answer is no. The box was sealed with fibre reinforced cardboard tape that was the same as the one on the outer box.
When a box is opened by customs they reseal the box with yellow tape on it that has "this box was opened by Canada Customs" printed on it.

Derek, Hasselblad uses your images for their presentations. I don't qualify for the "special Hasselblad case".

I saw your images at the Hasselblad Phocus 2.6/H4D seminar that they put on here last week. Verrry nice !!
 
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jecxz

Active member
Alex, from the images you posted at Nick's it clearly was not customs, it was a bad job. I would feel the same as you. I am sure Hasselblad will take care of any problem and will not do this again.

Kind regards,
Derek
 

johnnygoesdigital

New member
Again the answer is no. The box was sealed with fibre reinforced cardboard tape that was the same as the one on the outer box.
When a box is opened by customs they reseal the box with yellow tape on it that has "this box was opened by Canada Customs" printed on it.

Derek, Hasselblad uses your images for their presentations. I don't qualify for the "special Hasselblad case".

I saw your images at the Hasselblad Phocus 2.6/H4D seminar that they put on here last week. Verrry nice !!
It stinks you've had issues with the quality of packing from the Hasselblad factory. These are very delicate cameras and the general nature of shipping can lead to rough transit. This camera should have left Hasselblad insured for High Value or what it's worth. A HV item is usually the last on and the first off. Otherwise it's treated like a box of sneakers! I had to ship back my H3D/H4D, and not once did Hasselblad ask me to insure it for HV. I was surprised... At these prices hard pelican type cases like Phase, should be included!
 

Laurent

New member
It is sad you had such a problem. I on the other hand had my camera returned form Hasselblad in a huge box full of fluffy stuff so the box could have been dropped without damaging the camera. I was completely satisfied with the packaging. It must have been a shipping person that was not very careful. The individual should be blamed more then the company I would think.
 

Dolce Moda

New member
It was in a huge box full of fluffy stuff. But there was a second smaller box inside that box.... the one with the camera body. That smaller box was the one not packed properly.
I kinda wonder if they just sent the camera body to Denmark and the smaller box was what came back from Denmark and they put it in the larger box with my other pieces when it came back. That would kinda make sense.
 
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