The GetDPI Photography Forum

Great to see you here. Join our insightful photographic forum today and start tapping into a huge wealth of photographic knowledge. Completing our simple registration process will allow you to gain access to exclusive content, add your own topics and posts, share your work and connect with other members through your own private inbox! And don’t forget to say hi!

Sony service = bozo zone

Jan Brittenson

Senior Subscriber Member
Okay, I've had enough of Sony Laredo. They should stick to consumer electronics, because they have no clue about photography.

There is no way to provide information online.
They call, generally at between 7:30am and 7:55am.
There is no email.
The first time I got a call the technician gave me a 366 number to call back at. (It took me some time to figure out it should be an 866 number.)
When I call back I get told the technician who called two hours earlier is no longer with the company.
When I call I get to talk to a customer service rep who has no clue about cameras, then have to explain how to reproduce a problem while the rep types into a computer. (I assume. But maybe he's writing it down on pad of paper because I hear no typing.) Words can't explain how asinine this is.
I explain exactly how to reproduce it: take lens X, put on camera, set to max aperture, manual focus, turn lens to infinity. Take shot. Examine shot. Not focused to infinity. Easy, right?
No. Days later I get another call saying there is no problem, did I try setting the lens to manual focus instead of autofocus? :wtf:

I've had enough. I'm bailing. No more Sony for me.

Note to self: in the future, buy cameras only from camera companies.
 

weinschela

Subscriber Member
It won't make you feel better but Panasonic support is no better. I guess consumer electronics companies aren't quite up to camera support, even if they have in fact turned cameras into consumer electronic devices.
 

Terry

New member
I had problems with service in Laredo where they didn't fix the problem and it went right back to them. Perhaps see if you can get in touch with someone in San Diego (which I believe is where the US Imaging group is located). Might take some work with the phone book to find a local number.
 
C

curious80

Guest
Well they aren't any better with consumer electronics support either unfortunately. I had a Sony Ericsson cell phone which dropped calls at will and had very bad sound. The Sony customer service guy spent 10 minutes trying to convince me that there was nothing wrong with the phone ("Sir this is caused by bad signals", "Are you placing it properly on your ear", etc). And when I told him that the problem happened regardless of which area I am in and that the cell phone showed full signal bars, and that other cell phones worked fine under the same conditions, the response was - "Sir every phone is different, even if other phones are working fine that doesn't mean your phone is faulty"!!. Eventually he agreed to me sending the phone to them but warned me that if the phone turns out to be not faulty then I will be charged the shipping charges as well as an inspection fee. And also told me that it will take 3 weeks before they could tell me if they think the phone needs a repair!

Needless to say, I instead ran back to Fry's and got a replacement as it was still within the return period!

So the problem is not just their lack of knowledge about cameras, they just don't seem to have a good customer service system in general.
 

jonoslack

Active member
I've had enough. I'm bailing. No more Sony for me.

Note to self: in the future, buy cameras only from camera companies.
Dreadful - I've heard other horror stories as well.

Only thing I can say though, is that after some 4 years of shooting Sony cameras I've not actually needed to send one back (touching wood here).

Pentax on the other hand - in 10 months - 6 lenses went back, and two bodies. Admittedly they performed very well, and I'm probably not a good statistical sample . . . .
 
N

nocavat

Guest
soy extended warranty uses precision camera in texas , is that the same place? i had to send my a 700 back 3 times to get the autofocus fixed, its my second body and they blamed my lenses(which worked fine on the first body) i finally had to send them the kit lense, the entire focus module and other parts needed to be replace.
 

dhsimmonds

New member
I can only share Jono's experience with SONY cameras. I have used the A900 for over three years now. The A700 for just over a year, both without a hitch, similarly a reasonably large collection of Sony and Sony/Zeiss lenses.

None of them have given me any problems whatsoever.

After years of using a Leica which went back to Leica UK or Leica Solms in Germany a few times, this is a revelation!

I would add that my cameras do have a tough life sometimes and my A900 has been around the globe with me a few times, survived countless trips into the forests of Hampshire and Dorset in all types of weather, the deserts of Australia, the dust of the African Plains and dampness of rain forests in Costa Rica and South America (and England!)

I rarely use a tripod, the Steady Shot anti shake system works very well, I have only cleaned the A900 sensor once in three years, the anti dust system is reasonably effective......so much that could go wrong compared to the simple Leica, that did!

Where I would send my Sony's if they did go wrong I don't really know, but I suspect that I would put them back to my Sony dealer in the first place for advice at least.
 

pegelli

Well-known member
Sorry to hear your ordeal, even if reliability is high (I've had 0 problems with 3 cameras and multiple lenses since 2006) a reasonable base-level service is essential for every brand.

Fortunately in the Netherlands they have contracted the service to a reputable 3rd party in Almere from which I have heard very good reports (even providing loaner cameras for people in a pinch), but reports on other European countries has been hit and miss.
 

Steen

Senior Subscriber Member

For me it is all about actually having access to really good service when I suddenly need it, more than how often I need it, which is for most electronics and brands rather unpredictable anyway.

(I have no experience, good or bad, with Sony in this regard, never owned it so far).
 
V

Vivek

Guest
Fortunately in the Netherlands they have contracted the service to a reputable 3rd party in Almere from which I have heard very good reports (even providing loaner cameras for people in a pinch), but reports on other European countries has been hit and miss.
That is good to know. Thanks.

Fortunately, I have had no need for it as my Sony cams are unused (the Nex-5 isn't worth selling either). No worries for Sony service.
 

Steen

Senior Subscriber Member

Vivek, do you mean 'unused' due to the lack of viewfinder in the original 5'er ?

And are you therefore looking at the 5N and 7, or in which direction are you heading now that at least you know about the mentioned reputable 3rd party Sony service in your country ?
 
V

Vivek

Guest
Hi Steen,

In addition to what I said in one of our PMs:

http://www.flickr.com/groups/carlzeisslenses/discuss/72157628147189651/

No NEX' (ie., 3,5,C3,5n and the like) for me. With a real hotshoe and a built in EVF (plus the reasonable size) makes the 7 look like it is worth a look. 5n with the EVF is way too pricey (still no real hotshoe and limited use EVF socket) for me for what it offers.

OT: I did handle the V1 recently. Nice toy. But not small enough or priced enough to be a cute toy. ;)
 

Jan Brittenson

Senior Subscriber Member
Well they aren't any better with consumer electronics support either unfortunately. I had a Sony Ericsson cell phone which dropped calls at will and had very bad sound. [...] Needless to say, I instead ran back to Fry's and got a replacement as it was still within the return period!
Ugh... A phone though I could deal with; I'd take it back to the Verizon or AT&T store I got it in and demand a replacement. Worst case I'd have to cough up a few hundred dollars, and while I'd hate to do that I'd probably just suck it up. But a $2000 camera is a different matter...
 

Jan Brittenson

Senior Subscriber Member
Let me point out I don't have a problem with the people at the service center per se (except they act and sound like it's their first day on the job), but with information being passed verbally to someone who doesn't understand it, to be written down and handed to someone else. This as a process step is horribly error prone.

The second is the habit of claiming there is no problem when the customer clearly has a problem. The third is not trying what the customer suggests, exactly, but trying what they think the customer suggested. This implies a lack of attention. Especially with the transcription step it's impossible to intelligently drive this process a customer's perspective: where is the error? What should be corrected or restated? Merely repeating will likely simply elicit the same result.

The fourth is that I think the technician who calls me at 7:30am asking for details doesn't do repairs but is a first-line inspection guy. He weeds out the crank cases to keep from distracting the people (person?) who actually do repairs and adjustments. He makes sure to collect enough information to be able to reproduce the problem for the repair techs. Needless to say there is huge staff churn and wages are low, except for the repair techs who know what they're doing. The repair center only needs so many of the latter so there isn't much of a career path here and the job is perceived as a dead end.

It might be a cost-effective way to run a cost center, but from a customer's perspective it's a disaster.
 

Jan Brittenson

Senior Subscriber Member
So... got my camera back. Hadn't heard from Sony in a few days, then got a notice they'd finished servicing my camera and shipped it back. Got it today, unpacked and checked the work order. Doesn't say they did anything, or that they inspected it, or that anything was wrong in the first place. So didn't look good for the home team at that point. Popped on a lens and... omfg teh cameraz is fixxed!!! :thumbup: So I'm happy. I think. :clap:

I suspect they couldn't find anything wrong with it, put it in the hands of a competent technician for a tuneup; he tuned everything and fixed the issue in the process. Or just banged it with a rubber mallet a few times.

Regardless, I now have an a850 that will focus to infinity with non-ZA lenses! Yay!
 
Top