An addendum for the binoculars buying guide...

J

JamesTXSD

Active member
I have been trying to get a set of Canon image stabilized binoculars repaired... for MONTHS. Their customer service is the worst. After 6 e-mail requests for information on where to send them and the proper procedure, they finally responded to my 7th e-mail... after I signed onto the Canon sponsored owners forum, asking for help!

A nice man from Canon contacted me, and I thought we had things all worked out. I got a bill for around $150 for the repair, and thing were put into process. Nineteen days later, I contacted customer service to find out why they were not living up to the "5 to 7 days" for repair.

Shortly after that, I received a new bill... for $836.41. Seriously??? No mention of anything out of the ordinary until after I called. I called again, outraged, and spoke to a customer service person who said, "A supervisor will call you right back." That never happened.

Here is the last message I posted on that Canon forum:

-------------------------

OK, one more follow-up. It is now 17 days after my previous post. The bill for that repair was supposed to be around $150. I was told it would take "5 to 7 days" for the repair. When I contacted customer service today to see why it was taking longer than the "5 to 7 days", I received a new bill...

FOR $846.31

I was told the new charge was because the binoculars "had been immersed in water." ABSOLUTELY NOT TRUE!!! Never even used in the rain. That price, by the way, is more than the binoculars originally cost. I thought I was finally able to get the service work I have trying to arrange, FOR MONTHS, accomplished. There was no mention of this SUPPOSED immersion damage in the first repair estimate. Let this be a lesson for those who have purchased Canon products and try to get a repair done: be quiet; don't question how long a repair will take, even if they tell you "5 to 7 days" and you patiently wait nearly three times that length of time. Question them, and the bill will more than quadruple!

I am angry and appalled. I have no doubt that this new bill was issued as a punitive action for contacting customer service to find out why the repair was taking longer than I was originally told.

I called customer service again this afternoon to question this new, outrageous, charge, and I was told a supervisor would be calling me right back. I guess I shouldn't be surprised, but that didn't happen, either.

I don't need another apology from someone at Canon - I need CUSTOMER SERVICE. Not lip service.

------------------------

Bottom line: I was pleased with the Canon image stabilized binoculars until the rubber parts on the exterior began to disintegrate. That's when all the frustration with Canon started. Right now, I am sorry I bought those binoculars originally. I also own and use Canon cameras... I sometimes wear 'em out, but I've never had to deal with their customer service (using the term "service" very lightly).

BEWARE if you purchase Canon products and ever need service done on them. I can't believe a big company like Canon would ignore customer requests for service... and when pushed into giving the service information to the customer, drops the ball repeatedly... even after the intervention of a "customer service" supervisor.

Don't return e-mails? Don't return phone calls? Ignore customer contacts? Is that any way to conduct business??

Jim B.
 
That is just plain awful or substitute other word, words, phrases, comments, statements, ...


What is the price of new ones?
 
BrentB":tqmumj5g said:
That is just plain awful or substitute other word, words, phrases, comments, statements, ...


What is the price of new ones?
Click to expand...

You can get them from Amazon right now for $420. And they expected me to pay TWICE THAT for a repair??? :amgry

Ignored, lied to, and lied about! I have done dumbass things... dropped my phone in the lake... spilled hot chocolate on my MacBook Pro. I fessed up and paid the price. The on-line customer service supervisor was going to cover the original repair... "As long as the damage isn't due to impact or water immersion." So, the repair people came up "water immersion" as the reason the binoculars had sat, unrepaired, for 3 times as long as they said the repair would take. And, interestingly, they didn't discover this "water immersion" until I called today to see what was taking so long.

Image stabilized binoculars are great on a boat. Pass on Canon. I'll be passing on ANYTHING Canon from now on.
 
Jim,

I bought my Canon stabilized 15x 50 binoculars over 10 years ago for $1500 & though the price has since dropped to $1200 I felt then & still do they where worth every dollar up till your sharing of dealing with Canon customer service. They are wonderful for viewing off a horse, ATV or boat where slight movement won't interfere with the high power clear optics. Mine were advertised as water proof & have been up to this past summer when I noticed after getting wet from rain in Alaska & then going from cold to warm condensation was forming inside on the lenses. Have been thinking about contacting Canon to see if they could be repaired, so Jim, I'm very thankful for your update on dealings with Canon customer service. It has possibly saved me from going through the same. As much as I've liked these binoculars if I continue to have problems with them their replacement will be the Fugi stabilized 14x40.

Jay
 
Jim
I think I would try a call to the public relations department and I think I would post your story to Canon's Facebook page. I don't understand why companies would want to give you a place to post a negative review, but if there going to we should take advantage it. They might just take it down but it's worth a try.
I have a lot of Canon products and I don't like hearing this. They need to step up and take care of the customers.
 
Jim,

That really sucks. I have used Canon cameras and lenses for a very long time (think FTb), and I have never had a problem with them. Wore out a couple (AE1 and AE1p) but never had to deal with their service, other than one time, when they replaced my original AE1, (metering went south). As I remember, that took forever, even when warranteed.

It is sad to see a good product get shot down because of bad service.

BTW, my next cameras name is going to start and end with N____n :shock:

I like the idea of the Canon facebook thing.

Wishing you the best from the NW corner.

Harvey
SleepyC:moon
 
Thanks for the replies, folks. This has gone beyond ridiculous. Several exchanges back and forth with the "supervisor" (his title seems to change with each e-mail). They will cover the repair as long as it wasn't caused by "misuse"... I get an e-mail with a zero balance and an estimate of the time for repair. When that time passes with no word, I check their web site with my repair number: "repair being processed." Still no word on delivery. Call to find out why it is taking so long, then get the outrageous invoice for over $846. Call to find out what is going on - no one seems to know. Then, they claim "water intrusion," which I ABSOLUTELY deny. OK, then... they must have been dropped. Also not true.

Now: if I let this whole thing drop, they will cover the new outrageous charge. This quit being about money when I found out what a joke their repair service actually is... OK, not a joke, but lies, indifference, and deceitful business practices.

At this point, there is no telling if the binoculars will ever find their way back to us. Or what $$ they will try to extract with another "made up" charge.

Seriously - if they had said, "The repair of the binoculars would be more than the price of new" right off the bat, I would have probably just gone out and bought another. I understand that things wear out. But, this has gone on and on due to their lack of response.

Just be aware if you have any item to send for Canon repair: the estimate for cost and time for repair apparently has no relation to what the final cost will be and the time it will really take. You will be ignored or lied to. If you are able to find a phone number to contact them, you will be put on hold and ultimately be given no useful information. If you ask direct questions, you will be told, "I do not have that information." Then, expect a punitive, higher bill to be forthcoming.

I have to shake my head with this one. I currently use Canon cameras and have gotten good use out of them. When they wear out, I toss 'em and buy another. These binoculars were great... at first. After two years, they began to disintegrate - all the rubber on the exterior became sticky to the touch. For a piece of equipment designed to be used outdoors, this seems like a major shortcoming.

Save your money, avoid the frustration. Pass on the Canon 10x30is binoculars.
 
hardee":345g9knz said:
...
BTW, my next cameras name is going to start and end with N____n :shock:
...
Harvey
SleepyC:moon
Click to expand...

Harvey, the old saying is:

"People who want to be photographers, want a Canon. People who are photographers, shoot Nikon". :wink

Humor aside, neither of these companies are known for great customer service. In a recent thread on one of the camera forums that I administer, there was a bunch of envy from all of us Nikon folks, bemoaning how great the customer service is at Canon. In general, I think that both Canon and Nikon make excellent equipment, but their stateside customer service organizations leave much to be desired.
 
hardee":1k0ft43s said:
BTW, my next cameras name is going to start and end with N____n :shock:SleepyC:moon
Click to expand...

I like my Nikon cameras and lenses, but I've been frustrated by their support. In my experience they're slow and don't stand behind their work. Not as bad as Jim's story, but still not good.
 
Also try Investor relations. I would send them a copy of all of the blog. Also go to Digital Review (photo) huge following there. Not sure of binoc sites, but know there are some.

I have had problems with the rubber on both of my Steiner 8 x 30. The newest is still OK-(about 6 years old) the others are over 15 years old, and the rubber is pretty well shot. On the other hand I have some Fujicon which are over 30 years old, and the "rubber" is OK.
 
I did contact Canon US Public Relations. Realistically, I don't expect to hear back from them. The customer contact supervisor assures me he is "working for you." I will believe this is resolved when I have binoculars back in my hands. In the meantime, we are getting ready to do some land traveling, so I have done my contacting, obviously riled a few people, and tried to get Canon to do what they say they will do. The ball is in their court.

Regardless of the outcome over the binoculars, this has soured any desire in me to spend another dime with Canon. I bought our daughter and son-in-law a camera for Christmas; yeah, a Canon. I will use the cameras I have, but when it comes time to replace them, it won't be with Canon.

Let me just put this in here: Canon 10x30is binoculars - Canon Service is lousy! (something for the search engines). :wink:

Thanks for the conversation and suggestions. Good service is out there, even from big companies... just not my experience with Canon.

Best wishes,
Jim

link to the Canon site that started all this...

http://forums.usa.canon.com/t5/General- ... false#M286
 
That's just crazy. I don't understand businesses that treat customers like crap or worse, flat out lie to them. I'd send a complaint letter "up the chain". Although it probably won't do any good, it will make you feel better.
 
Jim,

You might try:

Dan Aug
Senior manager, Web and new media Dept.
Corporate Communications Division, Canon USA
One Canon Plaza,
Lake Success, NY 11042

He is their PR guy for web, twitter, etc. (never met him, data just from web search) and should be very sensitive to the power of bad reviews on line.
 
The saga of the Canon binoculars repair is over! The binoculars are back. No charge (charged off for "good will"). If/when there is a problem with them again, I will toss them before I would put myself through dealing with Canon's service/repair. Definitely NOT a good experience, no good will generated.

But... it's done! :crook

Last update, last time I will mention those binoculars here. Thanks for the suggestions and support.

Best wishes,
Jim
 
I just purchased a pair of Nikon Action Extreme 16x50 binoculars and am very happy with them. I use them for aircraft spotting and viewing distant animal life. While I can handhold them with minimal shaking, I also bought a monopod to use with them which is quite handy. I don't really plan to use these binocs on the boat since I have a good pair of marine 7x50 made by Fujinon, but I suspect I will from time to time when they might prove useful - such as on Lake Powell.

Rob
 
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