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Thread ID: 43143	2004-03-04 23:33:00	Off Topic : Warranty Obligations - Digital Camera	Miami Steve (2128)	Press F1

Post ID	Timestamp	Content	User
220148	2004-03-04 23:33:00	Hi All, In September last year I purchased a Canon G5 digital camera to use on an overseas trip. By the time I returned, the symbols painted on the control dial on top of the camera had begun to wear off. By February this year, they had gone completely, so it was impossible to tell what setting the camera was on without using the LCD display on the top of the camera. At this stage I decided to return it under warranty for a replacement dial. I dropped the camera off at Canon's head office in Auckland on 9th February, to have the dial replaced under warranty. It is now 4 weeks later, and having visited Canon's offices again today, I have been informed that their technicians have not got around to looking at the camera yet! My question, I guess, is simply how long do I have to give them to fix a non-technical problem before I can rescind the contract of sale under the Consumer Guarantees Act, and go and buy myself a replacement. To my mind, 4 weeks is totally unacceptable. I'd be interested to know if anyone has had similar problems, and how they resolved them. Cheers Miami	Miami Steve (2128)
220149	2004-03-04 23:48:00	I had a dvd player fail then then disapear into the deep pit of warrenty repair,at the one month point i started causing a huge fuss and rang everyone i could and told them what i thought,then fired off some emails.... Got a brand new dvd player out of it approx 3 days after i started to complain. As far as im concerened,1 week is long enough,i can see it streching to 2 weeks but any longer is a joke.	metla (154)
220150	2004-03-05 00:22:00	Cant remember the exact wording of the Consumer Guarantees act but it is along the lines of "a resonable amount of time", in regards to repair time. As far as I can remember from a long since forgotten law paper a "reasonable time" can actually be quite unreasonable. Up to 3 months if I remember correctly (please dont quote me on that). Best suggestion as mentioned above is to make some noise about your dissatisfaction. However, always remember to be polite and civil, while still firm, if you go down that path as it will always get you further then ranting and raving. Just my 2 cents. B.	Barnabas (4562)
220151	2004-03-05 01:01:00	Agree with both posts. A reasonable time will always relate to the type of product and its value. A part for a Porsche might reasonably take two months to obtain. A Canon camera? Major international brand, presence in New Zealand - I'd say two weeks should be any amount of time. My Canon is 10 years old and shows no such wear.	Winston001 (3612)
220152	2004-03-12 00:47:00	Thanks for your input, guys. I did some further research into the CGA, and went back to Canon yesterday, quoting durability, being fit for the purpose intended and reasonable time to repair. After some discussion, they agreed to replace the camera. They were wary of replacing the camera because "the same thing will happen!" which concerned me slightly, but I was insistent. This morning I took all the accessories back and picked up the new camera. To their credit, they also supplied a carry case to protect the camera better. As you said, it pays to be calm, but firm and to know what your rights are before you complain. They tried to tell me that the CGA wouldn't help me because there was not a technical fault with the camera, but my research had indicated that lack of durability in normal use is just as much of a fault under the Act. Cheers Miami	Miami Steve (2128)
220153	2004-03-12 03:14:00	Nice one Miami, glad to hear that you got a good result. :-)	Susan B (19)
220154	2004-03-12 03:46:00	Wow a whole replacement just for wear n tear. Guess I'll be buying cannon with warranty quality like that! :) Out of interest, did you carry the camera in a carry case before? And were you changing the dial all the time from play to shoot to video etc?	PoWa (203)
220155	2004-03-12 04:08:00	That's just the point PoWa. Wear and tear (when the item is used for it's designated purpose) is not acceptable in a high value item in only a few months. Did I have a carry case before? No. In retrospect, I probably should have. Was I changing the dial all the time? Not really. As this was my first digital camera, and I was travelling overseas immediately, I hadn't had an opportunity to experiment with it, and I didn't want to take any risks with the photos (Disneyland in L.A., Paris, London etc) so I just left it on Auto most of the time. Cheers Miami	Miami Steve (2128)
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